The GM is the linchpin of your operation: labor, cost, guest experience, and culture all run through this role. Resumes and charming interviews won’t predict success. To hire a restaurant general manager: a short, structured plan for assessment will. It simulates a day in the life, reveals financial literacy, judgment under pressure, and leadership style. It’s fair, repeatable, and fast.
As always, use this as a guideline to create your own with your business and priorities in mind!
1. Define success and build a scorecard
Before you even create the job post, write what “great” looks like in measurable terms. Turn that into a simple 100-point scorecard you’ll use at every step. Why measurable? Defining “great” in measurable terms removes ambiguity and personal bias, giving everyone the same scoreboard. Metrics translate strategy into clear targets, it makes trade-offs explicit, and enables timely course-correction because you can see what’s working. If you can measure it, you can manage it—and credibly celebrate it.
- Guest experience (20 pts): Maintain 4.5+ star average, comped items under 0.5% of sales.
- People and culture (20 pts): Reduce FOH/BOH turnover by 20% in 6 months, build a bench of 2+ ready supervisors.
- Financials (30 pts): Hit labor target X%, COGS target Y%, drive 3-5% comp sales growth.
- Systems and ops (20 pts): A weekly inventory cadence, scheduling accuracy (example: keep coverage adherence to 95% or greater), cleanliness audits at 95% or greater.
- Leadership fit (10 pts): Values match, communication style, composure.
2. Write a tight, transparent job post
Lead with your mission and what success looks like, then list must-haves and nice-to-haves.
Must-have experience:
- 2–3 years as GM (or AGM in a high-volume concept)
- Full P&L ownership (forecasting, budgeting, weekly/monthly reporting)
- Managed a team of 30+ across FOH/BOH (hiring, scheduling, coaching)
- Controlled labor and COGS to targets (ordering, inventory, vendor mgmt)
- Strong guest recovery track record (prevented churn, sustained 4.5+ ratings)
- Solid references from prior owners/ops leaders
Nice-to-haves:
- New opening experience, multi-unit exposure, bilingual, local market knowledge, vendor negotiation
Make it evidence-based
- “Please note team size managed and P&L scope on your resume.”
- “Share one example of reducing labor or COGS without hurting service.”
REMEMBER: Be clear on schedule realities, weekend/holiday expectations, and compensation band (base + bonus). Transparency attracts pros and reduces mismatches.
- Where to post: Poached Jobs, duh.
3. Filter applications with knockout questions
Add three short questions candidates answer in the application. They reveal scale, ownership, and thinking.
- In 3 sentences, describe your biggest operational win and the measurable result.
- What weekly labor process do you use to hit targets?
- Share a specific guest recovery story and outcome.
Knockouts to watch for: no P&L responsibility, never managed 20+ staff, all answers without numbers, repeated sub-12-month stints without clear advancement. Prioritize resumes that show scale, tenure, and quantified results (percentages, dollars, review scores).
4. In a rush? Run a 15-minute phone screen with people you’re on the fence about.
Keep it crisp; your goal is to confirm fit and communication style only. Give them some quick context about your business: “We’re a X-seat concept doing $Y weekly. The GM owns P&L, people, and guest experience.” Then move right on to 5 key questions:
- What size team and sales volume have you led most recently?
- Walk me through how you schedule to a labor target for a slow week vs. a busy week.
- Tell me about a time you turned around food cost. What changed and by how much?
- How do you coach a chronically late but high-performing server?
- What do you look for during a daily floor walk?
Close with comp expectations and the timeline you have to hire. Score against your card; advance only top candidates.
5. Conduct a structured on-site interview (60–75 minutes) Break it into four parts and use consistent questions across candidates.
Leadership and culture:
- Describe your management style with a new team. What happens in your first 30 days?
- Tell me about a time you lost a great employee. What did you learn?
Operations and systems:
- Show me your weekly cadence: inventory, ordering, prep sheets, line checks, pre-shift.
- How do you partner with the chef on menu engineering and waste?
Financial acumen:
- Here’s a simplified P&L snippet. What stands out? What actions would you take?
- How do you balance labor cuts with service standards?
Scenario/role-play:
- A VIP’s entrée is 20 minutes late. Walk me through your guest recovery.
- A Saturday double no-show in the kitchen: what’s your immediate plan? Watch for calm, structured thinking, and specifics over buzzwords. Have them meet the chef and a key FOH lead to gauge chemistry.
6. Do a paid working interview and check references
A short, paid working interview (2–4 hours) is a powerful window into their ability to handle the role. A paid stage isn’t exactly cut and dried for a general manager, here are some ways to simplify it:
- Activities: pre-shift huddle, brief floor walk with notes, observe a table touch, review next week’s draft schedule, quick vendor call or order.
- Evaluate: clarity of communication, presence on the floor, respect with BOH, and alignment with your systems.
References (3 calls, including a former direct supervisor and one peer):
- What were their top two contributions? Where did they struggle?
- Would you rehire them? In what context?
- How did they impact labor, COGS, or turnover? Any numbers?
7. Make a compelling, clear offer with a 90-day plan
Great GMs have options. Move fast and be specific! Here’s an example:
- Compensation: competitive base + 10–20% bonus potential, paid quarterly. Tie to 3–4 KPIs (labor %, COGS %, guest rating, audit completion). Share the exact formula and examples.
- Benefits: PTO, health, meals, parking/phone stipend, professional development budget, and realistic schedule expectations.
- Tools and support: POS, scheduling software, training resources, owner cadence (weekly one-on-ones).
90-day plan highlights:
- Days 1–14: learn systems, meet vendors, observe service, audit current labor and COGS.
- Days 15–45: implement scheduling cadence, tighten ordering and prep, launch pre-shift standards, set team KPIs.
- Days 46–90: present P&L action plan, finalize vendor changes, build supervisor bench, deliver first bonus scorecard. Give a 72-hour window to decide, and sell the upside: autonomy, growth path, and what makes your concept special.
Print this and use it as a checklist. If every step maps back to your scorecard, you’ll hire a GM who doesn’t just run shifts—they run the business.
Hope this helps! As always Poached makes it easier than ever to screen candidates, sort resumes, schedule and coordinate working interviews with your next General Manager!