Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Restaurants

Company Description

Luke’s Lobster is a renowned seafood brand and a leading national restaurant group with 25 locations, with both fast-casual and full-service lobster roll restaurants. We supply our own lobster from a processing plant in Saco, Maine, ensuring our 'Shacks' provide our guests the highest quality, best tasting seafood. We are seeking a Chief Operating Officer to lead and manage operations across all domestic locations and be a driver of our planned 20-25% annual growth over the next 3-5 years. 

Role Description

The Restaurant COO will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of 25 company owned and operated seafood restaurants. Additionally, this person will be the operations lead for opening at least six new locations per year. This role requires exceptional leadership skills and track record of developing teams, expertise in project management and systems implementation, a passion for sustainable seafood is a plus, and a commitment to delivering exceptional customer experiences to our guests. The ideal candidate will have experience in both full-service and fast-casual restaurant environments, as our 'Shack' service models vary based on size and location. The ideal candidate is also curious about the future of franchising and will be expected to be a thought leader while building the foundation for this dual growth pathway. The person will be a member of the Executive Leadership team and report directly to the Founder and CEO, Luke Holden.

Preferred Locations: Portland, ME; Boston, MA; New York, NY; Washington, D.C.

Responsibilities:

Operations Management

• Oversee all aspects of restaurant operations, including menu development, seafood sourcing logistics from our in-house processing facility in Maine, inventory management, staffing, and training.
• Ensure compliance with food safety regulations and quality standards.
• Develop and implement operational policies and procedures.
• Optimize restaurant layout and workflow to improve efficiency and customer satisfaction.

People Leadership

• Partner with People Culture (Human Resources) to drive best practices in the areas of recruitment, onboarding, training, and retain and engagement to create a culture of excellence and with high performing teams.
• Manage employee performance and address any issues promptly.
• Develop and implement employee training and development programs.
• Give clear direction, teach methodologies, guide team to achieve desired goals, and hold team to a stated standard

Customer Experience

• Establish and maintain high standards for customer service.
• Address customer complaints and resolve issues promptly.
• Gather customer feedback and use it to improve the customer experience.

Financial Performance

• Monitor and analyze financial performance metrics, including sales, costs, profitability, and return on investment.
• Develop and implement strategies to improve financial performance.
• Enhance a high level of business acumen with each location General Manager.

Strategic Planning and Business Development

• Collaborate with the leadership team to develop and implement long-term strategic plans to drive growth and profitability for both owned and franchised seafood restaurants.
• Partner with marketing to conduct market research to identify trends and opportunities.
• Partner with development to execute expansion plans, including site selection and franchise development.
• Collaborate with the executive team to set financial goals and develop budgets.

Technology Integration

• Implement and manage technology systems to improve efficiency and streamline operations.
• Leverage technology to enhance customer experience.
• Ensure data security and compliance with privacy regulations.

Legal Compliance

• Ensure that all restaurants comply with local, state, and federal regulations, including labor laws, health codes, and environmental regulations.
• Manage legal matters and resolve disputes with support of outside counsel when needed.
• Advise on risk management strategies.

Qualifications

• At least ten years of restaurant leadership experience and ten years of experience running multi-unit operations;
• An outstanding work ethic, ambition, and drive to succeed;
• Superlative communication skills, a positive attitude, and a people-first nature.
• Strong leadership skills and the ability to motivate and inspire teams.
• Experience with g-suite and other technology tools, e.g., R365.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency in financial management and reporting.
• Comfort operating alongside both hourly teammates and in a company board meeting setting with institutional private equity investors.
• Preferred location in a major metropolitan area in the Mid-Atlantic to Northeast 
• Must be open to extensive travel
• Proven track record of success in both full-service and fast-casual seafood restaurants.
• Experience with franchise management is preferred.
• A hands-on (“no job is too small”) mentality. 

Compensation and Benefits

• Salary commensurate with experience – anticipate $200,000 /year
• Annual performance bonus
• Paid vacation, sick days, and holidays
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance on a national PPO network with company premium contributions
• Low-asset fee 401k retirement plan 
• Mobile phone stipend program
• Paid parental leave 

About Luke’s Lobster

Luke’s Lobster was born out of the dream of Maine native and third-generation lobsterman Luke Holden to bring the quality lobster rolls of his youth to the big city. After meeting business partner Ben Conniff on Craigslist, the two twenty-somethings opened their first lobster shack in a 250 square foot space in NYC’s East Village in October 2009. 

Now 15 years later, Luke’s Lobster brings traceable, sustainable seafood to guests across the globe. Our vision is to be the world’s most trusted seafood brand. Our mission is to serve the best seafood because we care for it obsessively from the dock to you, and because we're devoted to serving the whole community of people it touches. We work directly with fishermen to hand pick the best seafood, bring it straight to our own seafood company in Saco, ME and then ship directly to our shacks, grocery partners, and consumers. Cutting out the middleman means better tasting seafood for you to enjoy and a fairer price for our fishermen.

At Luke’s, our company culture comes first. We are proud and passionate about the work environment we have fostered and are excited to see it continue to grow. We value diversity, creativity, transparency, and open communication from all levels. In 2018, we furthered our commitment to sustainability and socially conscious business practices by becoming a certified B Corporation®, reflecting Luke’s Lobster’s deep devotion to our communities, family of teammates, and the environment. Please visit www.lukeslobster.com for more information.

EEO Statement

Luke's Lobster provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to any status, including but not limited to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Luke's Lobster complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training. Luke's Lobster expressly prohibits all forms of workplace harassment. Improper interference with the ability of Luke's Lobster employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge. Essential job functions include standing for sustained periods of time, lifting objects from lower to higher positions, ascending or descending stairs or ladders, and bending, crouching, and reaching to low and high places. Luke's Lobster is a participant of E-Verify.