Free General Manager Job Description Template

A general manager job description built around real P&L accountability.

Part of our free job description templates.

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Blank template Filled exampleGeneral Manager — independent restaurant group

1.Job Brief (About the Role)

{{Company Name}} is hiring a General Manager to own the day-to-day operation and full P&L of {{location / unit}}. This role reports to the {{Owner / Regional Director}} and leads the {{department / shift}} managers, front-line staff, and vendor relationships.

Three or four sentences: the team, who the role reports to, and why this position exists. Skip generic openers like “We are looking for…”.

2.Responsibilities

Own the unit P&L: hit revenue, labor-cost, and {{COGS / food-cost}} targets and explain monthly variances
Build the weekly labor schedule to forecasted demand and keep overtime within budget
Hire, train, and coach {{department}} managers and conduct performance reviews
Run daily operations, open/close procedures, and the cash-handling and deposit process
Drive local sales and guest satisfaction; respond to reviews and resolve escalations
Enforce health, safety, and {{licensing / compliance}} standards and pass inspections and audits
Manage inventory, ordering, and vendor contracts to control waste and shrink
Report KPIs to ownership in {{POS / reporting system}} and act on the numbers

Eight to twelve bullets, each starting with a verb. Keep them specific to the day-to-day work, not aspirational filler.

3.Requirements & Skills

{{X}}+ years in operations management with direct P&L responsibility
Proven team leadership: hiring, scheduling, and performance management of {{10}}+ staff
Working knowledge of {{POS and scheduling systems}} and basic financial statements
ServSafe Manager certification (or ability to obtain) where the role handles food service
Available for opening, closing, weekend, and holiday shifts as the business requires

List the must-haves: experience, licenses or certifications, the systems and tools used, and any physical or shift realities.

4.Nice-to-Have

Multi-unit or multi-department management experience
Bilingual ability to support a diverse team

Two to four genuinely optional items. Keep them strictly separate from Requirements so they don’t deter good applicants.

5.Compensation & Benefits

Pay range	{{Salary Range}}

Enter a pay range from local market data — do not leave it blank. Pay transparency improves applicant quality and is now required in many states.

6.Schedule & Work Environment

{{Full-time}}; {{45–50}} hours including evenings, weekends, and peak seasons
On-site at {{location}}; on-floor leadership, not a back-office desk role
On call for staffing gaps and operational emergencies

Be honest about shifts, weekends, overtime, and the physical environment. Realistic expectations reduce early turnover.

7.How to Apply

To apply, {{application instructions — e.g., send a resume and short cover note to careers@company.com}}.

Filled in for a single high-volume location within a 4-unit independent restaurant group.

1.Job Brief (About the Role)

Maple & Oak Hospitality is hiring a General Manager to run our 120-seat flagship location and own its full P&L. This role reports to the Regional Director and leads two assistant managers, a kitchen manager, and a 35-person hourly team.

2.Responsibilities

Own the location P&L: hold labor at or below 28% and food cost at 30%, and present monthly variance notes
Build weekly schedules in 7shifts against sales forecasts and keep overtime under 4% of labor
Hire and coach the assistant managers and run quarterly performance reviews
Run open and close, nightly cash reconciliation, and the bank deposit
Reply to every Google and Yelp review within 48 hours and own guest-complaint recovery
Hold a ServSafe-compliant operation and pass county health inspections with no critical violations
Approve weekly food and bar orders and audit invoices against the inventory count
Pull daily and weekly KPIs from Toast and walk ownership through the P&L each period

3.Requirements & Skills

6+ years in restaurant operations, including 3+ years with full P&L ownership
Track record hiring, scheduling, and developing a 30+ person hourly team
Fluent in Toast POS and 7shifts; reads a P&L and prime-cost report confidently
Current ServSafe Manager certification
Available for nights, weekends, and holidays through peak season

4.Nice-to-Have

Experience opening a new unit or running multiple locations
Conversational Spanish to support back-of-house staff

5.Compensation & Benefits

Pay range	$72,000 – $88,000 per year plus a quarterly profit bonus

Health, dental, and vision
Two weeks PTO plus paid sick days
Dining discount and annual leadership offsite

6.Schedule & Work Environment

Full-time, roughly 48 hours per week across opening and closing shifts
On-site and on-floor at our downtown flagship; not a desk role
On call for last-minute call-outs and operational issues

7.How to Apply

To apply, send your resume and a short note on a location you turned around to gm-hiring@mapleoak.example.

How it works

Preview the general manager job description and a filled restaurant-group example.
Download Word/PDF, or copy the text to paste into Google Docs.
Set the unit, your cost targets, and reporting line, add a pay range, and post it.

Frequently asked questions

What does a general manager do?

A general manager owns the day-to-day operation and the unit P&L: hitting revenue and cost targets, scheduling and leading staff, managing inventory and vendors, and enforcing safety and compliance. The template lists these as editable responsibilities.

What should a general manager job description emphasize?

Lead with accountability, not duties. Name the P&L scope, the cost targets the role owns (labor, COGS), the team size, and the systems used. Generic “manage operations” language attracts weaker candidates than specific, measurable ownership.

What qualifications should a general manager have?

Look for operations-management experience with direct P&L responsibility, proven team leadership across hiring and scheduling, and comfort reading financial statements. In food service, a ServSafe Manager certification is commonly required.

Is this template only for restaurant general managers?

No. The worked example is a restaurant, but the seven sections fit retail, hospitality, fitness, and service GMs. Swap the cost metrics and certifications (for example, drop ServSafe) to match your industry.