District Manager - Company Stores

The Corporate Restaurant District Manager (DM) provides leadership and operational oversight for multiple Mellow Mushroom restaurant locations within an assigned district. This role ensures consistent execution of Mellow Mushroom’s brand standards, food quality, guest experience, and unique culture, while driving sales growth, profitability, and people development. The DM serves as a key link between corporate leadership and restaurant teams, supporting both operational excellence and local authenticity.

Key Responsibilities

Brand, Culture and Guest Experience

• Champion the Mellow Mushroom brand, culture, and core values across all locations
• Ensure consistent execution of food quality, recipes, presentation, service, cleanliness, and atmosphere
• Protect the brand’s local vibe while maintaining required corporate standards
• Monitor guest feedback, reviews, and satisfaction metrics, coach leaders on guest recovery

Operations Excellence

• Oversee daily operations for 8+ Company-Owned Restaurants.
• Conduct regular restaurant visits, audits, and operational assessments
• Ensure proper execution of pizza production, bar operations, and kitchen workflows
• Support implementation of new menu items, promotions, systems, and operational initiatives

Financial Performance

• Drive district-level SALES GROWTH, PROFITABILITY, and EBITDA
• Analyze and manage P&L performance, including labor, food, beverage, and controllable expenses
• Partner with General Managers to improve prime costs and overall financial health
• Identify opportunities to increase revenue through local marketing, catering, and bar sales

Leadership and People Development

• Recruit, hire, coach, and develop General Managers and management teams
• Build a strong bench of future leaders and succession plans
• Provide ongoing coaching, feedback, and performance management
• Promote a culture of accountability, respect, inclusion, and fun

Bar, Beverage and Local Marketing Focus

• Support execution of bar programs, draft systems, and beverage standards
• Encourage responsible alcohol service and compliance
• Collaborate with restaurant leaders on local store marketing, community involvement, and events
• Leverage Mellow Mushroom’s community-driven identity to drive traffic and loyalty

Compliance, Safety & Standards

• Ensure compliance with food safety, alcohol service, labor laws, and company policies
• Maintain high standards of workplace safety and risk management
• Address employee relations issues in partnership with Human Resources

Communication & Corporate Alignment

• Serve as the primary field representative for corporate initiatives
• Communicate expectations clearly and consistently to restaurant leadership
• Provide regular reporting, insights, and feedback to corporate leadership

Key Competencies

• Culture-driven leadership
• Operational discipline with creative flexibility
• Financial acumen and analytical thinking
• Relationship building and influence
• Problem-solving and execution
• Time management across multiple locations

Work Environment

The following work environments are typical for this role

• Frequent travel between restaurants (driving, traveling in planes)
• Ability to work a flexible schedule including nights, weekends, and holidays
• Hands-on, field-based leadership role
• Office environment with standard equipment: computers, phones, copiers, etc.
• Commercial kitchen environments with frequent exposure to ovens, freezers, walk in coolers, sanitation chemicals, and food products.
• Occasional contact/immersion of hands in water, sanitation solutions, meat/poultry products, seafood and produce items

Supervisory Responsibilities

This position does not supervise corporate staff but will act in a supervisory fashion over corporate store team members in HGI owned Mellow Mushrooms.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here represent those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job:

• Frequently required to stand for long periods of time, walk, bend, stoop, and lift.
• Must occasionally lift and/or move up to 35 lbs.
• Occasionally required to prepare or serve food items.
• Occasional cleaning of FOH and BOH kitchen and store equipment.
• Vision requirements include close, distance, color, peripheral, and depth perception.
• Capable of driving personal vehicle to store locations or rental vehicles to out of state store locations, and capable of flying commercially for company travel.
• The driving of a vehicle for work related functions.

Position Type / Expected Hours of Work

• Full-time position.
• Core business hours are Monday–Friday, 8:30 AM–5:00 PM.
• Availability required during evenings, weekends, and for overnight travel, especially during store openings or training sessions
• Occasionally permitted to work from home; highly dependent on work schedule and travel schedule.

Travel Requirements

• Up to 50% travel during a calendar year, including overnight stays (can be 2–3 days at a time).

Required Education and Experience

• Five plus years of multi-unit restaurant management experience
• Strong background in casual dining or pizza/bar focused concepts
• Proven success managing P&L’s and improving financial performance
• Experience leading, coaching and development management teams
• Ability to balance brand consistency with local restaurant individuality
• Willingness to travel extensively within assigned district
• Valie driver’s license and reliable transportation
• Knowledge of OSHA regulations related to food service and hospitality
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, CRM software and Aloha POS.
• Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation
• Flexibility to work evenings, weekends and travel as needed

Preferred Experience

• Experience with Mellow Mushroom or similar culture-forward brands
• Franchise support or corporate field leadership experience
• Knowledge of pizza production systems and bar operations
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Hospitality, or related field

What we offer:

• Competitive salary with performance based bonus
• Mileage reimbursement or car allowance
• Health Insurance
• Paid Time Off
• 401K with Employer Match