Operations Manager - Landmark Steakhouse & Cafe Opening

About the Role

Open Pantry Co. is launching a premium hospitality precinct at Poppet Head Plaza in Charters Towers, Queensland, featuring a 200-seat steakhouse and a 150-seat all-day cafe with drive-thru, serving a local and highway customer base of over 10,000 people. The venues have been carefully designed with expertise from leading food consultants and research from the US, with all major planning completed. The company aims to become the region's preferred employer for hospitality talent by creating an engaging and supportive workplace culture from the outset.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the full process of opening both venues including all operational aspects
• Develop menus, establish supplier relationships, and set up all operating systems from the ground up
• Recruit, train, and manage the opening teams effectively
• Create and nurture a positive, people-focused workplace environment to attract and retain top regional hospitality professionals
• Manage daily operations on the floor after opening, actively participating in service delivery

Candidate Profile

• Demonstrated experience successfully opening hospitality venues end to end
• Strong leadership skills with a track record of building, developing, and retaining loyal teams
• Broad operational expertise across both café/coffee and full-service licensed restaurant environments
• Hands-on leadership style, comfortable engaging directly in service tasks such as coffee making and food service during busy times
• Willingness to work in a regional location; initial fly-in fly-out (FIFO) arrangement available with travel and accommodation covered

Why Join Us?

• Unique opportunity to build two hospitality venues and establish their culture from inception, supported by dedicated ownership
• Significant autonomy with direct communication channels to key decision-makers
• Attractive performance-based bonuses linked to venue opening milestones
• Contract duration of 1 to 2 years with flexible terms to accommodate your circumstances

Additional Information

This is a builder role rather than a caretaker position; you will have genuine ownership over the project and team. A competitive base salary of $150,000 per year is offered, along with travel and accommodation for FIFO arrangements, plus performance-related bonuses tied to key milestones.