Restaurant Operations Manager

Role overview

RoomService is creating a private-chef experience for households by assigning each customer a dedicated chef who prepares fresh meals to order at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The concept is designed to deliver personalised food that matches ingredients and macro requirements, while keeping the service affordable through a shared-chef model across a small group of nearby homes. Behind that experience sits a tightly coordinated operation covering procurement, central preparation, packaging, and delivery.

This is an early-stage, ground-up leadership role in Dubai. The successful candidate will effectively serve as the founder’s operational right hand and will build the day-to-day engine that allows the business to scale. The position reports to the founder and is based across the kitchen and field.

What the role is responsible for

You will take ownership of the full operating rhythm, from kitchen execution to logistics, so the founder can stay focused on product and fundraising. The role suits someone who has managed F&B operations end to end and can actively improve kitchen efficiency, not just oversee it from a distance.

• Lead chef hiring, onboarding, management, and roster expansion as demand grows, while maintaining consistent standards across the team.
• Run daily cloud-kitchen operations and improve the central prep process so one chef can serve multiple households without compromising quality.
• Manage ingredient, packaging, and consumable sourcing; negotiate supplier pricing and terms; and keep tight control over stock, cost, quality, and waste.
• Set up and oversee delivery operations, including partner selection, rider management, routing, delivery windows, and last-mile performance.
• Own food safety, hygiene, and HACCP compliance, build SOPs, and solve operational issues at the root so they do not recur.
• Track and improve operational metrics such as food cost, delivery cost, labour cost, waste, and on-time delivery performance.

What success should look like

• The operation runs smoothly without the founder needing to be involved in daily execution, supported by a documented operating playbook.
• A dependable chef bench is in place, with enough trained talent to meet demand at a stable quality level.
• Delivery capacity is reliable, with hot and on-time deliveries meeting or exceeding the target standard.
• Procurement and prep are under control through effective supplier management, negotiated commercial terms, efficient mise en place, and cost discipline aligned to menu targets.
• The business has clear SOPs across kitchen, procurement, and delivery that can be replicated for the next kitchen launch.

Who we are looking for

We need an experienced restaurant or F&B operations leader who also has real kitchen exposure. You should have run restaurant, multi-site, or cloud-kitchen operations and understand how to optimise prep and service from hands-on experience.

• Proven experience recruiting, training, and leading chefs and kitchen teams.
• Strong capability in procurement, supplier negotiation, cost management, and delivery/logistics setup.
• About 6–10 years of experience in F&B or hospitality operations, preferably in Dubai.
• Comfortable acting as a founder’s operational partner in a fast-moving early-stage business and taking full ownership of the operation.
• Strong commercial and numerical understanding, especially around food cost, labour, delivery cost, and unit economics.
• Valid UAE driving licence and access to a car are strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of food safety and HACCP is an advantage; Arabic in addition to English is also an advantage.

Nice-to-have experience

• Background in opening or launching a restaurant, cloud kitchen, or delivery operation from scratch.
• Experience in cloud kitchens, q-commerce, or delivery-led operations.
• Existing relationships with suppliers, chefs, or delivery partners in Dubai.
• Understanding of nutrition, macros, and calorie-based meal planning.

Practical details

This is a full-time, Dubai-based role that splits time between the kitchen and field work. It is a hands-on leadership position rather than a desk-based job. The role reports directly to the founder and is intended to grow into a Head of Operations or COO path as the company expands across kitchens and the GCC.

Compensation and terms

The expected package is approximately AED 15,000 to 20,000 per month, depending on experience. Payment is made monthly through the Wage Protection System. Founding equity is also part of the discussion.

Start timing

The company is looking for someone who can begin within 1 to 2 months.