Dining Manager

Position: Dining Manager (Full-Time)

Location: North Carolina

Reports to: Director of Hospitality Operations / VP Operations

About the Property

A mission-driven wellness destination in the Blue Ridge Mountains, welcoming thousands of guests annually for retreats, conferences, and special events. Our dining program serves fresh vegetarian cuisine in a high-volume buffet environment focused on exceptional hospitality.

Position Summary

The Dining Manager leads all front-of-house dining operations and partners closely with the Executive Chef to deliver exceptional guest experiences. This leader oversees dining supervisors, servers, stewards, volunteers, scheduling, service standards, and daily operations while ensuring efficient coordination with the kitchen during retreats ranging from 50 to over 1,000 guests.

Key Responsibilities

Lead all front-of-house dining operations and guest service.

Hire, train, coach, schedule, and develop dining staff and supervisors.

Partner with the Executive Chef on meal execution, timing, presentation, and communication.

Maintain outstanding cleanliness, sanitation, and food safety standards.

Manage labor scheduling, productivity, inventory controls, and operating budgets.

Lead dining operations for large retreats, conferences, and special events.

Coordinate with Events, Reservations, Housekeeping, Facilities, and Volunteer teams.

Resolve guest concerns promptly and professionally.

Develop a culture of hospitality, teamwork, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

5+ years leading high-volume dining, banquet, conference center, resort, university, camp, cruise, or retreat food service.

Proven leadership of teams of 20+ employees.

Experience serving buffet-style meals for 200–1,000+ guests preferred.

Strong financial acumen including labor and food cost management.

Excellent communication, coaching, and organizational skills.

ServSafe Manager certification preferred.

Appreciation for wellness, vegetarian cuisine, and mission-driven hospitality.

Success Measures

Guest satisfaction

Food and labor cost targets

Health inspection excellence

On-time meal execution

Employee retention and engagement

Cross-department collaboration