Director of Operations

Director of Operations

Confidential QSR / Fast-Casual Restaurant Group

Location: Long Island, NY
Position Type: Full-Time | Field-Based
Experience Required: Multi-Unit QSR / Fast-Casual Operations + New Store Opening Experience

15-20 locations minimum experience

We are leading a confidential search for a Director of Operations for a growing QSR / fast-casual restaurant group based on Long Island.

This is a hands-on, field-driven leadership role for an operator who is familiar with NSO's and startups. The company is entering its next phase of growth and is looking for a strong operational leader who can bring structure, consistency, accountability, and leadership development across current and future locations.

This is not a maintenance role. This is a build-the-business role.

The ideal candidate will come from a high-volume QSR or a fast-casual brand and have proven experience leading multi-unit operations, supporting new store openings, developing leaders, and driving consistent execution across food quality, cleanliness, speed, hospitality, labor, food cost, and overall store performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee daily operations across current and future locations
• Lead and support New Store Openings from planning through post-opening stabilization
• Strengthen accountability, communication, and operational consistency across the business
• Monitor labor, food cost, guest experience, cleanliness, and controllable performance
• Identify operational gaps early and create clear action plans
• Protect the brand's culture, standards, and guest experience as the company grows
• Responsible for developing, mentoring Shift Leaders, and Cluster Managers.

Required Experience

• 4-5+ years multi-unit operations, Director of Ops.
• QSR Experience
• Proven New Store Opening experience is required
• Strong background in high-volume, fast-paced restaurant environments
• Experience leading store-level and multi-unit leadership teams
• Strong understanding of labor, food cost, P&L management, staffing, training, and operational controls
• Ability to lead through change, and hold teams accountable

Ideal Brand Background

We are especially interested in candidates with experience from strong, high-growth QSR or fast-casual brands such as:

Shake Shack, Chipotle, CAVA, Raising Cane's, Chick-fil-A, Dave's Hot Chicken, or similar concepts.

The right candidate understands speed, volume, systems, culture, hospitality, and scalable execution.

Ideal Candidate Profile

This person is:

• A hands-on operator
• A strong people developer
• Comfortable spending time in stores, not behind a desk
• Direct, clear, and accountable
• Calm under pressure
• Obsessed with standards
• Strong in New Store Opening execution
• Able to scale systems without killing culture

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role means stores operate with consistency, leaders understand what they own, teams are trained and accountable, new openings are executed properly, and the business is positioned for continued growth without losing the culture and standards that made the brand successful.