The posting
Assistant Director of Operations
Chick-fil-A Robinson
Overview
Chick-fil-A Robinson is seeking an experienced, highly engaged operational leader to serve as our Assistant Director of Operations.
This is a senior restaurant leadership position responsible for helping the Executive Director of Operations execute the day-to-day operation of Chick-fil-A Robinson. The Assistant Director of Operations serves as a key extension of the Executive Director, helping translate restaurant goals, systems, and expectations into consistent execution across all dayparts and departments.
The Executive Director of Operations maintains overall responsibility and decision-making authority for restaurant operations, while the Assistant Director of Operations provides hands-on leadership, oversight, follow-through, and support to ensure those expectations are successfully carried out.
This role is heavily operational. The Assistant Director of Operations should expect to spend approximately 70–80% of working time actively engaged in restaurant operations, with the remaining time dedicated to scheduling, leadership development, financial review, planning, administrative responsibilities, and strategic initiatives.
The successful candidate will be highly visible in the restaurant, comfortable making decisions in real time, willing to step into any area of the operation, and capable of helping lead a high-volume restaurant through both people and systems.
This position currently reports to the Executive Director of Operations and works closely with the Operator and other senior leadership.
Chick-fil-A Operational Immersion
Candidates with prior Chick-fil-A leadership experience may transition directly into Assistant Director of Operations responsibilities based on experience and readiness.
For external candidates who are new to Chick-fil-A, the position will begin with an approximately 3–6 month operational immersion and training period. During this time, you will work directly within restaurant operations to learn Chick-fil-A systems, standards, positions, culture, guest experience, and expectations from the ground up before assuming full Assistant Director responsibilities.
Because this position helps oversee the entire restaurant, the Assistant Director of Operations must develop a strong working knowledge of both Front of House and Back of House operations and demonstrate the ability to effectively lead in each.
This training period is an intentional part of our Director development process. We believe our senior operational leaders should deeply understand the work they will ultimately oversee and earn credibility with the team through firsthand operational experience.
Director-level compensation and applicable benefits begin on your first day of employment and remain in effect throughout the training period. The length of the immersion period will vary based on prior experience, demonstrated proficiency, and readiness to assume full responsibility for the role.
Key Responsibilities
Operational Leadership
- Assist the Executive Director of Operations in overseeing the daily operation and overall execution of Chick-fil-A Robinson.
- Spend approximately 70–80% of working time actively engaged in restaurant operations.
- Serve as a highly visible operational leader who understands what is happening throughout the restaurant and responds appropriately in real time.
- Maintain meaningful exposure to opening, closing, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and peak-volume operations.
- Regularly walk all areas of the restaurant to evaluate food quality, food safety, hospitality, speed, accuracy, cleanliness, positioning, Team Member performance, and overall operational readiness.
- Understand, model, teach, and consistently uphold Chick-fil-A Robinson's established Standards for Success.
- Help ensure restaurant leaders consistently execute established systems, processes, and expectations.
- Identify operational concerns and either correct them immediately or ensure the appropriate leader develops and executes a sustainable solution.
- Be capable of stepping into and effectively leading both Front of House and Back of House operations when needed.
- Provide senior operational leadership during high-volume periods, unexpected staffing challenges, equipment issues, guest concerns, and other situations requiring sound judgment.
- Maintain a strong understanding of Chick-fil-A policies, procedures, systems, and operational standards.
Supporting the Executive Director of Operations
- Serve as a trusted operational extension of the Executive Director of Operations.
- Help execute restaurant priorities, initiatives, systems, and action plans established by senior leadership.
- Maintain strong communication regarding restaurant performance, staffing concerns, leadership needs, guest issues, facility concerns, and emerging operational risks.
- Provide timely and reliable follow-through on delegated responsibilities.
- Help ensure expectations established by senior leadership are understood and consistently executed throughout the restaurant.
- Assume increased responsibility for Robinson's daily operation when the Executive Director is not physically present.
- Exercise appropriate independent judgment within established expectations and areas of responsibility.
- Bring problems forward with appropriate context, potential solutions, and a willingness to take ownership of next steps.
- Provide consistent operational updates and recaps as established by senior leadership.
Leadership & Team Development
- Help lead, coach, develop, and hold the restaurant leadership team accountable.
- Build strong working relationships with Directors, Managers, Supervisors, Team Leaders, and Team Members.
- Coach leaders in real time and provide clear, direct, and respectful feedback.
- Help build a strong leadership bench and identify Team Members with potential for advancement.
- Conduct or participate in one-on-one meetings, leadership development conversations, and performance coaching.
- Assist with leadership scheduling to ensure appropriate coverage and effective deployment.
- Participate in interviewing, selecting, onboarding, and developing restaurant leadership talent.
- Help ensure performance concerns and policy violations are appropriately documented and communicated.
- Partner with senior leadership and appropriate support resources on employee-relations and HR matters.
- Reinforce a culture of accountability, development, hospitality, food safety, operational excellence, and genuine care for people.
- Participate in restaurant leadership meetings, development initiatives, and culture-building events.
Scheduling & Labor Management
- Assist with the development and execution of weekly Front of House and Back of House schedules.
- Ensure appropriate staffing levels based on forecasted sales, transactions, restaurant needs, and established productivity expectations.
- Monitor labor performance throughout the week and help leaders make appropriate real-time adjustments.
- Review overtime, productivity, call-offs, staffing gaps, and other labor concerns.
- Help ensure schedules are completed accurately and communicated within established deadlines.
- Maintain awareness of staffing needs across departments and dayparts and proactively communicate emerging concerns.
- Help balance excellent operations and Team Member experience with responsible labor stewardship.
Guest Experience & Hospitality
- Help ensure Chick-fil-A Robinson consistently delivers an exceptional guest experience.
- Maintain high expectations for genuine hospitality, attentiveness, courtesy, and guest interaction.
- Monitor guest-facing areas throughout each shift, including the dining room, Drive-Thru, restrooms, and exterior.
- Interact regularly with guests and model the hospitality expectations of the restaurant.
- Review guest feedback and Customer Experience Monitor results with leadership and assist in developing action plans for improvement.
- Ensure serious or time-sensitive guest concerns receive appropriate attention and follow-up.
- Help identify recurring guest experience issues and work with appropriate Directors to create sustainable solutions.
Food Safety, Quality & Compliance
- Help create and maintain a culture in which food safety is treated as a leadership responsibility.
- Ensure appropriate completion and follow-up of SAFE Daily Criticals, food safety evaluations, quality checks, and other required operational systems.
- Maintain awareness of food quality, preparation standards, temperatures, cleanliness, and food safety throughout the restaurant.
- Work closely with Kitchen leadership to immediately address food safety or quality concerns.
- Support readiness for Chick-fil-A assessments, Quality Improvement Visits, and other operational evaluations.
- Help ensure restaurant operations comply with applicable Chick-fil-A policies and local, state, and federal requirements.
- Escalate significant safety, compliance, or operational concerns to senior lead
Financial Stewardship
- Assist senior leadership in monitoring and improving restaurant financial performance.
- Develop and maintain a working understanding of the restaurant's financial performance and the operational decisions that influence profitability.
- Monitor key controllable expenses including labor, food cost, waste, repair and maintenance, supplies, linen, uniforms, and other operational expenses.
- Review labor and productivity performance and help leaders course-correct when results fall outside established goals.
- Assist with inventory, forecasting, payroll accuracy, and month-end processes as assigned.
- Identify operational practices contributing to unnecessary expense or lost profitability and help implement corrective action.
- Support sales and transaction growth while maintaining appropriate cost controls.
- Help ensure restaurant resources are used responsibly and in alignment with established budgets.
Facility, Equipment & Restaurant Readiness
- Maintain awareness of the condition and functionality of restaurant equipment and facilities.
- Ensure repair and maintenance needs are identified, communicated, tracked, and appropriately followed through to completion.
- Regularly inspect the restaurant interior, exterior, dining room, restrooms, kitchen, service areas, and Drive-Thru for cleanliness and operational readiness.
- Help ensure appropriate preventive maintenance and cleaning systems are consistently followed.
- Develop effective working relationships with vendors and service providers as appropriate.
- Escalate facility or equipment concerns that could significantly affect operations, safety, guest experience, or financial performance.
Leadership Communication & Accountability
- Participate in restaurant Director and leadership meetings.
- Maintain regular communication and one-on-one meetings with the Executive Director of Operations as established.
- Track assigned priorities and ensure commitments are completed on time.
- Review restaurant scorecards and performance metrics and help appropriate Directors develop action plans when results fall below expectations.
- Communicate effectively across departments to ensure Front of House, Back of House, Hospitality, Drive-Thru, Marketing, and other functions remain aligned.
- Model strong personal accountability, professionalism, urgency, and follow-through.
- Help create an environment in which leaders understand both what is expected and why it matters.
Measures of Success
The Assistant Director of Operations will help senior leadership drive measurable improvement and sustained performance in areas including:
- Overall restaurant operational performance
- Execution of Chick-fil-A Robinson's Standards for Success
- Sales and transaction growth
- Labor cost and productivity
- Food cost and waste
- Restaurant profitability and financial stewardship
- Drive-Thru performance
- Guest satisfaction and CEM results
- Order accuracy and speed of service
- Food safety and quality results
- Restaurant cleanliness and facility condition
- Team Member turnover and retention
- Leadership development and internal promotion
- Schedule effectiveness and staffing stability
- Digital and mobile sales growth
- Catering performance
- Repair and maintenance management
- Successful execution across all dayparts
- Leadership accountability and follow-through
Specific performance targets will be established and reviewed regularly through Chick-fil-A Robinson's Standards for Success, restaurant scorecards, financial reporting, and leadership goals.
Qualifications
- Significant restaurant, hospitality, retail, or other high-volume operational leadership experience required.
- Restaurant management experience strongly preferred.
- Experience supervising and developing leaders or managers, rather than solely individual contributors, strongly preferred.
- Chick-fil-A experience is valuable but not required; candidates without Chick-fil-A experience must successfully complete the operational immersion period described above.
- Demonstrated ability to lead teams in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.
- Strong operational judgment and the ability to make effective real-time decisions.
- Demonstrated ability to coach, develop, and hold leaders accountable.
- Comfortable working with operational and financial data to identify opportunities and improve results.
- Strong organizational, communication, problem-solving, and follow-through skills.
- Must be willing and able to spend approximately 70–80% of working time actively engaged in restaurant operations.
- Flexible availability that provides meaningful exposure to AM and PM operations, peak business periods, and restaurant needs Monday through Saturday.
- Comfortable taking direction from the Executive Director of Operations while independently executing responsibilities within established authority.
- Able to support senior leadership's vision and priorities without requiring constant direction.
- Willing and able to work in both Front of House and Back of House environments.
- Dependable, self-aware, solution-oriented, and receptive to feedback and continued development.
- Demonstrates the ability to balance strong results and accountability with genuine care for Team Members and guests.
- Must adhere to all Chick-fil-A and Chick-fil-A Robinson policies, procedures, safety requirements, and standards of conduct.
What We Offer
- Competitive Director-level compensation
- Director-level compensation beginning on the first day of employment, including throughout any required operational immersion period
- Paid time off
- Healthcare access and subsidies for eligible roles
- 401k match after first year
- Tuition reimbursement for those who qualify
- Sundays off, aside from occasional meetings or special events
- Leadership development and opportunities for continued advancement
- Direct mentorship from the Executive Director of Operations
- Access to the Operator and other senior leadership
- Broad exposure to all aspects of operating a high-volume Chick-fil-A restaurant
- The opportunity to develop the operational, financial, and people-leadership skills necessary for increased senior leadership responsibility
- A leadership environment focused on excellence, accountability, development, and genuine care for people
