Restaurant General Manager – Full Service | Arlington, VA

Location: Arlington, VA | On-Site | Day Shifts

$75K base salary range

Full benefits

PTO

Vacation

Local training

GM's work day shifts

Some roles look good on paper. This one delivers in real life.

We are partnering with a highly ranked franchise restaurant group to find a General Manager for their Arlington, Virginia location. This is a full-service concept with no bar operation — structured hours, day shifts, a five-day work week, and a genuine commitment to quality of life for its leadership team. If you have built your career in fast casual, breakfast or diner-style concepts, or a well-respected corporate or franchise brand, this role was built for someone like you.

What You Will Own

• Direct all daily restaurant operations, maintaining strict brand standards, food quality, and guest experience across every shift
• Lead, coach, and develop your team at every level — from new hires to shift supervisors — building a stable, high-performing culture
• Manage full P&L accountability, including food cost, labor cost, and operating expenses, to hit financial targets consistently
• Execute accurate scheduling and labor management to support both guest volume and budget performance
• Oversee hiring, onboarding, and training processes, with support from local training resources
• Conduct hands-on shift leadership — you will be on the floor, not behind the desk
• Monitor daily operational performance, identify improvement areas, and implement consistent solutions
• Drive guest satisfaction by modeling service standards and holding the team accountable to them
• Partner with area leadership to support advancement opportunities and long-term development

What We Are Looking For

Required:

• 2+ years of General Manager experience in a full-service restaurant, fast casual, breakfast/diner concept, or corporate/franchise brand
• Demonstrated track record in P&L management, labor control, and operational execution
• Proven ability to recruit, train, and retain a strong team
• Hands-on floor leadership style — this is not a back-office role
• Strong communication and coaching skills across all team levels
• Ability to maintain food safety, cleanliness, and brand standards under high-volume conditions

Preferred

• Experience with a nationally recognized or highly ranked franchise concept
• Familiarity with fast-paced, day-shift focused operations
• Background in staff development and internal promotion pipelines

Why This Role Stands Out

This is not a role that asks you to sacrifice your personal life for the business. The group behind this position has built a reputation for respecting its leaders and investing in their growth.

The right candidate will find a concept that runs clean, a team worth developing, and an organization that promotes from within.

How to Apply

This role is available immediately.

To be considered, please send your professional resume to:

tombull@geckohospitality

Interviews will be conducted in person.

Tom Bull is an award-winning executive hospitality recruiter specializing in the DC and Virginia markets. All resumes and inquiries are handled with strict professional confidentiality.

The right General Manager changes what a restaurant is capable of. If that is you, let's talk.

Company DescriptionGecko Hospitality, named to Forbes list of America’s Best Recruiting Firms, offers the largest selection of restaurants, catering, grocery store, corporate dining, senior living, healthcare foodservice, K-12 foodservice, and higher education foodservice positions. Our hospitality-exclusive team covers all 50 states and Canada and offers professional placement services with over 120 dedicated hospitality experts.

With Gecko's extensive list of hospitality recruiter services, we get you and your resume in front of the hospitality industry's leading decision-makers! Better yet, Gecko has exceptional national, regional, and local relationships and is well respected in the hospitality industry for enhancing hospitality careers.

Our national network consists of 80 regional offices driven to meet the needs of the hospitality industry. From fast food to fine dining and grocery stores to senior living, Gecko recruits chef and management positions for all facets of the hospitality industry. Gecko boasts generations of hospitality recruiting experience, consisting of over 1,900 collective years, that furthers the careers of those seeking professional management positions. Contact us today and we will get you in touch with one of our experts to discuss your opportunities.