Restaurant Manager

1948 Bar & Bistro | Ladysmith, BC

1948 Bar & Bistro is looking for an experienced, energetic Restaurant Manager to join our team and take the lead on our front-of-house experience.

We are a busy, growing coastal Bistro with a great team, a beautiful setting, good food, cocktails, wine, events, and lots of regulars who love what we're building. We're looking for someone who loves hospitality and wants to be part of creating a restaurant that people genuinely enjoy coming to , both as guests and as employees.

This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who loves being in the middle of the action. You'll be the face of the Bistro, lead the FOH team, help create an elevated and consistent service experience, and have plenty of opportunity to put your own stamp on how we operate.

And yes, you'll need to be comfortable jumping behind the bar or taking a section when the restaurant gets busy. We're a team, and our managers lead from the front.

What You'll Do

Lead the Guest Experience

- Be the welcoming, confident, and professional face of 1948
- Create a warm, polished, and genuinely hospitable experience for every guest
- Set and maintain elevated service standards across the Bistro
- Be visible and engaged on the floor during service
- Build relationships with regular guests and our local community
- Handle guest concerns with confidence and find solutions
- Pay attention to the details that make a guest feel looked after

Lead the FOH Team

- Lead, coach, train, and motivate servers, bartenders, hosts, and support staff
- Set clear expectations and create a positive, accountable team environment
- Run pre-shift meetings and communicate daily priorities
- Delegate tasks effectively and make sure important work gets done
- Manage sections, reservations, floor plans, and the flow of service
- Jump in wherever you're needed: serving, bartending, hosting, expo, or supporting the team
- Help develop a team that is knowledgeable, professional, friendly, and fun to work with

Be Part of Service

- Work alongside the team during busy services
- Have strong serving and bartending skills
- Be confident running a busy restaurant and working the floor




- Understand wine and be comfortable recommending wine to guests
- Know how to manage the pace and flow of a full-service restaurant
- Recognize when the team needs support and step in before being asked

Events & Reservations

- Manage large reservation requests and help coordinate the restaurant's larger bookings
- Work with guests to plan and organize group dining experiences
- Coordinate Christmas parties, holiday bookings, and other special events
- Communicate event details clearly to the FOH and kitchen teams
- Delegate event-related tasks and ensure the team is prepared
- Help create memorable experiences for groups while keeping service smooth and organized

Bar, Beverage & Inventory

- Order alcohol, beverages, restaurant supplies, and FOH products
- Maintain appropriate inventory levels
- Monitor beverage usage, waste, and costs
- Receive and organize deliveries
- Maintain robust relationships with suppliers
- Ensure the bar is properly stocked and ready for service
- Maintain strong knowledge of cocktails, spirits, beer, and wine

Labour & Business Operations

- Understand restaurant labour percentages and how staffing impacts profitability
- Build and adjust FOH schedules based on business levels and sales
- Monitor labour throughout service and make adjustments when necessary
- Review sales, labour, and operational reports
- Understand the relationship between sales, staffing, productivity, and profitability
- Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and control costs
- Work closely with ownership to identify challenges and implement solutions

What We're Looking For This is an experienced restaurant leadership position.

We're looking for someone who has:

- Previous restaurant management or strong FOH leadership experience
- Professional bartending experience
- Strong full-service serving experience
- Solid wine knowledge




- Experience ordering alcohol and restaurant supplies
- Experience with inventory and cost control
- An understanding of restaurant labour percentages and scheduling
- Strong organizational and communication skills
- The confidence to make decisions and solve problems
- Excellent guest-service instincts
- A hands-on, team-first leadership style
- FoodSafe certification is an asset
- Not everything here is required, we will train where required

The Person We're Looking For We're not looking for someone who wants to sit in an office and manage from a distance.

We want someone who loves restaurants.

Someone who notices when a guest needs something before they ask. Someone who knows when the bar is getting slammed and jumps in. Someone who can take a section, pour a great glass of wine, help a server through a difficult table, organize a Christmas party, and then sit down afterward and understand what the labour numbers are telling them.

You should be confident, personable, organized, and comfortable taking ownership.

You should also enjoy working with people. We have a great team, and we want someone who will add to that culture. Someone who works hard, has a sense of humour, supports the people around them, and knows how to have fun while still maintaining high standards.

Why 1948?

1948 Bar & Bistro is located at Mañana Marina & Resort in beautiful Ladysmith, BC. We're building something special - a coastal Bistro that feels welcoming and approachable while delivering elevated food, cocktails, wine, and hospitality.

There is a lot of room here for the right person to make their mark.

You'll have a real voice in the FOH operation, the opportunity to develop your team, build relationships with our guests, help shape our events and beverage experience, and work directly with ownership to make the Bistro stronger.

If you're an experienced hospitality professional who loves people, restaurants, wine, cocktails, outstanding service, and being part of a team, we'd love to meet you.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From $24.50 per hour

Benefits

- Extended health care
- Flexible schedule

Work Location: In person

📌 Restaurant Manager (Ladysmith)
🏢 1948 Bar u0026 Bistro
📍 Ladysmith