NISI Greek Taverna

Front of House Manager —

Position Overview The Front of House Manager is the leader of hospitality and Front of House execution at NISI Greek Taverna.

This is a hands-on leadership position responsible for creating an environment where every guest feels genuinely welcomed, cared for, and appreciated from the moment they arrive until the moment they leave.

While operational excellence, organization, cleanliness, sales, and consistency are essential to the position, the heart of the role is hospitality.

The FOH Manager leads from the floor, sets the tone for service, develops the team, protects NISI's standards, and ensures those standards always support the experience we are trying to create for our guests.

Great hospitality at NISI isn't scripted. It is genuine, personal, attentive, and proactive.

The FOH Manager works closely with the General Manager, ownership, FOH Leads, Bar Leads, and Kitchen Leadership to ensure NISI operates as one team with one shared purpose: taking care of our guests.

Salary: $58,000 +$10,000k + Benefits

Leadership & Team Management The FOH Manager provides daily leadership to the entire Front of House team, including servers, bartenders, hosts, and support staff.

Leadership at NISI means being present, setting the example, communicating clearly, and helping people become better.

The FOH Manager will

- Lead by example through professionalism, urgency, accountability, positivity, and hospitality.
- Maintain a strong presence on the floor throughout service.
- Establish a positive, respectful, hospitality-driven, and performance-focused culture.
- Conduct engaging pre-shift meetings that prepare and motivate the team.
- Communicate daily priorities, features, 86s, events, reservations, celebrations, and service focuses.
- Coach employees in real time rather than allowing poor habits to develop.
- Recognize great performance and examples of exceptional hospitality.
- Address standards that are not being met quickly, professionally, and consistently.
- Support performance conversations, coaching plans, and progressive discipline alongside the General Manager.
- Develop FOH Leads by giving them clear responsibilities, expectations, and accountability.
- Identify potential future leaders and create opportunities for them to grow.
- Maintain strong communication between FOH, BOH, and management.
- Ensure expectations and policies are applied consistently across the team.
- Create an environment where employees understand not only what the standard is, but why it matters.
- Teach the team that hospitality is everyone's responsibility regardless of position.

The goal isn't simply to manage people. It is to develop a team that genuinely enjoys taking care of people.

Guest Experience & Hospitality The FOH Manager is the hospitality leader in the building while on duty.

Our Steps of Service provide the structure for great service, but genuine hospitality comes from understanding the guest, anticipating their needs, and creating an experience that feels personal rather than transactional.

The FOH Manager will

- Maintain a visible and engaged presence throughout the dining room, bar, entrance, and patio.
- Personally welcome guests and thank them for choosing NISI.
- Build genuine relationships with regulars and returning guests.
- Encourage the team to learn guest names, preferences, celebrations, and reasons for visiting.
- Recognize opportunities to surprise and delight without waiting to be asked.
- Ensure celebrations feel genuine and personal rather than routine.
- Read the dining room and recognize when guests need attention before they have to ask.
- Ensure NISI's Steps of Service are consistently executed.
- Monitor table maintenance, quality checks, beverage refills, pacing, and overall attentiveness.
- Coach the team to make genuine recommendations instead of simply selling products.
- Support servers on their tables while allowing them to maintain ownership of the guest relationship.
- Identify potential guest concerns before they become complaints.
- Handle guest concerns with empathy, confidence, urgency, and professionalism.
- Empower the team to solve reasonable guest concerns in the moment.
- Make appropriate recovery decisions while protecting both the guest relationship and the business.
- Follow up on significant guest experiences when required.
- Turn guest recovery into an opportunity to rebuild trust and create loyalty.
- Support the continued growth of NISI's reputation and guest loyalty.
- Ensure every guest leaves feeling genuinely appreciated for choosing NISI.

At NISI, hospitality means more than providing great food and service. It means making people feel like we were genuinely happy they came.

Service & Floor Management The FOH Manager is responsible for leading and directing service from open through close while ensuring operational decisions always protect the guest experience.

This includes

- Completing a full restaurant and floor walk before service.
- Confirming sections and staffing assignments.
- Ensuring tables are clean, properly set, level, and ready for guests.
- Monitoring reservations, walk-ins, wait times, and table pacing.
- Overseeing OpenTable and reservation management.
- Managing server sections and maintaining appropriate table loads.
- Coordinating large parties, celebrations, dietary requirements, and special requests.
- Maintaining communication with Kitchen Leadership regarding volume, pacing, and guest needs.
- Monitoring the pass and beverage service for presentation and consistency.
- Ensuring food and beverages do not leave the pass unless they meet NISI standards.
- Making strategic cuts based on business levels while protecting hospitality.
- Reassigning sections or responsibilities as business needs change.
- Maintaining awareness of restaurant capacity and upcoming reservation volume.
- Ensuring side duties are completed without taking attention away from guests.
- Maintaining smooth transitions between lunch, dinner, and closing operations.
- Stepping into any position when necessary to protect the guest experience.





The FOH Manager should never become so focused on operating the restaurant that they stop experiencing it from the guest's perspective.

Bar Operations

Working alongside the Bar Leads, the FOH Manager oversees the overall execution and hospitality of NISI's beverage program.

Responsibilities include

- Ensuring cocktails are produced according to approved recipes and presentation standards.
- Maintaining consistency in glassware, garnish, ice, and presentation.
- Monitoring ticket times and bar execution during service.
- Ensuring draft beer, wine, cocktails, and non-alcoholic beverages meet NISI standards.
- Supporting seasonal beverage features and programs such as The Pour.
- Ensuring bartenders understand current features and can confidently make recommendations.
- Encouraging beverage sales through conversation, product knowledge, and genuine hospitality rather than pressure.
- Monitoring responsible alcohol service and compliance with Smart Serve requirements.
- Ensuring the bar is properly stocked, organized, clean, and service-ready.
- Ensuring closing procedures, glassware, water bottles, and equipment are completed correctly.
- Helping create a bar experience that feels welcoming whether the guest is dining, having a drink, or waiting for a table.

Training & Development The FOH Manager plays a major role in building and maintaining NISI's training culture. Training should teach employees more than how to complete the job. It should help them understand the experience we are trying to create.

The FOH Manager will

- Oversee onboarding and training for new FOH employees.
- Ensure training plans are completed correctly and documented.
- Work with Leads and trainers to evaluate trainee progress.
- Conduct ongoing refresher training for existing employees.
- Maintain strong knowledge standards for food, beverages, allergies, and dietary restrictions.
- Reinforce POS and OpenTable knowledge.
- Conduct menu and feature tastings when required.
- Coach proper upselling through genuine recommendations rather than scripted selling.
- Train employees to recognize hospitality opportunities beyond the basic Steps of Service.
- Help employees develop confidence communicating with guests.
- Identify knowledge or performance gaps and create plans to address them.
- Ensure required training modules are completed by their deadlines.
- Develop employees through coaching rather than relying only on correction.
- Recognize progress and celebrate improvement.

Correct the standard when necessary. Coach the person whenever possible. Scheduling & Labour The FOH Manager supports effective staffing and labour management based on the needs of the business.

Responsibilities include

- Assisting with creating and maintaining the FOH schedule.
- Reviewing employee availability and time-off requests.
- Scheduling based on business needs, availability, performance, and strength of the team.
- Ensuring each service has the appropriate balance of experience and leadership.
- Monitoring staffing levels throughout service.
- Making responsible cuts as business levels change.
- Monitoring attendance, lateness, shift changes, and call-outs.
- Helping control labour while ensuring guest experience is never compromised.
- Ensuring clock-in and clock-out procedures are followed accurately.
- Monitoring scheduling and communication through 7shifts/7Punches.

Labour decisions should be responsible, but we should never save a labour dollar at the expense of losing a guest. Sales & Business Performance

At NISI, great hospitality and strong business performance work together.

The FOH Manager is expected to:

- Understand daily and weekly sales performance.
- Communicate sales goals and opportunities to the team.
- Drive appropriate beverage, appetizer, dessert, and feature sales.
- Teach suggestive selling through genuine recommendations and product knowledge.
- Support seasonal promotions and restaurant initiatives.
- Monitor discounts, voids, and comps for accuracy.
- Protect the business from unnecessary waste and loss.
- Help manage labour against business volume.
- Identify opportunities to improve efficiency without compromising hospitality.
- Support initiatives designed to increase repeat business and guest loyalty.
- Understand that creating regulars is one of the strongest forms of long-term sales growth.

We don't pressure guests to spend more. We create an experience that makes them want to return. Cash Handling & Financial Controls The FOH Manager is responsible for maintaining accurate and secure FOH financial procedures.

This includes

- Reviewing and approving employee cashouts where required.
- Ensuring cash-handling procedures are followed.
- Reviewing voids, discounts, and manager comps.
- Investigating discrepancies when required.
- Ensuring tip-out procedures are followed accurately.
- Completing appropriate end-of-day financial procedures.
- Protecting confidential financial and employee information.
- Using comps and guest recovery responsibly while understanding when protecting a guest relationship has long-term value.

Reservations, Events & Large Parties Events and large parties provide an opportunity to introduce NISI hospitality to guests who may be experiencing the restaurant for the first time.

The FOH Manager will

- Review upcoming reservations and events.
- Understand the purpose of the event and any important guest details.
- Ensure event information is communicated to the appropriate teams.
- Coordinate floor plans, seating, and staffing.
- Understand NISI's prix-fixe menus, beverage packages, and event offerings.
- Ensure special requests and dietary restrictions are communicated.
- Coordinate timing with Kitchen Leadership.
- Act as a point of contact during events when required.
- Personally connect with hosts or organizers during the event.




- Anticipate needs instead of waiting for the organizer to request assistance.
- Ensure event guests receive the same level of hospitality expected during regular service.
- Ensure hosts and organizers feel genuinely thanked for choosing NISI for their occasion.

Every event should create the opportunity for the next event, reservation, or returning guest. Restaurant Standards & Cleanliness The FOH Manager is responsible for the appearance, cleanliness, organization, and readiness of all guest-facing areas, including:

- Dining room
- Bar
- Patio
- Host stand
- Entrances
- Guest washrooms
- Server stations
- Water stations
- Pass/service areas
- FOH storage areas

The FOH Manager should continuously walk the restaurant from a guest's perspective.

Ask

What would I notice if I were walking into NISI for the first time?

Lighting, music, temperature, cleanliness, table presentation, washrooms, clutter, staff body language, and atmosphere all contribute to hospitality.

The details matter because the guest experiences all of them.

Opening & Closing Responsibilities The FOH Manager ensures all opening and closing procedures are completed thoroughly.

This includes

- Restaurant walkthroughs
- Opening and closing checklists
- Lighting and music
- POS systems
- Reservations and floor plans
- Cash procedures
- Equipment checks
- Bar readiness
- Cleaning standards
- Door and security procedures
- Staff checkout
- Final restaurant walkthrough
- Reporting maintenance or operational concerns

The opening mindset should be: Are we ready to welcome our first guest?

The closing mindset should be:

Are we leaving the restaurant ready for tomorrow's team and tomorrow's guests?

We leave the restaurant better than we found it.

Health, Safety & Compliance

Hospitality also means providing a safe environment for our guests and our team.

The FOH Manager will

- Follow and enforce NISI health and safety procedures.
- Ensure workplace injuries requiring first aid are properly documented.
- Ensure incident reports are completed and escalated appropriately.
- Support WSIB documentation when required by senior management.
- Ensure allergy and dietary restriction procedures are followed.
- Treat allergy concerns seriously and communicate them clearly.
- Reinforce responsible alcohol service.
- Identify and report potential hazards.
- Ensure emergency exits and pathways remain accessible.
- Respond calmly and appropriately to guest or employee emergencies.

Communication & Administration Strong hospitality requires strong communication behind the scenes.

The FOH Manager is expected to:

- Read and respond to management communication.
- Maintain accurate shift notes and manager logs.
- Document incidents and significant guest interactions.
- Communicate maintenance concerns.
- Follow up on outstanding operational issues.
- Participate in management meetings.
- Communicate changes to SOPs and standards.
- Ensure key information reaches the appropriate FOH team members.
- Communicate guest feedback—positive and negative—to help the team improve.
- Ensure important guest information is passed between leaders and shifts when appropriate.

What Success Looks Like A successful Front of House Manager at NISI creates a restaurant where:

- Guests feel genuinely welcomed.
- Guests feel recognized rather than processed.
- The team understands that hospitality belongs to everyone.
- Employees know what is expected of them and why it matters.
- Leaders coach instead of simply correcting.
- Great performance and great hospitality are recognized.
- Food and beverages leave the pass correctly.
- The dining room is clean, organized, and ready.
- Problems are noticed and addressed before guests have to complain.
- Guest recovery is handled with empathy and urgency.
- FOH and BOH operate as one team.
- Standards remain consistent regardless of how busy we are.
- Sales are driven through hospitality, knowledge, and genuine recommendations—not pressure.
- Regulars are recognized and relationships are built.
- Accountability and recognition happen every day.

And most importantly:
- Guests leave wanting to come back.

Qualifications The ideal candidate will have previous restaurant leadership experience in a high-volume, full-service environment with strong knowledge of service standards, beverage operations, POS systems, reservations, labour management, and guest recovery.

They should demonstrate

- A genuine passion for hospitality and taking care of people.
- Strong leadership and communication skills.
- Confidence leading from the floor during busy services.
- Strong organizational and decision-making abilities.
- The ability to coach, motivate, and develop a diverse team.
- Strong emotional awareness and the ability to read both guests and employees.
- The ability to balance hospitality with the financial needs of the business.
- A willingness to lead by example and step into any position when the restaurant needs support.

Valid Smart Serve certification is required.

The NISI Leadership Standard

At NISI, the Front of House Manager isn't simply responsible for running a shift.

They are responsible for setting the tone of the restaurant.

The team should see hospitality demonstrated by their manager every day—not simply hear about it during pre-shift.

- Be present.
- Lead from the floor.
- Welcome people.
- Read the room.
- Notice the details.
- Anticipate needs.
- Create moments.
- Coach in the moment.
- Recognize the wins.
- Hold the standard.
- Solve problems.
- Develop the team.
- Protect the guest experience.

Operational standards give us consistency. Hospitality gives those standards purpose.

When the restaurant gets busy, hospitality cannot disappear.

When something goes wrong, hospitality becomes even more important.

And when everything is running perfectly, we should still be looking for the opportunity to do something memorable.

Our goal isn't simply for guests to leave saying:

"The food was great."

We want them to leave saying:

"They really took care of us."

One team. One standard. One guest at a time.

Every shift is another opportunity to make NISI better than it was yesterday.

Pay: $58,000.00 per year

Benefits

- Dental care
- Discounted or free food
- Store discount
- Vision care

Work Location: In person

📌 Front of House Manager (Burlington)
🏢 Nisi Greek Taverna
📍 Burlington