Assistant General Manager

Assistant General Manager

Assistant General Manager

Location: Suzu Cincinnati • Madisonville, Cincinnati, OH 45227

Status: Full-time • Salaried • Exempt

Schedule: Nights, weekends & holidays; peak-service presence required

Reports To: General Manager

Direct Reports: Hosts • Servers • Server Assistants

Coordinates With: Bar Manager • Chef de Cuisine • Sushi team

The Role

Suzu is built on omotenashi: anticipatory, wholehearted hospitality that reads the guest before they ask. The Assistant General Manager turns that standard into a consistent nightly operation by leading the floor, coordinating service across the dining room, bar, and kitchen, protecting the intimacy of the Suzune' omakase counter, and developing a confident FOH team. This is a floor-first leadership role for someone who reads a dining room instinctively, moves with calm urgency, and leads from the middle of service.

What You'll Own

Service Leadership

• Run nightly service as the senior manager on the floor: set sections and floor plans, direct pacing, and coordinate the dining room with the bar and kitchen.
• Lead Suzu's signature service moments, including tableside presentations and the coursing of family-style and omakase menus, so they land with precision and warmth.
• Partner with the sushi team on the Suzune's omakase counter, protecting its rhythm, intimacy, and sense of occasion.
• Monitor every section for service, food quality, timing, and table maintenance; resolve breakdowns before they become guest problems.
• Own guest recovery with judgment and generosity, documenting issues and following through when additional resolution is needed.

Team & Culture

• Support the GM in recruiting and hiring; lead day-to-day training, scheduling, and development of hosts, servers, and server assistants.
• Maintain the FOH training matrix and certify team members on menu knowledge, beverage, allergens, service standards, and responsible alcohol service.
• Lead or co-lead pre-shift meetings that align the team on reservations, VIPs, menu changes, service priorities, and daily standards.
• Coach in the moment, document performance appropriately, and reinforce accountability with consistency and respect.

Product Fluency

• Know every dish, ingredient, allergen, preparation, and service story, and ensure the FOH team can explain them accurately.
• Carry a working command of the sake, wine, and cocktail programs so beverage and floor move as one.

Operations & Numbers

• Manage FOH labor to plan and maintain disciplined controls for cash handling, comps, voids, discounts, and breakage.
• Optimize OpenTable reservations, waitlists, table turns, PPX flow, and guest pacing to protect both the guest experience and kitchen capacity.
• Own opening and closing standards, side work, dining-room readiness, and accurate manager checklists and shift notes.

Compliance & Safety

• Uphold Ohio alcohol-service requirements, health-code and food-safety standards, and company policies; keep required team certifications current.

What Success Looks Like

• First 30 days - knows the menu, service standards, systems, and FOH team; independently leads defined segments of service.
• By 60 days - owns the floor for full services, maintains the training matrix, and consistently executes scheduling, pre-shift, and closing routines.
• By 90 days - service pacing, team accountability, and guest recovery run to standard without the GM in the room, with clear progress in guest feedback and FOH consistency.

What You Bring

Required

• 4+ years of progressive FOH experience in full-service, upscale, or fine dining, including at least 2 years in a management role.
• A genuine feel for hospitality as a craft: you notice the guest before they ask.
• Command of service pacing, floor management, and guest recovery under pressure.
• Experience with OpenTable and Toast, or comparable reservation and POS systems.
• Ohio-eligible responsible alcohol-service and food-safety certification, or the ability to obtain required certifications before opening.

Preferred

• Experience in Japanese fine dining, including omakase or counter service.
• Working sake literacy (Sake Professional or WSET Sake a plus) and comfort with wine service.
• Familiarity with Japanese dining culture and service etiquette; conversational Japanese is a plus.
• Pre-opening experience, including recruiting, training, and establishing operating routines before launch.

Physical & Schedule

• Regular availability for nights, weekends, and holidays, including peak services.
• Ability to stand and move throughout full shifts and lift up to 30 lbs, with reasonable accommodation where required.

Compensation details: 75000-85000 Yearly Salary

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