General Manager

Job Description

General Manager | Panera Bread

The Tone:
This is a full-time leadership role at Panera Bread, situated within one of our cherished neighborhood bakery-cafes. Panera Bread is dedicated to making the familiar fantastic, offering quality food and fostering a culture of warmth, belonging, and growth where leaders are celebrated for bringing out the best in their teams. This General Manager role is vital for leading a high-performing team, taking full ownership of cafe operations, and making strategic decisions that ensure every shift is something to celebrate for both team members and guests. The chosen leader will have the opportunity to make a real impact every day, contributing to a welcoming culture where the best thing of bread is sharing it.

The TL;DR
• Role: Full Time
• Type: Full-time
• Location: In-person

• Mission: Lead all facets of a bakery-cafe, driving its success by developing a thriving team, ensuring operational excellence, and delivering an extraordinary guest experience marked by Panera Warmth.

What You’ll Actually Do
• Lead & Develop Talent: Take full ownership of leading the bakery-cafe team, which includes planning and managing staffing needs, scheduling, performance management, training, and succession planning, while also hiring, onboarding, motivating, and celebrating team members.
• Oversee Operations: Manage all operational procedures to successfully execute company strategies and initiatives, ensuring the bakery-cafe consistently meets its goals, operational standards, and quality expectations.
• Cultivate Guest Loyalty: Make sure every guest is delighted by the quality of our food, service, and staff, actively building engaging relationships that lead to long-term, loyal guests who feel the Panera Warmth.
• Uphold Standards: Ensure team members consistently follow company policies and procedures, comply with all federal, state, and local regulations, and maintain a healthy, safe workplace that aligns with Panera’s food, safety, and company culture standards.
• Manage Financials & Culture: Responsible for maintaining the bakery-cafe’s overall costs and inventory, while also actively contributing to and building our Culture of warmth, belonging, growth, and trust within the team.

The Must-Haves
• Background: ServSafe certification (or the ability to achieve it quickly) and a proven ability to drive positive business results through strong business acumen.
• Experience: Minimum of 3 years of restaurant General Manager experience, demonstrating a proven ability to successfully run shifts while effectively directing, motivating, coaching, and developing others in a fast-paced environment.
• Skills: Comprehensive operational management, strong team leadership and development, effective cost and inventory control, exceptional guest service, and diligent regulatory compliance.
• Bonus: Flexible availability to work variable hours, including nights and weekends, in a fast-paced environment with shifting priorities, and a commitment to being an ambassador of Panera’s Guiding Values and Behaviors.