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Restaurant General Manager Recruiters

A full-service restaurant rises or falls on its general manager. The GM sets the tone for every shift, decides who gets hired and who gets coached out, and owns the numbers that the owner or regional director reads every Monday. When that seat is weak, you see it in turnover, comps, labor creep and online reviews long before you see it in the P&L.

We recruit restaurant general managers for independent full-service restaurants, chef-driven concepts and multi-unit groups. Most of the GMs we place were not looking for a job. They were running a good restaurant somewhere else, and we gave them a reason to talk.

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What to look for

What a great restaurant general manager brings

P&L ownership

They read a P&L line by line, know their prime cost every week and can explain a variance without looking it up.

A team that stays

They hire carefully, train on purpose and keep their best servers and cooks through slow seasons.

Front-of-house presence

They are on the floor during the rush, touching tables and fixing problems before guests notice them.

Partnership with the kitchen

They work with the chef rather than around them, and settle disagreements in private.

Steady judgment

They stay calm when a cook walks out on a Saturday, and they make the next decision quickly.

For employers

Hire a restaurant general manager

To hire a restaurant general manager, look for someone who has run a restaurant like yours in sales volume, service style and team size. A GM from a high-volume casual concept and one from fine dining bring different strengths.

What a restaurant general manager owns

  • The restaurant's P&L: sales, food and beverage costs and labor
  • Hiring and leading the management team and crew
  • Guest experience and service standards
  • Menu, costs and kitchen operations, with the chef
  • Local marketing and community presence

What to screen for

  • Comparable volume: annual sales and team size similar to yours
  • Cost results: prime cost or labor percentages they can name
  • Leadership record: managers they've developed into GMs
  • Tenure: how long they stayed in past roles, and why they left
  • Ownership fit: experience with an independent owner, a growing group or a larger brand, matched to yours

How our search works

We recruit employed managers at comparable properties through direct outreach, screen each one against your brief, and send you a short list of vetted candidates. You pay nothing until you hire. Our fee is 18% of first-year base salary, with a $9,000 minimum, and every placement carries a six-month (180-day) replacement guarantee. See how much hospitality recruiters charge to compare.

Related reading: How much does a restaurant general manager make? · How much do hospitality recruiters charge? · 2026 hospitality manager salary guide

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Where we recruit

We recruit nationwide, in all 50 states. Browse our market pages:

30A, Destin & Panama City BeachNashvilleMiamiAtlantaNew York CityColorado Mountain ResortsTexasCaliforniaArizonaNevadaSouth CarolinaNorth CarolinaLouisianaHawaiiFlorida

Compensation

Restaurant general manager salary in 2026

Base pay range (10th–90th percentile)
$43k – $80k
Average base
$59,574
Annual bonus
$1k–$12k
Source

See every role in our salary guide.

Our process

How we recruit restaurant general managers

We start with a call about your restaurant: volume, check average, team size, what the last GM did well and where they fell short. Then we write a role profile with you and check your compensation against what comparable restaurants are paying right now.

From there we go directly to employed GMs and strong AGMs ready for the step up at restaurants similar to yours. We screen for operating results, leadership style and, just as important, the real reason they would move. You meet a short list, usually in two to three weeks, and we stay involved through the offer, the resignation and the first six months.

Every placement is a permanent, direct hire on your payroll. You pay a contingency fee only if you hire our candidate, and every placement carries our six-month replacement guarantee.

Open now

Restaurant general manager jobs open now

No openings right now — submit a search or send us your resume.

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FAQ

Restaurant general manager recruiting FAQs

Most searches produce a vetted shortlist within two to three weeks, and many close within 30 to 45 days depending on your interview schedule.

Yes. We fill GM seats across restaurant groups and can keep a bench of vetted candidates ready for new openings.

Yes. We regularly recruit for seats that are still filled and never share your company name without your approval.

A contingency fee of 18% of first-year base salary, paid only if you hire our candidate, backed by a six-month replacement guarantee.

Related roles and industries

Assistant General Manager recruitersExecutive Chef recruitersKitchen Manager recruitersFull-Service Restaurant recruitingOpen Restaurant General Manager jobs

Ready to hire?

Tell us about the role. A recruiter will call you within one business day.

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