Catering Operations Manager
7 days ago
Austin
Job Description Catering Operations Manager Austin Daily Press | Austin, TX | Full-Time | On-Site Help us build the catering operation that lets Austin Daily Press scale. Austin Daily Press is a fast-moving East Austin restaurant and catering brand built around bold food, sharp hospitality, and high-volume execution. We serve walk-up guests, office lunches, recurring corporate meal programs, group orders, and event catering across Austin. We are hiring a Catering Operations Manager to own the daily execution of our catering operation and help professionalize the systems behind it. This is not a “help the owner keep up” role. This is an ownership role. The right person is a working operator who can see the whole board: orders, prep, staffing, packaging, delivery timing, guest communication, inventory, team readiness, and follow-up. You should be comfortable leading from the floor, building simple systems, enforcing standards, and making decisions without needing constant direction. This role is for someone who wants responsibility, not just a title. The Mission Your job is to make catering predictable, profitable, and cleanly executed without the owner being pulled into daily details. You will own the catering flow from confirmation through fulfillment, while also supporting daily restaurant operations, frontline standards, and team accountability. Success in this role means: • Catering orders are accurate, labeled, packed, and delivered on time., • The team knows what is happening before the rush hits., • Systems are documented, used, and improved., • Issues are raised early with a proposed solution., • The owner is informed, not dragged into the weeds., • Growth creates structure, not chaos. What You’ll Own Catering Execution You will oversee the full catering fulfillment process, including: • Reviewing upcoming catering orders and confirming execution details., • Coordinating with the kitchen on prep timing, quantities, modifiers, dietary needs, and packaging., • Managing pack-out, labeling, staging, delivery handoff, and final accuracy checks., • Maintaining catering supplies, packaging, labels, delivery tools, and par levels., • Communicating clearly with clients, vendors, delivery partners, and internal team members., • Following up after orders when needed and flagging recurring issues. You are expected to catch problems before they become emergencies. Daily Restaurant Operations You will help keep the restaurant clean, stocked, organized, and service-ready. This includes: • Supporting FOH service standards., • Coaching the team during active service., • Checking station readiness, cleanliness, restocking, and guest-facing details., • Helping the team move with urgency and clarity., • Ensuring daily priorities are understood before service starts. This is a hands-on role. You will not be managing from the sidelines. Systems & Process You will help build and maintain the systems that let ADP scale. This includes: • Catering SOPs., • Production and pack-out checklists., • Delivery execution checklists., • Catering calendar and tracker updates., • Weekly planning rhythm., • Inventory and par-level tools., • Training documents for catering support staff., • Post-event issue logs and improvement notes. We do not want everything living in someone’s head. If a process matters, it needs to be documented and repeatable. Team Leadership You will lead through clarity, standards, and follow-through. This includes: • Assigning responsibilities before work begins., • Training team members on catering execution., • Giving clear expectations and real-time feedback., • Holding people accountable without drama., • Following up when standards are missed., • Building bench strength so the operation does not depend on one person. You should be able to lead a frontline team without creating confusion, avoidance, or emotional fog. What Success Looks Like in the First 90 Days By 30 days: • You understand ADP’s catering flow, team structure, menu, tools, and current pain points., • You have identified the top gaps in our catering execution., • You are contributing to daily catering planning and pack-out., • You are documenting what is currently informal or inconsistent. By 60 days: • You are owning standard catering weeks with limited owner involvement., • Catering checklists, trackers, and communication rhythms are being used consistently., • You are coordinating clearly with kitchen and service staff., • You are identifying issues early and bringing proposed solutions. By 90 days: • Catering runs predictably without the owner managing order-level details., • SOPs and checklists are documented, active, and enforced., • The team knows who owns what., • Weekly reporting is consistent., • Order accuracy, delivery timing, and prep readiness are trackable., • You are operating as the owner of the function, not just a strong task-doer. This Role Is a Fit If You Are • A direct communicator., • Calm under pressure., • Organized without being rigid., • Comfortable making decisions., • Able to lead people who may need reminders, correction, or coaching., • Strong at turning recurring problems into systems., • Willing to get your hands dirty., • Comfortable with early mornings, catering deadlines, and changing daily priorities., • Serious about execution details., • Able to tell the truth early when something is off. This Role Is Not a Fit If You • Need constant direction before acting., • Wait until the last minute to communicate problems., • Prefer talking through issues repeatedly instead of fixing the process., • Avoid accountability conversations., • Are easily overwhelmed by competing priorities., • Struggle with written communication, checklists, or follow-through., • Need a perfectly calm environment to do good work., • Want a mostly administrative or desk-based role., • Believe “I’m trying my best” is the same as producing the required outcome., • Take feedback personally instead of using it to improve execution. Required Experience • 3+ years in restaurant, catering, hospitality, food service operations, or high-volume guest-facing operations., • Experience leading hourly or frontline teams., • Strong written and verbal communication., • Proven ability to manage checklists, calendars, prep details, inventory, or production workflows., • Comfort working in Google Drive, spreadsheets, POS systems, and scheduling tools., • Ability to work on-site in Austin, TX., • Availability for early mornings, weekdays, and catering events as needed. Preferred Experience • Catering operations or event fulfillment experience., • Experience with Toast, 7shifts, Google Sheets, Gmail, Slack, or similar tools., • Experience with ezCater, Fooda, Forkable, Relish, Hungry, CaterCow, or other catering platforms., • Experience creating SOPs, training docs, prep guides, or execution checklists., • ServSafe certification., • Delivery logistics, pack-out, labeling, or production planning experience. Tools You’ll Use • Toast POS, • 7shifts, • Google Drive, Docs, and Sheets, • Slack, • Catering trackers and production sheets, • Label printers and delivery manifests, • Inventory and par-level tools, • Email and client communication templates Compensation & Benefits • Salary based on experience, capability, and role fit., • Paid time off., • Employee dining discount., • Access to company insurance benefits program, • Paid training., • Growth path tied to results and business expansion. For the right person, this role can grow into a larger catering leadership, multi-unit operations, or director-level role. That growth will be based on ownership, execution, team leadership, and measurable results. How to Apply Please submit your resume and a short note answering the following: • Tell us about a time you owned a process from start to finish., • What system, checklist, SOP, or workflow have you built or improved?, • What do you do when you realize a deadline or order detail may be at risk?, • What does “ownership” mean to you in an operations role? Applications without answers to these questions may not be reviewed. If you have a sample SOP, prep guide, training document, checklist, or workflow you are proud of, include it. We like seeing how people think.