Restaurant Manager

Posting date:	29 January 2026
Hours:	Full time
Closing date:	28 February 2026
Location:	Manchester, M1 2JL
Company:	Dakota Hospitality Limited (Dakota Hotels)
Job type:	Permanent
Job reference:	1457350396

Summary

Dakota Hotel based in Manchester City Centre are seeking a hospitality professional with a passion for great food and wine for the role of Restaurant Manager.

Earnings are a guaranteed gross annual salary of £34,659.20 (inclusive of the anticipated tronc payment).

The role carries a permanent contract of 40 hours per week working fully flexible shifts, working any 5 days out of 7 including working weekends.

PRIMARY ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Reporting to the Bar & GrillManager, the role of Restaurant Manager is responsible for driving and leading the levels of service delivered within our restaurant with a strong focus on training our team to continuously be improving service standards. The primary responsibilities of the role includes:
• Run services within the restaurant through breakfast, lunch or dinner, offering the highest levels of service to all guests. Have a hands-on approach to service and hosting, driving standards at all times.
• Drive the commercial running of the restaurant including writing the wine list, working closely with the Head Chef to provide guest feedback on our dishes, managing payroll by writing the rota, managing the bookings diary, sequence of service, as well as driving a culture of sales through service.
• Communicate effectively with all other departments especially the Bar and Kitchen to ensure a smooth service. Work with Reception to increase resident to diner ratios and to provide guests with the full Dakota Experience. 
• Work closely with HR to support the journey of a team member by being involved in the interview process, ongoing training, holding appraisals, and conducting frequent one-to-one meetings. Implement training plans and deliver on-the-job training to drive the smoothest, most polished levels of guest service throughout the F&B operation.

BENEFITS

In addition to being part of a culture infused with positivity and opportunity for ongoing development, tangible benefits you could enjoy when you join our team include:

• Special discounts on stays and dining at any Dakota
• Access to our Employee Assistance Program which includes free private mental health support and counselling sessions, video GP consultations and private prescription services, as well as access to daily rewards to be cashed out for shopping vouchers
• Support from our inhouse Mental Health Champions
• Additional holiday day on the first anniversary of your employment
• Family-friendly flexible working options
• Meals on duty and uniforming
• Bonuses to recommend a friend to join our team and every time you are mentioned on Trip Advisor
• Accredited, certified compliance training given on employment
• Access to a suite of external, certified resources via our Learning Management System
• Supportive continuous professional development culture with an annual appraisal and objectives, or a Personal Development Plan
• Opportunities to undertake both internal and external training courses, including potential for in-house Apprenticeships

Full terms on our benefits can be found in our Handbook.

ABOUT DAKOTA HOTELS

Dakota is a growing UK-based lifestyle brand, known for our stylish hotels, bustling brasserie Grills and upscale cocktail Bars. Dakota’s story started with two boutique hotels on the outskirts of Edinburgh, in South Queensferry, and Glasgow, in Eurocentral. We have now expanded into prime city centre locations in Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle with Manchester Airport coming soon and more in our pipeline.

Dakota is synonymous for delivering attentive and genuine guest service. We attract hard-working individuals who are passionate about working to the highest standards and have been voted within The Caterer’s Top 15 Best Employers in Hospitality for the last six years in a row. We were also featured within the Top 10 employers in the Sunday Times Best Places to Work in the UK for the last two years, where our inclusive culture was spotlighted.

As recent winners of The Cateys ‘People Team of the Year’, we have award-winning internal training programmes within Dakota Academy fostering continuous development and ongoing training. As a result, over 75% of our leaders have been promoted internally and, for five consecutive years, a member of our team has won a prestigious Acorn Award awarded by The Caterer to the ‘Top 30 under 30’ in the industry, demonstrating our success in developing talent.

Eurocentral | Edinburgh | Glasgow | Leeds | Manchester | Newcastle| Manchester Airport (coming soon)

APPLICANT REQUIREMENTS

The successful applicant will have/be:

• At least one years’ experience as an Assistant Restaurant Manager or above in a similar calibre of full-service restaurant with experience in writing rotas, delivering training, and daily people management.
• A minimum of four years experience working in restaurants.
• Demonstrable experience in writing wine lists, the development of team members, and F&B revenue maximisation. 
• Comprehensive knowledge of wines and high-end service standards. Certification in WSET level 2 or above is beneficial.
• A confident leader with a hands-on approach to leading a team
• Be an outgoing personality with effective communication skills.
• Ability to work at pace and be proactivefor the duration of your shift.
• An enthusiastic individual who will promote our culture of positivity.
• Be task oriented with a great pride for the work they do and attention to detail.
• Flexible with shift patterns and available around the needs of our business.
• An enthusiastic individual who will promote our culture of positivity.
• Be task oriented with a great pride for the work they do and attention to detail.
• Flexible with shift patterns and available around the needs of our business.
• Successful candidates must demonstrate having researched our brand and a genuine desire to be part of our team.

APPLY

Please send us your up to date CV. 

For more information on our luxury hotel, visit our Careers page to learn about current opportunities and find your #DreamRolesAtDakota – we’d love to hear from you!