General Manager Kissa Tanto — Vancouver, BC

Kissa Tanto is a Michelin-starred restaurant where Japanese precision meets Italian soul, set in a room that feels like a 1960s Japanese jazz club. We are looking for a General Manager who can hold that atmosphere together night after night — someone with the operational rigour to run a tight backend and the floor instincts to make every guest feel like the room was set for them.

This is a leadership role at the centre of the restaurant. You will own daily operations, develop the team, protect the guest experience, and safeguard the standards that earned Kissa Tanto its reputation. You'll work closely with the Director of Operations, ownership, and both the kitchen and bar teams to keep service sharp, costs controlled, and culture healthy.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary: $90,000–$110,000 annually, depending on experience
• Tips: Weekly average of $600–$800
• Extended medical benefits
• Travel perk: Flight points within North America after one year of service

What You'll Own Service & Floor Leadership

The atmosphere is the product. You set and protect it every night.

• Maintain the mood of the room — music volume matched to the space, lighting dimmed as the sun goes down, heating and cooling kept at comfortable levels
• Keep the space tidy, polished, and service-ready throughout the night
• Support the host with greeting and seating, updating Tock as reservations come in, managing the waitlist, and maximizing capacity without compromising the guest experience
• Lead the floor during service, anticipating and resolving issues before guests notice them
• Carry comprehensive knowledge of the food, cocktail, and wine programs — both to elevate guest interactions and to guide staff when needed
• Recognize regulars, VIPs, and industry guests, and tailor their experience accordingly
• Resolve guest complaints professionally and turn problems into memorable moments
• Ensure all side duties are completed to standard

Kitchen Coordination

• Communicate with the kitchen throughout service to head off issues
• Oversee tables to ensure dishes arrive in good time
• Flag any inconsistencies to maintain quality control
• Step behind the line to help expedite when the kitchen is short-staffed

Financial Management & Cost Control

• Run daily cash-outs and balance the tip spreadsheet
• Distribute weekly tips
• Stay on top of COGS percentages and drive cost control across labour, food, and alcohol to protect margins
• Partner with the Director of Operations and bookkeeper on all monetary matters, including payroll — tracking vacation and sick days, missing hours, and new employee submissions
• Review and resolve discrepancies across Clover, Auphan, and Tock
• Verify and approve employee hours on the POS daily

Backend Operations & Maintenance

• Troubleshoot equipment, plumbing, and electrical issues; escalate to ownership when servicing is required
• Maintain and update the Food Syllabus and Allergy Syllabus
• Update the website menu in coordination with the host
• Build and implement systems that streamline how the restaurant runs
• Spot anything — appearance, cleanliness, organization — that needs attention, and take the initiative to fix it

Correspondence & Scheduling

• Oversee and assist with business email responses
• Handle reservation requests and complaints the office manager can't resolve (buyout inquiries go to the Director of Operations)
• Build and distribute staff schedules biweekly

Inventory & Ordering

Ordering is light and infrequent — items are ordered monthly at most — but inventory must stay current, updated biweekly with the kitchen.

• Hand soap & sanitizer
• Office staples (pens, paper, etc.)
• Linens (with BOH)
• Paper goods — kitchen rolls, FOH rolls, paper towels, toilet paper (with BOH)
• Light bulbs, as needed

Closing

• Close all staff, QSA, void, and promo tabs
• Complete the nightly cash-out
• Confirm all closing duties are fulfilled
• Lock up

Culture & Team

The standard of the restaurant is set by how the team feels coming to work.

• Develop and nurture relationships across both BOH and FOH
• Give positive, specific feedback and resolve tensions between teams fairly
• Provide a comfortable, respectful work environment
• Stay attuned to the general wellbeing and mental health of staff
• Participate in weekly meetings with ownership, bar, and kitchen on service, consistency, and development
• Bring all concerns and major decisions to the Director of Operations and ownership for discussion

What You Bring

• Minimum 3 years experience in a previous General Manager Role.
  Proven leadership experience in a high-standard, full-service or fine-dining environment
• Strong command of restaurant POS and reservation systems (Clover, Auphan, and Tock an asset)
• Financial literacy — comfort with cash-outs, tip distribution, COGS, and cost control
• Working knowledge of food, wine, and cocktails, with the ability to coach staff
• Calm, hands-on presence under pressure and a genuine instinct for hospitality
• A systems-minded approach to operations and a high bar for detail