“The most skilled person in the building who corrodes the culture is not a management challenge. They are a casting decision that has been deferred. The A players in the building are watching. They know what you will and will not enforce. And when they see that excellence comes with an exception clause — they recalibrate what their own effort is worth.”
— The Operator’s Playbook, Volume 3: People — Section 3.3.12, The Discipline Architecture
Every search engagement begins with the same question: what does this role actually require — not what the job description says, but what the operation needs at this specific moment, in this specific culture, at this specific stage of the business.
The wrong hire at the right experience level is not a hiring problem. It is a casting problem. And casting problems do not fix themselves. They compound — through every shift the wrong person runs, every standard they normalize, every A player who watches what gets tolerated and recalibrates accordingly.
Leadership Search is not a resume service. It is a casting process — built around understanding what the role requires to serve the operation, not just what the candidate has done before. The fit is evaluated against the culture you are building, not just the vacancy you are filling.
The right person changes the operation. The wrong person changes it too.
Every hiring decision in a restaurant operation is a Perspective decision before it is a People decision. The operator who hires for availability produces a different operation than the operator who hires for values alignment. The operator who fills a position produces a different culture than the operator who builds a team.
The cost of a wrong hire is never just the cost of replacing them. It is the cost of what they produced — or failed to produce — while they were there. The wrong kitchen manager hired into a culture that was working costs you the culture. The wrong GM hired into a turnaround costs you the turnaround. The wrong hire at the wrong moment can set an operation back further than any operational problem it was brought in to solve.
In The Operator’s Playbook, People is the third fundamental — and the argument it makes is that the Guest Experience your operation delivers is only as good as the people delivering it. That argument starts at the hiring decision. Before the training, before the development, before the shift leadership — the hire.
Why This Search Is Different
Most recruiters represent candidates. I represent operators.
That distinction changes everything about how the search runs. A recruiter who represents candidates has a vested interest in placing the people in their database. Their search begins and ends with who they already know. My search begins with what your operation actually needs — and ends when I find the person who fits that need, regardless of where they are.
My network is not a database. It is 44 years of industry relationships across every concept type, market, and operating model. I can reach the best kitchen manager in a competitor’s operation in your market and have a credible conversation — because I have been on the same stage they are on. I know what their job actually requires. A recruiter who has never run a shift cannot have that conversation the same way.
I do not need another office to make introductions in a new market. I can search nationally — and in many cases internationally — from a single point of contact. The operator who needs a Director of Operations in Denver gets the same depth of search as the operator who needs a GM in Dallas. The geography does not limit the reach.
And because I have spent 44 years hiring, coaching, and developing restaurant leaders, I evaluate candidates the way an operator evaluates them — not the way a recruiter evaluates them. I know the difference between someone who interviews well and someone who leads well. I know the questions that reveal whether a candidate has ever actually run a shift under pressure, or whether they have just learned to describe one convincingly. That read is not in a recruiter’s toolkit. It is in mine.
The right person is out there. I know how to find them because I know exactly who they are.
How It Works
Before the search begins I take the time to understand your operation, your culture, your specific requirements, and the profile of the leader who will succeed in your environment — not just on paper but on your stage, with your cast, in your specific operational context.
I do not present candidates who will fill the position. I present candidates who will improve the operation. Because I can reach anyone in the industry — not just candidates in a database — the search runs across every concept type, market, and operating model. The right person may be in your competitor’s operation right now. I can have that conversation.
Engagements are conducted on an exclusive basis. That is not a restriction — it is a commitment. When I take a search, I am not managing a pipeline of competing clients for the same role. I am focused on your operation, your culture, and your specific need. Exclusivity is what makes that focus possible.
Roles I Search For
General Managers and Assistant General Managers. Kitchen Managers. Multi-unit and Area Managers. Directors of Operations. Food & Beverage Directors. Any senior leadership role where the wrong hire carries significant operational risk.
Fees
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Restaurant-level positions (shift leaders, kitchen managers, key hourly): $3,500
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Unit managers and GMs: $7,500
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Multi-unit and executive roles: $12,500
50% retainer due at engagement start. Balance due upon placement. All placements include a 90-day guarantee — if the placed candidate departs voluntarily or is terminated without cause within 90 days, one replacement search is conducted at no additional fee.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a search take?
Timeline varies by role and market. Restaurant-level positions typically close in two to four weeks. GM and multi-unit searches run four to eight weeks. Executive searches are scoped individually. I will give you a realistic timeline at the start of the engagement — not a number designed to win your business.
What if I’m not satisfied with the candidates presented?
If the initial candidate presentation does not meet your requirements, I go back to the search. You do not pay the balance until the right candidate is in the seat. That is the commitment.
Do you search nationwide?
Yes. I search nationally and in many cases internationally without requiring additional introductions or partner offices. The geography does not limit the reach.
Everything I do comes with my 100% Effective Guarantee.
