General Manager – Campus Dining & Food Service Operations

Overview

We are seeking an experienced General Manager Campus Dining to lead all food and beverage operations at the University of Tennessee at Martin. This senior leadership role is responsible for full P&L ownership contract management and operational oversight across residential dining retail food outlets and catering services.

The ideal candidate brings strong food service leadership experience in high-volume multi-outlet environments with a proven ability to deliver operational excellence financial performance and exceptional client satisfaction in a university or institutional setting.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage all campus dining operations including residential dining retail and catering programs
• Serve as the primary client contact building and maintaining strong day-to-day relationships with university partners
• Own full financial performance (P&L accountability) including budgeting forecasting and cost control
• Oversee hiring training scheduling and development of managers and staff across all units
• Ensure compliance with food safety sanitation and workplace safety standards
• Drive customer satisfaction through service innovation and operational consistency
• Manage cash handling payroll processes and internal controls
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency service quality and profitability
• Lead and develop a high-performing team culture focused on accountability and excellence

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience
• Minimum 5 years of food service management experience ideally in campus or institutional dining
• Minimum 5 years of leadership experience managing managers and multi-level teams
• Proven P&L ownership in a high-volume food service environment
• Experience managing multi-outlet operations (residential dining retail catering or equivalent)
• Strong understanding of food safety sanitation and regulatory compliance
• Demonstrated success in client-facing leadership roles and contract-managed environments
• Strong financial acumen including budgeting forecasting and cost management

Preferred Experience

• Campus or university dining leadership experience
• Large-scale institutional food service (healthcare military corrections corporate campuses or similar environments)
• Experience managing accounts with significant annual revenue and complex operational structure
• Strong background in hospitality leadership and customer service excellence

What We Offer

• Opportunity to lead a high-impact dining program in a university setting
• Responsibility for full operational and financial leadership of a multi-outlet campus account
• Collaborative environment with strong client engagement and leadership autonomy
• Opportunity to drive innovation in campus dining services

Work Environment

This is a fully onsite leadership role based at the University of Tennessee at Martin. The General Manager will act as the senior-most on-site leader for all dining operations and must be able to work closely with university stakeholders and operational teams on a daily basis.