Director of Operations, Specialty and Brand
About Prime Hospitality Group
Prime Hospitality Group started with five Ruth’s Chris Steak House restaurants and swiftly grew to twelve locations, becoming the largest franchise group of the global brand. PHG has also expanded to additional food and beverage concepts including Brasserie 23, The Exchange and Un Deux Trois Café. As we continue to expand our restaurant portfolio, as a franchisee for Marriott and Hilton, PHG has emerged into the hotel hospitality space, developing a full portfolio of hospitality forward brands.
As a committed employer, we seek dedicated Team Members and empower them to achieve their goals. With passion and values to guide our Team, we work tirelessly to provide unparalleled hospitality and outstanding experiences.
Award-winning Culture
At PHG we’re proud of our agile and committed culture, which has led to certification as a “Great Places to Work” in Indianapolis in 2024. We’re honored to have been ranked and we know that it's our collective dedication that makes PHG an exceptional place to work.
Core Values
- Demand for Excellence
- Passion for Hospitality
- Desire to Win
- Unwavering Commitment
- Hunger to Grow
Your Impact
This role turns early-stage specialty concepts into scalable, franchise quality brands without losing what makes them special. You will lead the incubation and early life operations of specialty brands and concepts, including Un Deux Trois and future hotel based and stand-alone concepts. You will translate ownership level brand direction into real operations, protect each concept in its fragile years, and prepare it to live successfully inside the broader platform operations structure. You will also lead PHG's specialty brands that have already been established, including Brasserie 23 and The Exchange. You will report to PHG's President and work closely with the Chief Executive Officer, Executive Leadership and within PHG's Specialty and Brand Studio. The Specialty and Brand Studio is a small cross functional group made up of the Chief Executive Officer, President, key hotel leaders, culinary, beverage, and marketing. The Brand Studio aligns brand intent, reviews performance, and makes key decisions for PHG's specialty brands.
Scope of responsibility
- Lead the operational incubation and early life performance of specialty brands and concepts
- Build and run a focused Specialty and Brand Operations lane, including future Brand Leads
- Lead PHG's already established specialty brands, including Un Deux Trois Cafe, Brasserie 23 and The Exchange
- Own the playbook and operating system for specialty concepts, from first opening through readiness for platform operations
- Partner with hotel operations and restaurant platform operations so brands are executable, not just compelling on paper
- Serve as a visible culture carrier for hospitality, brand stewardship and growth
Your Responsibilities
Specialty brand incubation and Greenhouse operations
- Lead day-to-day operations for standalone specialty brands during their incubation period through Brand Leads and General Managers, as well as existing specialty brands
- Turn ownership level brand direction into clear standards and process for service, food, beverage, look and feel, and guest journey
- Build and maintain simple but real operating playbooks for each specialty brand that teams use
- Run a disciplined launch and early life rhythm for new units, with clear plans and checkpoints from pre-opening through stabilization
- Improve unit level profit and loss performance over time while protecting the brand and guest experience
Brand guardianship and continuous improvement
- Act as the primary operational guardian of specialty brands, protecting what matters most while still allowing thoughtful evolution
- Regularly visit stores, review guest feedback, and run structured brand and experience reviews
- Identify drift from brand intent early and correct it through coaching, standards, and when needed escalation
- Bring forward new ideas, collaborations, and improvements that keep each brand best in class within its lane
Building the playbook for scale
- Work with the Specialty and Brand Studio to align on brand intent, non-negotiables and where each brand fits in the portfolio
- Translate that intent into clear standards and tools for hotel teams, restaurant teams, and future platform operations
- Define and refine simple criteria for when a brand or unit is ready to move from incubation into platform operations
Talent, leadership, and culture
- Recruit, select, and develop Brand Leads who can grow from single unit leadership into true multi-unit/multi-brand leaders
- Provide direct leadership and coaching to Brand Leads, General Managers and key specialty leaders
- Build a high performing Specialty and Brand Operations team over time
- Model and reinforce Prime Hospitality Group core values, high hospitality standards and an entrepreneurial/ownership mindset
- Create an environment where entrepreneurship, taste and creativity are balanced with process, systems and accountability
Cross functional partnership
- Partner with hotel leadership for specialty concepts inside hotels, operate smoothly within hotel structures and maintain profit and loss responsibility
- Work with culinary, beverage and marketing leaders to align product, purchasing, storytelling and experience with brand intent
- Collaborate with development, design and project teams on new hotel and restaurant projects so operational realities are considered from the start
- Serve as a key voice in Specialty and Brand Studio sessions and portfolio reviews
Your Skills and Experience
Experience
- Progressive leadership experience in multi-unit restaurant or hospitality operations, including direct profit and loss responsibility
- Proven experience in hotel Food and Beverage Operations
- Proven success launching and stabilizing new concepts, outlets or brands
- Experience working with or within lifestyle, chef driven or brand sensitive concepts
- Prior responsibility for developing leaders and building teams, not only managing a single unit
Capabilities
- Strong operational and financial acumen paired with a refined sense for brand, design, and guest experience
- Ability to turn brand intent into clear standards, checklists, and operating rhythms
- Comfort working across restaurant and hotel environments and bridging the needs of both
- Confident communicator who can align executives, hotel teams, restaurant teams and outside partners
- Builder mindset with the discipline to create systems and process
- Culture builder who lifts standards, gives clear feedback and invests in people
Location and travel
- Full time role based in Indianapolis, Indiana
- Regular travel to restaurants, hotels and project sites across current and future markets
Our Perks and Benefits
PHG is committed to continually enhancing the employee experience by actively seeking new perks and benefits. For the most up-to-date offerings, visit
www.primehg.com.
Work Authorization Requirements
Authorized to work in the United States of America.
Other Duties
Please note that this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice. The above requirements outline management’s assignment
Affirmative Action / EEO Statement
PHG is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws. Our policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and apprenticeship. PHG makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.
Work schedule
- Monday to Friday
- Weekend availability
- Other
Benefits
- Paid time off
- Health insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- Life insurance
- Disability insurance
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Employee discount
- Mileage reimbursement
- Other