Since 1963, Donatos Pizza has been serving up more than great pizza — we've been building a culture rooted in goodwill, ever since founder Jim Grote bought a small pizza shop in Columbus, Ohio's German Village. The name Donatos comes from the Latin "to give a good thing," and that idea still drives everything we do: make the best pizza, hire great people, and promote goodwill in every community we serve. Now a family-owned brand with more than 460 locations across the country, Donatos has never lost sight of the principles it was built on — leading with integrity, treating people the way we'd want to be treated, and bringing genuine hospitality to every table. Our team lives by five core values: Integrity, Fun, Of Service, Open-mindedness, and Discipline — the foundation of our Mission to promote goodwill through product, service, principle, and people, and our Promise to serve the best pizza and make your day a little better.
We have an exciting opportunity available for the First Donatos Pizza opening in the Houston Area, located in Humble. The Restaurant Operator is responsible for leading the day-to-day operation of the restaurant with full accountability for people, guest experience, sales, profitability, and operational standards. This role combines hands-on leadership with an ownership mindset. in addition to salary and/or performance-based incentive compensation, this role should develop into a Operating partner overseeing future stores and having GMs reporting into you.
Key Responsibilities
· Own the overall performance of the restaurant, including sales growth, profitability, labor management, food cost, controllable expenses, and guest satisfaction.
· Lead daily operations across front-of-house and back-of-house to ensure excellent execution, speed of service, cleanliness, food safety, and brand standards.
· Recruit, hire, onboard, train, coach, schedule, and develop team members and managers to build a high-performing, accountable culture.
· Drive strong guest experiences by resolving issues promptly, monitoring feedback, and implementing improvements that increase loyalty and repeat business.
· Manage restaurant financials, including budgeting, forecasting, inventory controls, waste reduction, cash handling, and profit improvement plans.
· Use key performance indicators to evaluate results, identify trends, and take corrective action to improve operations and financial outcomes.
· Ensure compliance with all company policies as defined in the Operations Manual, licensing requirements, food safety standards, labor laws, and health regulations.
· Partner with ownership or senior leadership on local store marketing, community engagement, staffing strategy, capital needs, and long-term business planning.
· Model company values and maintain a culture of respect, safety, urgency, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Qualifications
· 5+ years of restaurant leadership experience, including experience as a General Manager, multi-unit leader, or comparable operator-level role.
· Demonstrated success improving sales, profit, labor productivity, guest satisfaction, and team retention.
· Strong business acumen with the ability to interpret profit and loss statements, build action plans, and manage budgets.
· Excellent leadership, coaching, communication, and conflict-resolution skills.
· Working knowledge of food safety, sanitation, labor compliance, and operational controls.
· Ability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends, and holidays, as needed by the business.
· High level of personal accountability, professionalism, and ownership mentality.
· Preferred: experience in franchise, growth-stage, or owner-operator environments.
Compensation
Compensation for this role may include a base salary, performance-based bonus, and an opportunity to participate in profit sharing.
Success Measures
· Achievement of sales, profit, labor, and food cost goals.
· Consistent delivery of strong guest experience and brand standards.
· Improvement in employee retention, training completion, and bench strength.
· Sustained compliance with safety, sanitation, and policy requirements.
· Demonstrated leadership in building a healthy team culture and scalable operation.
Work Environment
This is an active, on-site leadership role in a fast-paced restaurant environment requiring extended periods of standing, walking, lifting, and direct engagement with team members and guests. The Operator is expected to be present during key business periods and to respond to operational needs in real time.
Work schedule
- Other
- Monday to Friday
- Weekend availability
Supplemental pay
- Bonus pay
Benefits
- Flexible schedule
- Paid time off
- Paid training
- Profit sharing