General Manager - Smoothie King

Overview:

If you’re looking for a purpose and not just a job, join the Smoothie King team and turn your purpose into a fulfilling passion!

 

Since pioneering the first nutritional Smoothie franchise in 1973, our mission has always been to inspire people to live a healthy and active lifestyle. Now, with over 1300 stores and counting, we have been ranked as the #1 Fastest-Growing concept in its category and #15 on Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Franchise 500” list in 2024! We’ve grown to become the largest nutritional Smoothie bar in the nation, with a simple recipe for success: Hire the best people, use the best ingredients and blend with a purpose!

General Overview:

We are looking for a purpose-driven General Manager to join our expanding team and become an ultimate ambassador of our brand. In this role, you will be responsible for cultivating an encouraging atmosphere that fosters collaboration within the store team, ensuring a continuous commitment to operational excellence. In this role, the General Manager will enhance the team’s skills to provide the ‘Smoothie King Experience’ for both team members and guests, devising impactful strategies to achieve positive outcomes and balancing other corporate priorities, focusing on strategic, operational, and leadership excellence.

Responsibilities:

Workforce Management: the overall management of the team, covering staffing, sourcing, onboarding, and scheduling. 

• Create and implement a steady strategy for recruiting, sourcing, and onboarding team members who align with our mission and have a passion for service.
• Carefully guide and complete the orientation process to guarantee a seamless beginning for new team members.
• Plans and organizes shifts to accommodate the requirements of both team members and guests.
• Cleary and effectively delegate tasks to achieve successful operations of your store.

 Learning and Development: empower team members with the right knowledge, skills, and abilities to achieve excellence. 

• Ensure team members are well prepared for success by strategically scheduling, communicating, and executing training sessions to minimize any disruption to the guest experience.
• Recognize knowledge and skill gaps in new team members and customize training programs for ongoing improvement in those areas.
• Support team member career progression by identifying potential career paths, providing mentorship, and facilitating internal mobility.
• Ensure the store has a certified trainer to facilitate training for new team members.

 Operational Excellence and Continuous Improvement: leverage appropriate systems to consistently provide the Smoothie King Experience and offer guidance for continuous improvement. 

• Use operational tools such as P&L statement, daily checklist, cash & deposit log, and Data Central scheduling and inventory management tools to achieve operational excellence.
• Ensure compliance with food safety guidelines, store appearance, and cleanliness are upheld and consistent with Smoothie King brand standards.
• Shares key information on the daily plan so Team Captains can run effective shifts.
• Manage cash activities for the store and validate and reconcile cash and time logs for accuracy and coaching opportunities.

 Sales and Inventory: ensure optimal product placement and quantities to enhance sales growth while minimizing waste.  

• Review store environment and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to identify problems, concerns, and opportunities for improvement and adjust accordingly.
• Develop local store marketing plans to support brand initiatives, including initiating community outreach through marketing and special events.
• Establish a weekly inventory plan and maintain inventory flow using point-of-use, front stock, back stock, and signals for replenishment.
• Ensure the store is set and maintained to expectations and adjusted appropriately to store specific needs using pars and plan-o-grams.

 Culture and Team Engagement: foster a positive work environment, encourage open communication, and promote team member involvement in decision-making processes.  

• Lead the team by setting clear performance expectations, providing regular feedback and coaching, conducting progress reports (reviews).
• Recognize and reinforce individual and team accomplishments by using existing tools (team member of the month, referral programs, etc.) and programs as well as finding new, creative, and effective methods of recognition.
• Own, promote, and drive implementation of company guidelines through action planning and inspiring team to meet standards in alignment with our brand vision.
• Drive cross-departmental collaboration initiatives to streamline processes and improve communication.

 

Core Competencies:

 

CORE VALUE	DEFINITION	LEVEL 2 - SR / MGR
We Are Better Together	Capable of working well with others both on the team and cross-functionally to achieve department and/or brand goals. Values diverse perspectives and working with others as a way to create an environment in which all team members feel a sense of belonging, valued for their differences, and empowered to participate and contribute freely.	• Leads initiatives to improve team engagement and effectiveness. • Approaches challenging team situations with optimism and an open mind, focusing on coming to a respectful conclusion.                      • Values working on a diverse team and the importance of differing perspectives to develop unique solutions or ideas.
We Do the Right Thing	Interacts with others to build relationships, influence others, and facilitate a collaborative and inclusive work environment. Uses tact and diplomacy to navigate difficult situations, communicate with trust and respect, and exhibit honesty and integrity at all times.	• Seeks to understand others' points of view; encourage open and honest discussions. • Is open minded, provides quality feedback to, and welcomes feedback from, team members. • Does not jump to conclusions or act on assumptions. • Inspires and/or coaches team members on how to effectively communicate and provide feedback with empathy.
We Focus and Finish	Prioritizes and takes action on the needs of the brand. Adjusts thinking and behavior to fuel growth and demonstrate continuous commitment. Takes responsibility to achieve brand goals and objectives.	• Clearly outlines and communicates performance expectations and metrics to team, aligning them with departmental and brand goals. • Prioritizes and distributes work to deliver objectives on time and to the highest standard. • Acts as an accountability role model.
We Keep Evolving	Thrives and grows in a rapidly changing environment. Displays flexibility and adopts a continuous growth mindset to learn from mistakes and bounce back from adversity. Possesses a can-do attitude and is confident, positive, and open to new tasks and opportunities.	• Identifies opportunities to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of work processes. • Acknowledges when change is needed and demonstrates flexibility in responding to changes in their role and direct work environment. • Takes initiative and is not satisfied with the status quo.
We Live the Mission	Continuously seeks opportunities to learn, owns growth, and contributes to the brand by understanding and aligning actions with the brand's mission, vision, and values.	• Demonstrates understanding of the strategic direction of the brand.          • Actively seeks opportunities for the development of their own and others' skills and knowledge. • Celebrate strengths and fosters excellence; energize, engage, and inspire others.

Qualifications:

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Recruits, interviews, hires, and trains individual contributor level staff in the department.
• Oversees the daily workflow of the team.
• Provides constructive and timely performance evaluations.
• Handles discipline and termination of team members in accordance with company policy.

Work Environment:

• This job entails frequent exposure to high temperatures and extreme cold. There is frequent contact/immersion of hands in water and sanitation solutions; and contact with produce items, dairy products, and frequent allergen-related items such as nuts, citrus, peanut butter, cinnamon, etc.
• Requires working under stressful conditions or working irregular hours.
• Required to work a minimum of 45 hours per week, ensuring effective store operation, with expectations to accommodate a mix of daytime and nighttime shifts, as well as at least one weekend per month. This may also involve working during holidays or special events.
• Must be able to work safely in a noisy area.
• Requires maintenance of a store office space. Meetings are occasionally conducted remotely with frequent video conferences.

 Physical Requirements:

• Must be physically able to audit/inspect store sites including walking properties, bending, stretching, squatting, and kneeling.
• Must be able to stand for periods of up to eight (8) hours.
• Must be able to lift up-to 50 pounds at a time. Required to use assistance when available i.e. hand trucks, ramps, or another team member.
• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

Travel Required:

• Less than 10% of travel required.

Other Duties:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the team member for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Education and Experience Requirements:

Position Requirements:

• High school diploma required. Associate or bachelor’s degree in business, hospitality management, or similar field is preferred.
• Minimum 2 years’ experience as a manager or supervisor of a team in a restaurant or similar type of retail customer service business.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to provide proof of adequate car insurance.
• Basic computer knowledge (Microsoft Word, Excel, and general POS functionality).
• Experience with OSHA, EEOC, and other federal and state laws and local statutes.
• ServSafe Certification.
• Personal passion for health and fitness is a plus.

What We Offer:

Join our team and enjoy an unusually fun work environment with an upbeat atmosphere and great team members. It is our purpose to maintain an environment our team members can brag about, where our focus and belief are built on our core values: We Are Better Together, We Keep Evolving, We Live Our Mission, We Do the Right Thing, and We Focus and Finish. With our core values at the forefront of every decision we make, it allows for collaboration, passion, and a no-limits mindset when it comes to your future! We keep our team happy with our great benefits package, free smoothies, flexible work schedules, office lunches and parties, monthly fitness challenges, free gym access, and more fun activities to make Smoothie King a happy and healthy place to work.

 

Our Mission

Inspire people to live a healthy and active lifestyle.

 

Our Vision

To be an integral part of every health and fitness journey.

 

Our Values

We: Do the Right Thing

We: Are Better Together

We: Live the Mission

We: Keep Evolving

We: Focus and Finish

 

---

 

At Smoothie King, when we say inspire people, we mean everyone. We champion a diverse and inclusive workforce that is representative of the guests we serve. We blend the unique members of our organization, celebrating what is both common and different to grow better together and Rule the Day. The foundation of our diversity efforts is closely tied to our core values, which includes “We Are Better Together” and “We Do the Right Thing”. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and consider all qualified candidates, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or family status, veteran status, or medical condition or disability. If you are a person with a disability and you need assistance in applying for a position with Smoothie King, please call our Human Resources Department at 214-935-8900 and direct assistance will be provided.