General Manager - Dining, San Antonio Airport

POSITION TITLE: General Manager – Whataburger

EMPLOYMENT CLASSIFICATION: Exempt

POSITION REPORTS TO: Flagship Manager

DEPARTMENT: Dining Division

Position Summary

At Paradies Lagardère, we are committed to delivering first-class experiences that exceed the expectations of every guest, partner, and team member we serve. Within our Dining Division, we operate with a hospitality-first mindset, creating environments where operational excellence, remarkable service, and people development are the standard, not the exception.

The General Manager of Whataburger serves as the operational and cultural leader of the restaurant, responsible for protecting and elevating the integrity of both the Paradies Lagardère and Whataburger brands. This role is entrusted with creating a people-first culture centered on hospitality, leadership development, accountability, and excellence in execution.

The General Manager is expected to lead a high-performing operation that consistently delivers exceptional guest experiences, outstanding food quality, operational precision, and meaningful team member development in one of the most dynamic environments in the industry—airports.

This leader must embody the Whataburger commitment to quality, pride, and customer service by creating experiences that leave a lasting impression on every guest while building a culture where team members feel valued, challenged, developed, and inspired to perform at the highest level.

Success in this role requires a leader who can balance hospitality with operational discipline, drive results without compromising people, and create a culture of ownership, urgency, and continuous improvement.

Core Responsibilities

Leadership & Culture

• Serve as the face of the operation by modeling Whataburger's culture of hospitality, professionalism, accountability, and operational excellence.
• Build and sustain a high-performance culture rooted in Paradies Lagardère's TRIFIC values: Trust, Respect, Integrity, First-Class, Innovation, and Commitment.
• Recruit, hire, develop, and retain top talent who demonstrate a passion for hospitality and operational excellence.
• Create a culture of accountability through consistent coaching, recognition, performance management, and leadership development.
• Develop strong bench strength and succession plans to ensure leadership continuity within the operation.
• Foster an environment where team members feel engaged, respected, supported, and empowered to grow.

Guest Experience & Brand Excellence

• Deliver a consistently exceptional guest experience through outstanding hospitality, speed of service, food quality, and operational execution.
• Lead by example in creating memorable guest experiences by anticipating guest needs, resolving concerns proactively, and delivering service that exceeds expectations.
• Protect and uphold all Whataburger brand standards, ensuring the operation consistently reflects the brand's reputation for quality, consistency, and service excellence.
• Maintain an immaculate restaurant environment that reflects the highest standards of cleanliness, organization, food safety, and visual presentation.
• Respond to guest concerns with urgency, empathy, professionalism, and resolution-focused leadership.

Operational Excellence

• Drive flawless execution in all areas of restaurant operations, including food production, labor deployment, throughput, inventory management, food safety, and cash handling.
• Ensure strict adherence to HACCP standards, food safety protocols, operational procedures, and all local, state, federal, airport, and company compliance requirements.
• Analyze operational trends, guest feedback, labor performance, and financial metrics to identify opportunities and implement corrective action plans.
• Lead effective shift execution by ensuring proper staffing levels, operational readiness, and service flow during fluctuating airport traffic volumes.
• Maintain full operational readiness at all times in a fast-paced, high-volume, 7/365 airport environment.

Financial & Business Performance

• Drive sustainable sales growth and profitability through strong operational leadership and disciplined financial management.
• Monitor and manage key business metrics including labor cost, food cost, productivity, throughput, waste, guest satisfaction, and profitability.
• Ensure proper inventory controls, ordering practices, portioning standards, and cost-management initiatives are consistently executed.
• Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency while maintaining the integrity of the Whataburger guest experience.

Communication & Partnership

• Serve as the primary operational liaison between Paradies Lagardère leadership, Whataburger brand representatives, airport stakeholders, and the management team.
• Maintain proactive, transparent, and solution-oriented communication across all levels of the business.
• Build strong partnerships with operations leadership and support teams to drive alignment and execution.
• Communicate expectations clearly while fostering a culture of trust, professionalism, and accountability.

Position Qualifications

• 5–7 years of progressive restaurant leadership experience in high-volume quick-service or fast-casual environments; Whataburger, QSR, or comparable restaurant leadership experience strongly preferred.
• Proven success leading large teams in fast-paced, guest-focused operations.
• Demonstrated ability to drive operational excellence while building a strong people-centered culture.
• Strong financial acumen with experience managing labor, food cost, productivity, and operational performance metrics.
• Current ServSafe Food Manager Certification required or obtained within six (6) months of hire.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, POS systems, inventory systems, scheduling platforms, and workforce management tools.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule including mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, and peak travel periods in a 24/7 airport environment.
• Strong interpersonal, coaching, conflict resolution, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to lead with urgency, adaptability, professionalism, and emotional intelligence in a high-pressure environment.
• Leadership Expectations

The General Manager is expected to consistently lead with:

• A hospitality-first mindset
• Operational discipline and attention to detail
• A sense of urgency and ownership
• Integrity and professionalism
• A passion for people development
• A commitment to continuous improvement
• An unwavering dedication to protecting brand standards

This role is critical to creating a restaurant environment where guests experience exceptional care, team members thrive, and operational excellence is sustained daily. Due to the demands of a high-volume airport environment, the General Manager is expected to maintain a flexible schedule and routinely work beyond a standard 40-hour workweek based on operational needs.

Paradies Lagardère is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, marital status, military or veteran status, gender identity and expression, genetic information, or any other factor protected by law.

We are committed to creating a diverse and welcoming workplace that includes individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences. The Company is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities.

#LI-KB1