Restaurant Manager – Premium Fine Dining Restaurant R25,000 live in.
Luxury Country Estate | KZN
Location: KwaZulu-Natal
Job Type: Full-time, permanent
Industry: Luxury Hospitality / Fine Dining
About the Opportunity
Our client is a multi-award-winning luxury country estate is seeking a restaurant manager. The estate offers five-star villa and four-star hotel accommodation, a renowned spa, elegant wedding and conference venues, and several distinct on-site dining experiences.
They are seeking an experienced, polished Restaurant Manager to lead their premium fine dining restaurant — an intimate, romantic venue known for its terrace overlooking magnificent gardens, an underground wine cellar, and a menu built around ethically sourced, seasonal produce grown on-site and sourced from surrounding farms. The restaurant offers both à la carte dining and a chef’s set menu, operates a formal dinner dress code, and is positioned as one of the estate’s signature culinary experiences for hotel guests, villa guests, and outside visitors alike.
This is a fantastic opportunity for a hospitality professional who takes genuine pride in guest experience, has a strong grip on floor operations, and is comfortable managing a premium, service-led environment in a countryside luxury setting.
Key Responsibilities
- Oversee the day-to-day running of the restaurant across lunch and dinner service, ensuring a seamless, elegant guest experience from arrival to departure
- Lead, train, mentor and roster front-of-house staff (waitrons, hosts, sommeliers/wine staff) to consistently premium service standards
- Manage bookings and guest flow, including liaising with the reservations/booking system, to ensure smooth service even during peak periods (weddings, functions, weekends)
- Work closely with the Head Chef and kitchen team to ensure seamless front-of-house/back-of-house coordination
- Maintain and enforce the restaurant’s dress code, ambiance, and service etiquette standards appropriate to a premium fine dining environment
- Manage wine service and cellar stock in coordination with the sommelier/wine team, including up-selling and wine pairing knowledge
- Oversee stock control, ordering, and cost control for front-of-house consumables, linen, glassware and service items
- Monitor and manage restaurant budgets, labour costs, and profitability targets
- Handle guest feedback, special requests, and any service recovery with professionalism and discretion
- Ensure full compliance with health, safety, hygiene and liquor licensing regulations
- Support the estate’s broader hospitality offering by coordinating with events, functions, and other food and beverage outlets when required
- Drive a guest-first culture that protects the estate’s reputation for exceptional, memorable dining experiences
Requirements
- Minimum 3–5 years’ experience as a Restaurant Manager or senior Assistant Restaurant Manager in a premium/fine dining or luxury hospitality environment (hotel, lodge, wine estate or high-end standalone restaurant)
- Formal hospitality/hotel management qualification advantageous
- Strong working knowledge of wine service and pairing; sommelier training/exposure highly advantageous
- Proven track record of managing and developing front-of-house teams
- Excellent guest relations, communication and interpersonal skills
- Strong operational and financial acumen — stock, budgets, rostering, POS systems
- Immaculate personal presentation and professionalism, in keeping with a formal dining environment
- Ability to work under pressure during high-volume periods (weddings, functions, peak season)
- Flexibility to work evenings, weekends and public holidays as required by the trade
- Own reliable transport, given the estate’s rural location
- Valid driver’s licence
- South African citizen or valid work permit
What’s on Offer
- Competitive, market-related salary (commensurate with experience)
- The opportunity to work in one of the region’s most prestigious hospitality settings
- A supportive, professional team environment within a well-established, award-winning estate
- Career growth potential within a broader hospitality group offering accommodation, spa, weddings and conferencing