Job Description

Hospitality & Drive-Thru Director

Overview

Chick-fil-A Robinson is seeking an experienced, energetic leader to serve as our Hospitality & Drive-Thru Director. This is a senior leadership position responsible for the overall performance of our Front of House operation, including the guest experience, Drive-Thru performance, service standards, operational execution, team development, and continuous improvement.

At Chick-fil-A Robinson, hospitality is more than friendly service. We want every guest to feel genuinely welcomed, cared for, and valued while receiving an experience that is accurate, efficient, and remarkably consistent.

The Hospitality & Drive-Thru Director owns that experience.

This is a highly operational leadership role. The Director should expect to spend approximately 80% of their working time actively engaged in restaurant operations—observing, coaching, developing leaders, interacting with guests, and ensuring our standards are consistently executed in real time.

This role reports to the restaurant's senior leadership and has direct access to the Operator.

Chick-fil-A Operational Immersion

Candidates with prior Chick-fil-A leadership experience may transition directly into the Hospitality & Drive-Thru Director role based on experience and readiness.

For external candidates who are new to Chick-fil-A, the position will begin with an approximately 3–6 month operational immersion and training period. During this time, you will work directly within restaurant operations to learn Chick-fil-A systems, standards, positions, culture, and expectations from the ground up before assuming full Director responsibilities.

This training period is an intentional part of our Director development process. We believe our senior leaders should deeply understand the work they will ultimately lead and earn credibility with the team through firsthand operational experience.

Director-level compensation and applicable benefits begin on your first day of employment and remain in effect throughout the training period. The length of the immersion period will vary based on prior experience, demonstrated proficiency, and readiness to assume full responsibility for the department.

Key Responsibilities

Front of House Operational Leadership

• Own the overall performance and execution of Front of House operations at Chick-fil-A Robinson.
• Spend approximately 80% of working time in operations, maintaining a consistent presence alongside Team Members and leaders.
• Serve as a subject-matter expert in Chick-fil-A service, hospitality, and Front of House operational systems.
• Understand, model, teach, and consistently uphold Chick-fil-A Robinson's established Standards for Success.
• Maintain meaningful exposure to different dayparts, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and peak business periods.
• Observe operations in real time, identify gaps, provide immediate coaching, and develop sustainable solutions rather than simply correcting individual incidents.
• Ensure Front of House leaders are consistently executing established systems and expectations.
• Partner closely with Back of House leadership to ensure a seamless experience from food preparation through delivery to the guest.

Drive-Thru Performance

• Own the strategy, systems, execution, and continuous improvement of the Robinson Drive-Thru.
• Develop and maintain effective Drive-Thru positioning, deployment, communication, and traffic-flow systems.
• Ensure proper execution of peak-period Drive-Thru standards.
• Monitor speed of service, order accuracy, throughput, sales, guest satisfaction, and other key Drive-Thru performance indicators.
• Identify bottlenecks using observation, operational data, timers, trackers, and other available tools.
• Create action plans to address performance gaps and follow through until sustained improvement is achieved.
• Ensure appropriate use and execution of outside ordering, Mobile Drive-Thru, mobile ordering, and other Chick-fil-A service channels.
• Maximize Drive-Thru capacity while maintaining genuine hospitality, accuracy, food quality, and team safety.
• Develop Front of House leaders who understand not only how to run the Drive-Thru, but how to diagnose and improve its performance.

Hospitality & Guest Experience

• Develop, communicate, and model a clear vision for hospitality throughout the restaurant.
• Ensure guests consistently feel welcomed, respected, and genuinely cared for.
• Coach Team Members and leaders in Chick-fil-A hospitality behaviors and service expectations.
• Maintain high standards for attentiveness, courtesy, appearance, cleanliness, urgency, and guest interaction.
• Regularly observe the restaurant from the guest's perspective and identify opportunities to improve the experience.
• Review guest feedback and Customer Experience Monitor results, identify trends, and create actionable plans for improvement.
• Ensure guest concerns are handled promptly, professionally, and with appropriate follow-up.
• Build a culture in which Team Members are empowered to care for guests rather than simply complete transactions.
• Recognize and celebrate Team Members who consistently demonstrate exceptional hospitality.

Standards & Accountability

• Fully understand and adhere to Chick-fil-A Robinson's Standards for Success and ensure those standards are understood and executed by Front of House leadership and Team Members.
• Establish clear expectations before each shift and ensure leaders understand the operational goals for their daypart.
• Hold Team Members and leaders accountable for uniform standards, positioning, attentiveness, breaks, cleanliness, service behaviors, and operational execution.
• Use established checklists, scorecards, evaluations, and operational tools to ensure consistent execution.
• Address performance concerns directly, respectfully, and promptly.
• Partner with senior restaurant leadership on documentation and appropriate follow-up for recurring performance or policy concerns.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach, and develop Front of House leaders and Team Members.
• Build a strong leadership pipeline capable of executing excellent Front of House operations without constant Director intervention.
• Conduct regular one-on-one development conversations with key Front of House leaders.
• Identify training and certification needs and partner with appropriate leaders to close performance gaps.
• Participate in interviewing, selecting, onboarding, and developing Front of House leadership talent.
• Develop leaders who can balance operational results with strong relationships and genuine care for people.
• Foster a positive, transparent, accountable, and growth-oriented working environment.
• Recognize strong performance and create meaningful opportunities to celebrate Team Members and leaders.
• Participate in restaurant leadership meetings, development initiatives, and culture-building events.

Sales & Business Growth

• Understand how Front of House execution and hospitality contribute to overall restaurant sales and transaction growth.
• Drive adoption and excellent execution of appropriate digital and mobile ordering channels.
• Identify opportunities to increase throughput and serve additional guests during peak periods.
• Partner with restaurant leadership on strategies to grow breakfast, lunch, dinner, Drive-Thru, and other relevant sales channels.
• Balance sales growth with labor productivity, operational capacity, and an excellent guest experience.

Cleanliness, Safety & Restaurant Appearance

• Own Front of House cleanliness and organization standards throughout the restaurant and Drive-Thru.
• Ensure dining room, restrooms, service areas, exterior guest-facing areas, and Drive-Thru spaces consistently meet established expectations.
• Ensure Front of House operations adhere to applicable SAFE and food-safety standards.
• Identify repair and maintenance concerns and ensure they are appropriately communicated and addressed.
• Maintain a guest environment that consistently reflects the quality and care expected from Chick-fil-A Robinson.

Measures of Success

The Hospitality & Drive-Thru Director will be accountable for measurable improvement and sustained performance in areas including:

• Overall guest satisfaction and CEM results
• Drive-Thru speed of service
• Order accuracy
• Ease of receiving food
• Drive-Thru throughput and peak-hour performance
• Sales and transaction growth
• Digital and mobile ordering adoption
• Front of House labor productivity
• Guest complaints and Customer Care trends
• Front of House cleanliness and restaurant appearance
• Successful execution of Chick-fil-A Robinson's Standards for Success
• Team Member turnover and retention
• Training and certification levels
• Leadership development and internal promotion
• Consistency of hospitality behaviors across all dayparts
• Overall Front of House operational performance

Specific performance targets will be established and reviewed regularly through Chick-fil-A Robinson's Standards for Success, scorecards, and leadership goals.

Qualifications

• Previous restaurant, hospitality, retail, or other high-volume customer-facing leadership experience required.
• Restaurant leadership experience required.
• Chick-fil-A experience is valuable but not required; candidates without Chick-fil-A experience must successfully complete the operational immersion period described above.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, develop, and hold teams accountable.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills.
• Genuine passion for hospitality and creating memorable guest experiences.
• Strong operational judgment with the ability to identify problems and implement sustainable solutions.
• Comfortable using performance data and operational metrics to drive decisions.
• Able to balance urgency and high expectations with genuine care for people.
• Highly organized and capable of managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.
• Willing and able to spend approximately 80% of working time actively engaged in restaurant operations.
• Flexible availability that provides meaningful exposure to AM and PM operations and peak business periods.
• Dependable, professional, self-aware, and receptive to feedback and continued development.

What We Offer

• Competitive Director-level compensation
• Paid time off
• Healthcare access and subsidies for eligible roles
• SIMPLE IRA match after one year
• Tuition reimbursement for those who qualify
• Sundays off, aside from occasional meetings or special events
• Leadership development and opportunities for continued advancement
• Direct access to and mentorship from the Operator
• The opportunity to own and influence the guest experience within a high-volume Chick-fil-A restaurant
• A leadership environment focused on excellence, development, accountability, and genuine care for people