The Restaurant Systems Manager is responsible for defining, standardizing, and governing restaurant operating workflows and processes related to store layout and equipment across all store formats. The role ensures that customer flow, service sequencing, equipment interaction, and capacity logic are designed to support speed of service, consistency, and scalable execution for new stores, RRRs (Renovations, Remodels & Repairs), and ongoing operations.
This position works closely with Store Planning, Catalog Development, PMO/Rollout, Training, and Operations to ensure that workflow and equipment standards are practical, deployable, and consistently applied, while maintaining strong governance over changes and improvements.
Key Accountabilities:
Restaurant Model Development
- Define and develop restaurant models by store type and archetype, establishing standard capacity assumptions and operating configurations as the foundation for layout, equipment, and workflow design.
- Develop restaurant capacity plans for each model, including equipment configuration, workstations, counters, preparation/bar areas, seating requirements, and key system touchpoints (e.g., POS, order displays) to support intended service flows and peak-hour demand.
- Build and maintain a restaurant model library by store type and archetype, evaluating alternative configurations and recommending feasible, productivity-balanced models to support expansion, RRRs, and format optimization decisions, considering capacity, cost efficiency, scalability, and operational complexity.
- Evolve and evaluate new or alternative restaurant models to support new store types, formats, strategic initiatives, and RRRs.
Restaurant Workflow Design
- Define and continuously refine end-to-end in-store workflows (customer flow, service sequencing, and staffequipment interaction) by store format and archetype, within approved restaurant models.
- Ensure workflows are designed to operate effectively within defined capacity constraints, peak-hour demand dynamics, and service complexity, supporting speed of service and consistent customer experience.
- Establish standard operating workflow principles linked to layout and equipment usage, enabling repeatable execution across new stores and RRRs.
- Translate operational realities into clear workflow logic and design assumptions that can be embedded into layout concepts and equipment standards defined under the restaurant model.
- Identify and evaluate workflow and equipment usage improvement opportunities that enhance productivity, operational reliability, and cost efficiency, while remaining scalable across formats.
Restaurant System Implementation & Governance
- Integrate workflow and equipment milestones into overall store development and rollout plans, in coordination with PMO/ Rollout Planning.
- Translate approved restaurant models, workflows, and equipment concepts into rollout principles, standard deployment logic, and sequencing guidelines, enabling consistent execution by Construction, Training, and Operations teams.
- Enable structured introduction of new or updated workflows or equipment concepts through pilot or phased rollouts at model/concept level, consolidating insights prior to scale deployment.
- Establish governance for restaurant workflows and equipment-related standards, including change control, documentation discipline, and ensure standards remain consistent, current, and scalable across the network.
- Provide workflow logic, capacity assumptions, and system requirements to Store Planning as formal governance inputs for layout feasibility, zoning, and space planning decisions.
- Partner with Catalog Development to ensure approved equipment catalogs fully enable defined workflows and capacity assumptions, in line with catalog governance and approval frameworks.
- Collaborate with Operations and Training to ensure workflow and process standards are embedded into day-to-day operating practices, SOPs, and training programs, supporting consistent execution at store level.
Continuous Process Improvement
- Define success metrics and KPIs for workflows and equipment-enabled processes, including productivity, speed of service, reliability, and process compliance.
- Conduct data-driven post-launch reviews to assess adoption effectiveness, productivity impact, and operational stability.
- Synthesize performance data and store-level feedback to identify gaps, risks, and improvement opportunities.
- Translate performance insights into structured improvement actions, refining workflows, equipment usage standards, and rollout approaches, and embedding these into the ongoing development of the restaurant workflow and systems roadmap in alignment with Store Planning and Operations.
- Provide insights and recommendations to senior leadership on workflow scalability, capacity implications, and investment priorities.
Job Requirements:
Education/ Training Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, Hospitality Management, Business, or a related field.
Experience
- 08+ years of relevant experience in food service/ QSR operations, process improvement, or restaurant workflow/ systems roles.
- Proven experience working with multi-format store networks (e.g., inline, mall, flagship, high-volume formats).
- Experience working with store workflows, layout interaction, equipment usage, or productivity improvement initiatives.
- Experience defining capacity assumptions, productivity logic, and performance metrics for in-store processes.
Knowledge of:
- Strong understanding of restaurant and food service operations, including front-of-house, bar/preparation area, and back-of-house workflows.
- Practical knowledge of:
- Beverage and food preparation, and service process design
- Store capacity analysis and peak-hour demand dynamics
- Customer flow, queuing logic, and transaction complexity
Working knowledge of food safety principles and their impact on workflow and equipment design.
Skills (Ability to):
- Strong ability to design and standardize workflows that are practical, scalable, and executable across different store formats.
- Ability to balance standardization vs. operational flexibility across formats and archetypes.
- Structured, analytical thinking grounded in real store operations.
- Ability to translate complex workflows into clear, practical standards and documentation.
- Strong stakeholder management and governance discipline.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word) for analysis, documentation, and executive communication.
- Strong Vietnamese & English language skills (written and spoken).
