Venue Manager – BangPop

BangPop is looking for an experienced Venue Manager to lead our busy riverside restaurant at South Wharf.

BangPop brings the colour, energy and bold flavours of Thailand to Melbourne. We are about great Thai food, creative drinks, genuine hospitality and creating experiences that bring people together.

Alongside lunch and dinner service, BangPop hosts group bookings, functions, special events and hands-on Thai cooking classes for the public, corporate teams and private groups.

Behind the energy of the venue is a team that cares about consistency, teamwork and making every guest feel welcome. We are looking for a Venue Manager who can bring strong leadership and structure to the operation while maintaining the personality and atmosphere that make BangPop what it is.

The role

This is a hands-on leadership role in a busy, high-turnover restaurant operating across lunch, dinner, group dining, functions, cooking classes and special events.

You will take responsibility for the day-to-day operation and commercial performance of the venue, working closely with the Head Chef, senior management and the wider South Wharf Restaurants team.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Leading the front-of-house team through busy services
• Maintaining a strong and visible presence on the floor
• Recruiting, onboarding, training and developing team members
• Building a positive, accountable and supportive workplace culture
• Preparing front-of-house rosters and managing labour within venue targets
• Working closely with the Head Chef to manage back-of-house wages and total venue labour costs
• Monitoring front-of-house and back-of-house wage performance, identifying variances and adjusting staffing where required
• Maintaining service, presentation and cleanliness standards
• Coordinating large group bookings, functions and special events
• Supporting the delivery of public and private Thai cooking classes
• Working with the kitchen and events teams to ensure classes are properly staffed, set up and delivered
• Managing stock, ordering and beverage controls
• Monitoring venue sales, costs and operational performance
• Responding to guest feedback and resolving issues professionally
• Working closely with the kitchen to deliver organised and consistent services
• Ensuring compliance with RSA, food safety and workplace requirements
• Identifying opportunities to improve the guest experience and venue performance

About you

You are an experienced hospitality leader who enjoys being part of the service rather than managing from the sidelines.

You understand how to balance a lively and welcoming guest experience with the organisation, preparation and attention to detail required to operate a high-volume venue successfully.

To be considered, you will have:

• At least two years’ management experience in a busy, high-turnover hospitality venue
• Strong restaurant floor experience and the ability to lead from the front
• Experience managing high-volume lunch and dinner services
• Confidence leading, training and developing a diverse team
• Experience with rostering, labour management and cost control
• Experience managing whole-of-venue labour costs, including back-of-house wages in collaboration with kitchen leadership
• An understanding of wage percentages, productivity targets and labour forecasting
• Strong communication, organisation and problem-solving skills
• The ability to remain calm and make sound decisions during busy services
• Confidence managing guest concerns and operational challenges
• A current Victorian RSA
• Availability to work evenings, weekends and public holidays
• Full Australian working rights

Experience with large group dining, functions, events, cooking classes or other hospitality experiences will be highly regarded.

BangPop’s approach

BangPop should feel colourful, energetic and relaxed for our guests, but delivering that experience requires preparation, communication and teamwork behind the scenes.

We value managers who:

• Set clear expectations and follow through
• Treat their team fairly and respectfully
• Lead visibly during service
• Communicate openly with both the kitchen and front-of-house teams
• Take responsibility for the overall performance of their venue
• Understand the relationship between staffing, service and profitability
• Care about the details without losing sight of the overall guest experience
• Enjoy creating memorable experiences beyond traditional restaurant service
• Create an environment where people enjoy coming to work

What we offer

• A permanent full-time Venue Manager position
• An annualised salary based on experience, plus superannuation
• Support from an experienced senior management and operations team
• The opportunity to recruit, develop and lead your own team
• A varied role across restaurant service, group dining, functions, cooking classes and events
• Staff benefits across the South Wharf Restaurants group
• The opportunity to contribute to the continued development of an established Melbourne venue

About BangPop

BangPop is a colourful Thai restaurant located on the Yarra River at South Wharf.

The venue operates across lunch and dinner and welcomes a broad mix of casual diners, Melbourne visitors, corporate groups, function guests and people attending events in the South Wharf precinct.

BangPop also runs hands-on Thai cooking classes where guests cook alongside the team before sitting down to enjoy what they have prepared. These include scheduled public classes, corporate team-building experiences and private group events.

BangPop is part of South Wharf Restaurants, a collection of Melbourne hospitality venues specialising in riverside dining, group bookings, functions, events and interactive food experiences.

Apply

Please submit your resume and a brief cover letter outlining your experience managing busy hospitality venues.

We would particularly like to hear about the size and style of venues you have managed, the teams you have led and your experience managing labour across both front and back of house.