Food and Beverage Manager

The Lake is an upcoming private social club set to open in October 2026 in Chicago's vibrant River North neighborhood. This exclusive clubhouse encompasses 26,000 square feet and features a striking combination of classic brick-and-limestone exterior architecture with stylish contemporary interiors. The design aims to cultivate a warm, elegant, and inviting atmosphere, making it a prime destination for individuals who cherish gathering with family and friends in a refined setting. The Lake will serve as a dynamic community hub, offering an exceptional food and beverage experience that celebrates diverse culinary traditions. The club includes three distinct restaurants—a French-inspired brasserie, a British American restaurant, and an Italian trattoria—ensuring a broad spectrum of dining options for members. Complementing the restaurants are two cocktail bars, a members’ wine cellar, a roof terrace, and three guest rooms, all thoughtfully crafted to create a curated and memorable member experience.\n\nThe Lake is developed and operated by Topography, a hospitality company founded by Liam Krehbiel in 2021. Topography specializes in building and managing luxury hotels and clubs, with a strong commitment to excellence in guest experience, employee satisfaction, financial performance, and environmental stewardship. The Lake represents Topography's debut property, with other projects planned across Wisconsin, New England, and North Carolina. The company’s vision emphasizes offering hospitality that surpasses conventional luxury club dining by delivering food, beverage, and service with personal attention, warmth, and impeccable execution.\n\nThe Restaurant Manager role at The Lake is central to upholding these high standards. This position involves leading the day-to-day operations of the dining venues and working closely with the Director of Food & Beverage, Executive Chef, and leadership team to provide an exceptional experience for members. The successful candidate will be a hands-on, passionate leader who excels on the floor, builds motivated and skilled teams, and is dedicated to continuous improvement and service excellence in a luxury environment.\n\nResponsibilities include managing front-of-house operations with precision and warmth, maintaining impeccable hospitality and presentation standards, and ensuring smooth coordination between kitchen and service teams. The Restaurant Manager will also enforce health, safety, and alcohol service regulations, implement service standards and operational procedures, and educate team members on menu knowledge and beverage pairings. Team leadership is a crucial aspect of the role, encompassing recruitment, training, coaching, and fostering a culture of accountability and excellence. Financial performance responsibilities include labor management, cost control, and contributing to revenue goals through strong execution and guest satisfaction. Additionally, the Manager will cultivate strong relationships with members, address feedback proactively, and support special events and club programming.\n\nAs The Lake prepares for opening, the Restaurant Manager will play an instrumental role in pre-opening activities such as hiring, training, and service simulations, driving operational refinements, and continuously identifying opportunities to enhance service and operations. This role offers a competitive salary range of $80,000 to $85,000, an annual bonus, a 401(k) plan, and a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as paid vacation. Topography Hospitality is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. This position is ideal for professionals with 3 to 5+ years of restaurant management experience in high-quality, luxury environments who are eager to embody Topography’s core values of drive, teamwork, empathy, excellence, integrity, judgment, creativity, positive attitude, and self-awareness.