Private Events & Floor Manager

Scratchboard Kitchen is an upscale casual restaurant located in the heart of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Known for its commitment to scratch-made breakfast, lunch, and dinner offerings, along with a fresh coffee and juice program and a carefully curated bar menu, Scratchboard Kitchen offers guests a vibrant and welcoming dining experience. The restaurant prides itself on its warm and community-focused atmosphere, creating a cozy yet stylish space where friends and families can gather to enjoy thoughtfully prepared meals. The mission of Scratchboard Kitchen is to ensure every guest feels at home, providing exceptional hospitality that extends from the warm welcome at the door through to the final bite of their meal. The team consistently strives to go above and beyond industry standards to deliver memorable dining experiences that foster lasting guest relationships and community engagement.

The Private Events & Floor Manager role at Scratchboard Kitchen is a dynamic position designed for a hospitality professional who is passionate about event sales, leadership, and operational excellence within a high-standard restaurant environment. This leadership position is responsible for driving the growth and execution of the restaurant's private dining and catering program while overseeing and supporting restaurant floor operations. The role’s primary focus is generating private event revenue by converting client inquiries into confirmed bookings through a consultative sales approach that includes preparing proposals, pricing, contracts, and invoices. This requires staying organized with a robust sales pipeline and managing strong client relationships to maximize bookings.

In addition to sales responsibilities, the Private Events & Floor Manager takes a hands-on approach to event planning and coordination. This includes creating detailed Banquet Event Orders (BEOs) that outline menus, timing, staffing needs, and clear communication of event details to both kitchen and front-of-house teams. The manager serves as the Event Captain for booked events, ensuring smooth event flow, guest satisfaction, and polished execution. Floor leadership is a crucial element of this role, with responsibilities extending to supporting and guiding the service team during private events as well as regular restaurant service. The manager’s confident presence on the floor ensures that Scratchboard Kitchen’s high hospitality standards are maintained, and any service challenges are addressed professionally and promptly.

The role encompasses a balance of administrative tasks and on-site service, with a work schedule that includes four regularly scheduled shifts per week, primarily on nights, weekends, and holidays to accommodate event timings. There is also dedicated administrative time for managing sales inquiries, client follow-up, event planning logistics, and marketing efforts, such as promoting private and ticketed events through social media and website updates. Compensation includes a base salary ranging from $45,000 to $55,000 annually plus a commission of 4% on contracted private event and catering revenue personally secured. This is a non-tipped management position, with servers retaining all gratuities.

Ideal candidates possess over two years of experience in restaurant private event sales and execution, alongside strong service leadership skills in a high-standard hospitality setting. They must demonstrate exceptional organization and communication abilities, a strong guest-focused mindset, and the confidence to lead guest-facing events while managing multiple priorities seamlessly. Availability to work evenings, weekends, and holidays is essential. Overall, this role represents an exciting opportunity to contribute to and grow within a vibrant and well-regarded culinary establishment by delivering exceptional private dining experiences and leadership on the restaurant floor.