General Manager

About Aretha

Role overview

Venue and entertainment operations

• Lead restaurant service, entertainment, guest experience, and nightlife operations, overseeing the guest journey from arrival through dinner, live show, and DJ set.
• Coordinate front-of-house, kitchen, bar, performers, DJs, security, and technical teams; maintain service, presentation, ambience, and operational standards.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, UAE regulations, licensing requirements, and health and safety standards.
• Deliver nightly shows and DJ programming smoothly, coordinating transitions while maintaining guest comfort, service quality, and operational control.
• Identify ways to strengthen the concept, entertainment offering, and market positioning.

Guest experience and commercial performance

• Build relationships with VIPs, regular guests, high-profile visitors, and industry contacts; oversee VIP reservations, special occasions, large parties, and high-profile bookings.
• Handle guest feedback and complaints professionally and identify ways to encourage repeat visits and loyalty.
• Own venue revenue, profitability, average spend, and operating costs; drive sales across food, beverage, premium experiences, and VIP bookings.
• Monitor revenue per cover, average check, table turnover, beverage sales, labour cost, and guest satisfaction; implement action plans to meet budgets and targets.
• Control payroll, purchasing, inventory, wastage, and other operating expenses without compromising the guest experience.

Leadership and operational excellence

• Recruit, develop, motivate, and retain a high-performing team; coach department heads and supervisors and establish clear performance expectations.
• Build a service culture grounded in energy, professionalism, accountability, and attention to detail; provide regular training and feedback.
• Ensure effective staffing and team deployment throughout the evening, including the transition from dining to entertainment.
• Prepare each service through reservations, floor plans, VIP arrangements, show schedules, and technical readiness.
• Monitor service flow, table management, pacing, and guest engagement; improve operating procedures and cross-department coordination.

Candidate requirements

• Proven experience as a General Manager or senior operational leader in festive dining, entertainment-led dining, premium nightlife, or a similar environment.
• Mandatory previous experience in festive dining or nightlife, and a genuine interest in continuing in the sector.
• Experience managing high-energy evening operations, entertainment programming, and DJ-led experiences.
• Strong commercial acumen and a track record of achieving revenue and profitability targets.
• Experience managing large, diverse, fast-paced hospitality teams.
• Strong understanding of VIP guest management, reservations, table management, and premium beverage sales.
• Ability to remain composed and make effective decisions under pressure.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and guest-relations skills.
• Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, public holidays, and peak trading periods as required.