Restaurant operations recruiting
Recruiting for restaurant operators.
We've placed Director, VP, and Regional leadership at Jack in the Box, El Pollo Loco, Del Taco, QDOBA, and Petco. When you need a multi-unit ops leader who can scale with you — not just fill the seat — we're who chains call.
Trusted by restaurant and multi-unit brands
A 30-Olive-Garden GM is not an 8-unit taqueria GM.
The best multi-unit operators don't live on job boards. They're running 40 units at Jack in the Box, opening a Del Taco market in Texas, or rebuilding an El Pollo Loco franchise group's off-premise playbook — drive-thru throughput, third-party marketplace mix, delivery-daypart math. They're not answering LinkedIn InMails from generalist recruiters. They pick up when someone calls who knows the difference between a Director who ran 30 Olive Gardens and a Director at an 8-unit taqueria — because those are different jobs at the same title.
That's us. 25 years of restaurant-leadership network — we've placed at Jack in the Box, El Pollo Loco, Del Taco, QDOBA, and Petco, and those operators are the ones we call first when a new role opens. We verify multi-unit P&L at the unit count you're hiring for — not the unit count on the resume — and we screen concept fit hard, because QSR pace is not fast-casual pace and franchise dynamics are not corporate-owned dynamics. Then we back-channel with the kitchen teams who worked under each candidate to confirm the person actually leads the kitchen, not just sends reports up. We know who just got promoted, who's open to a conversation, and who you should never hire because they burned a kitchen culture down two years ago.
Roles we routinely fill
If your job title sounds like one of these — or one we haven't listed but you'd be hiring at the same level — we've done it before.
What separates a great restaurant operator search
Concept-fit, not just resume-fit
A Director who ran 30 Olive Garden units won't automatically thrive at a taqueria growth-stage brand. We screen for concept fit — speed of service, off-premise mix, franchise vs. corporate-owned dynamics, daypart strategy.
Multi-unit P&L credibility
We verify that candidates have owned actual P&L for the unit count you're hiring for. A "Director of Operations" at 8 units is a different job than a "Director of Operations" at 80. We tell you which one you're getting.
Culture and kitchen
The best operations leaders earn the kitchen's respect, not just the C-suite's. We back-channel with people who worked under each candidate to confirm they're the kind of leader your team will follow.
Growth-stage realism
Going from 25 to 100 units is a different leader than going from 250 to 1,000. We match operators to where you are on the curve — not where the resume says they've been.
Case study
30+ multi-unit hires for a national QSR brand in 18 months
When a national QSR brand needed to staff up regional leadership and director-level operations roles across a rapid expansion, we ran the search across every role — sourced, screened, and submitted qualified operators as fast as the openings came in.
What clients say
“Able to quickly integrate with our team and deliver quality candidates. They adapted rapidly with our organization, managing our staffing needs with strong applicant quality. They helped us identify ideal fits.”
Common questions
What types of restaurant companies does Platt Partners recruit for?
QSR, fast-casual, casual-dining, and multi-unit operators. We focus on Director through VP-level operations leadership — Regional Directors, VPs of Operations, multi-unit GMs, and Directors of Off-Premise, Training, and Customer Experience. Clients have included Jack in the Box, El Pollo Loco, Del Taco, QDOBA, and Petco.
How long does a typical restaurant operations search take?
For roles we have placed before, the first candidate slate lands in under 5 business days — often same-day for repeat role types. For new role types, expect 30 to 45 days to first qualified slate. Our 25-year restaurant-leadership network means we are calling people we already know.
What engagement models do you offer for restaurant operations?
Three models. Executive search at a flat 20% fee for senior + confidential engagements — VP Operations, Regional Directors, brand-lead roles. RaaS (Recruiting as a Service) on a monthly retainer when you have ongoing hiring across a role family but no full-time TA lead. Consulting by the hour for comp benchmarking, JD calibration, or ATS + interview-loop audits. We pick the right fit on the first call based on the seat and your hiring plan.
What makes a great restaurant Director of Operations or VP of Operations?
Multi-unit P&L credibility at the unit count you are hiring for, concept fit (a Director who ran 30 Olive Gardens won't automatically thrive at a taqueria growth-stage brand), and culture-first leadership the kitchen actually respects. We screen on speed of service, off-premise mix, franchise vs. corporate-owned dynamics, and daypart strategy.
How is Platt Partners different from generalist recruiters for restaurant operations?
Generalists screen on resume; we screen on operational reality. We verify multi-unit P&L scope, back-channel with the kitchen team that worked under each candidate, and tell you whether a "Director of Operations" was at 8 units or 80 — because those are different jobs at the same title.
Where is Platt Partners based, and does it place nationally?
Platt Partners is based in Tennessee and places restaurant operations leaders nationally. We have placed Directors, VPs, and Regional leadership at brands operating across the Southeast, Texas, the West Coast, and the Midwest.
Do you offer RaaS (embedded recruiting) for ongoing hiring needs?
Yes. RaaS (Recruiting as a Service — same model as "fractional recruiting" under an industry-standard name) is one of three engagement models. When you have consistent hiring cadence but no full-time TA headcount, Peter runs the recruiting function on a monthly retainer — weekly submissions, ATS optimization, executive reporting, no per-placement invoices. See /fractional-recruiting for details.
Restaurant operators
Tell us what you're trying to fill
We'll come back with a candidate slate inside 5 business days — usually faster for roles we've placed before.
Prefer phone? (949) 235-0139