Director of Hospitality
About Class Act
Who We Are, What We’re Building, and Why
Class Act is a new fine dining restaurant and speakeasy concept in Chicago that combines the revelry of a friend’s dinner party with mind blowing avant garde cuisine. Class Act aspires to become a world class dining destination and to earn the industry’s highest honors. Currently, Class Act operates as a regularly sold out monthly popup dinner series. The team is working tirelessly to bottle the magic we’ve created in the popups and unleash it into a newly opened permanent brick and mortar home in 2025. The food and beverage programs will push boundaries. The environment will be exuberant, joyful, fun. While our ambitions are grand, the vision is humble – create a better world by bringing together people through food.
The Guest Experience
The experience will start with intrigue and excitement as guests learn about the secret location via text and email. Upon arrival, guests will enter a dreamy welcome lounge where they will be greeted with beverages and be encouraged to mingle with other guests. Then guests will proceed to the dramatic dining room with an open kitchen where they will enjoy an unforgettable multi-course ever evolving family style feast with wine and beverage pairing options. Guests will be seated at a communal table designed to spark authentic connection. The food and beverages will be inspired by all facets of life from childhood memories to creative philosophies. After dinner, guests will move to the intimate speakeasy to imbibe on world class cocktails and late night bites. The speakeasy will also be open to non-dinner guests.
The Team
Class Act is founded and led by Chef Nicolai Mlodinow and Tech Executive & Entrepreneur Shreena Amin. Chef Nicolai has trained and worked at some of Chicago’s top Michelin Star restaurants and hosted the popular Class Act popup out of his home for over 2 years. Shreena is a seasoned business professional and former founder with 10+ years of early stage & growth tech experience and 3 successful exits. Chef Nicolai and Shreena combine culinary excellence and creativity with business discipline and entrepreneurial acumen.
The Role
The Director of Hospitality will lead the front of house team to orchestrate a magical start to finish guest experience – from booking a reservation to dining in the restaurant to take-away gifts to be enjoyed at home. We are looking for a seasoned hospitality professional interested in creating a one of a kind boundary pushing guest experience that cultivates a sense of belonging and connection. The DOH will work closely with the culinary, beverage, and business teams to ensure service is coordinated and the guest experience is cohesive, remarkable, and memorable.
What You’ll Do
Guest Experience
Craft the holistic guest journey while ensuring adherence to mission and setting the highest standard of excellence.
Develop standard operating procedures for service to ensure both excellence and consistency.
Ensure checks and processes are in place to accommodate relevant dietary preferences, restrictions, and allergies.
Think creatively and outside the box to create moments of surprise, delight, and wow.
Research guests to personalize the guest experience and make them feel welcome.
Consider post-dinner experience to gather relevant feedback and empower guests to spread the word.
Consistently evolve guest experience to make it feel novel and exciting for repeat guests.
Collaborate across teams (Culinary & Beverage) to ensure a cohesive experience.
Cultivate deep knowledge of the food and beverage program.
Manage and maintain guests profiles and notes.
Service
Greet guests and serve as their host and guide from the Welcome Lounge to the Bar.
Ensure that all plateware, servingware, tableware, glassware, etc. is ready for service.
Uphold the highest standards for fine dining service.
Set the “vibe” for the group of guests dining together. Create an environment that is warm, fun, lively, and joyful.
Build rapport with guests. Make them feel welcomed and at ease.
Ensure excellence and consistency at every guest service touchpoint.
Collaborate across teams to ensure guests needs are anticipated and met at every turn.
Team
Recruit, develop, and lead a tight knit team of front of house professionals.
Lead the team during service ensuring our standards of quality are being met or exceeded.
Manage, train, and develop the FOH team.
Set the tone and culture for the FOH team.
Performance Management
Build systems and mechanisms to consistently measure and evaluate guest experience.
Evaluate guest experience qualitatively and quantitatively to drive a cycle of continuous improvement.
Build communication protocols to ensure guest feedback is disseminated to the entire team and actioned upon where relevant.
What We’re Looking For
Qualifications
Experience of managing FOH operations and service at top tier fine dining restaurants.
Experience building, mentoring, training, and inspiring world class FOH teams.
Track record of building guest relationships leveraging exceptional interpersonal skills and demeanor.
In-depth knowledge and expertise of fine dining service standards.
Proven track record of learning about guests and effectively communicating learnings to the broader team .
Proven track record of establishing and implementing service methodologies / SOPs.
Personal Characteristics
Passionate. You love the fine dining industry and providing exceptional service to guests.
Guest obsessed. You constantly are thinking about how to make the guests’ experience better and more memorable. You are thinking of the guests’ journey through the space, how that makes them feel, how that aligns with the experience being served, and how to optimize all the elements coming together to make a beautiful flow.
Love for food. You have a love of food and the stories of the values, people, and cultures that it comes from.
Hospitable. You love building rapport with guests and making them smile. You’re thoughtful and charismatic.
Giving. You are a selfless individual who thinks about how to make others lives better.
Exceptional attention to detail. You notice and sweat the small stuff.
Exceptional organizational skills. You develop systems and processes that make service run.
Problem solver. You figure it out.
Data Driven. You measure and track and what matters
Leadership. You set the culture. You set the example.
Creative. You think outside the box when it comes to making guests happy.
Storytelling. You craft stories that bring the dishes, ingredients, history, and people behind them to life.
Self-starter. You don’t need to be told what to do. You figure out what needs to be done and get to it.
Strong work ethic. You are willing and excited to go above and beyond to deliver top tier hospitality.
Collaborative. You work with your team to make the magic happen. You actively seek and incorporate the input. You shine when everyone else shines.
Excellent communication skills. You communicate effectively with your team, the broader restaurant team, and the leadership team.
Organized. You will have no trouble tracking, prioritizing, and executing on tasks necessary to deliver the highest level of service.
Hustle & grit. You’re undeterred by unpredictability and demands of working in a restaurant.. You can adapt or persevere through any situation.
Work Hours
The restaurant and speakeasy will be open 5 days a week from 5pm to 1am. The role will work pre-service, service, and post service. The restaurant will be closed 2 weeks per year and employees will have an additional 2 weeks of vacation a year to be used at their discretion.
Compensation
$70-$90k annual salary plus healthcare benefits. Potential for equity (ownership in the restaurant and bar) for exceptional candidates.