General Purpose

The Franchise Operations Manager serves as a key partner to Sonny’s BBQ franchisees, providing strategic guidance, operational support, and performance coaching to ensure brand consistency, optimize profitability, and drive long-term growth across the franchise network.

Essential Duties (may include, but not limited to)

• Support a defined unit count within the assigned franchise territory.
• Inspire franchisees to improve top-line revenue and bottom-line profitability
• Collaborate with franchisees to identify performance barriers and develop growth plans to drive improvement across operations, marketing, training, and technology.
• Promote and influence cultural initiatives to align franchisees with company values.
• Evaluate operational performance of franchise-owned locations, implement best practices, and recommend strategies to enhance sales and efficiency.
• Analyze key business metrics for assigned franchise locations to identify challenges and opportunities, providing insights to leadership as needed. 
• Conduct in-depth financial and market analysis to identify areas for improvement
• Ensure franchisee compliance with Standard Operating Procedures and develop corrective action plans as necessary.
• Work closely with underperforming franchisees to enhance guest experience and ensure alignment with company standards.
• Follow up with Franchisee on all Brand Standard and Food Safety Audits. Document all key conversations
• Effectively communicate new programs and initiatives, securing franchisee buy-in and providing feedback to leadership.
• Support new restaurant openings and remodeling projects.
• Oversee training initiatives, assess effectiveness at each location, and report findings to the Leadership team.
• Facilitate retraining for franchisees, General Managers, and restaurant teams as needed.
• Share and encourage adoption of best practices among franchisees.
• Support franchisees in making critical business decisions, including potential ownership transitions.
• Assist with contract renewals and franchise agreements
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 

• Inspires franchisee growth and strengthens the Sonny’s system.
• Knowledge of the Sonny’s brand, restaurant industry, and restaurant operations.
• P&L and unit economics fluency.
• POS and reporting/BI tool familiarity.
• Translates company vision and strategy into clear operational actions.
• Maintains composure and objectivity in challenging situations.
• Strong communication, interpersonal, teamwork, negotiation, and persuasion skills.
• Detail-oriented with strong problem-solving, judgment, and critical thinking skills.
• High drive, urgency, and initiative in a fast-paced, changing environment.
• Builds and maintains strong relationships.
• Strong reading, writing, math, analysis, listening, and reasoning skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and restaurant software programs.
• Strong business and financial acumen, including data analysis, action planning, benchmarking, and stakeholder recommendations.
• Works effectively both independently and cross-functionally.
• Prioritizes and manages multiple projects with sensitive deadlines.
• Demonstrates integrity, professionalism, dependability, flexibility, and adaptability.
• Anticipates guest and business needs.
• Complies with applicable regulations and company safety policies.
• Maintains reliable transportation, a valid driver’s license, good driving record, and required insurance coverage.

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business; or any equivalent combination of education, experience, and training that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.
• At least 10 years’ restaurant/franchise operations experience.
• Demonstrated strength in operational competencies with strength in people development and guest relations. 
• Demonstrated experience leading, motivating, holding accountable, directing and achieving target results in a franchise system. 
• Demonstrated track record for flexibility and urgency in prioritizing and organizing projects. 
• ServSafe Manager certification preferred.

Physical Demands and Working Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

In the stores, the Franchise Operations Manager is regularly required to stand for prolonged periods of time, handle products and tools, paperwork and equipment, and communicate with guests, managers, and team members, including listening, hearing, and speaking. The position requires continuous bending, reaching, crouching, touching, feeling, tasting, wiping, smelling, and inhaling smoke from a wood-burning cooker. Sonny’s is a fast-paced environment and requires constant human interaction and movement including regularly lifting and/or moving up to 20 pounds, frequently lifting and/or moving up to 35 pounds, and occasionally lifting and/or moving up to 75 pounds. In the stores, the Franchise Business Consultant may regularly work with or near moving mechanical parts, cleaning chemicals, may be exposed to wet and/or humid conditions, and may be exposed to temperatures between 0°F and 100°F. If working near food, frequent washing of the hands is required. 

In the office, the Franchise Operations Manager is regularly required to sit, talk, hear, use hands and fingers to handle or feel, bend, stand and/or walk. He/she may be required to occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision. He/she will work in a well-lit, open environment.  Job duties are not hazardous or physically strenuous. However, work sometimes is performed under pressure when the stress of deadlines occurs. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. 

Travel is a necessity in this position, and the Franchise Operations Manager will be in the field 80% of the time; travel in a car and on a plane is required.