Description of Position

The Vice President Operations of Uncle Julios corporation is an entrepreneurial leader who must be a passionate, hands-on brand champion who lives and breathes all things Uncle Julios.

A few of the key attributes that will make this candidate successful in their role:

• Hands on mentality, someone who thrives inside of the restaurants 4-walls and is not afraid to “roll up their sleeves.” Year 1 will involve significant travel to the stores.

• A background in upscale / finer dining. There is an opportunity to bring a higher level of service and food standards and elevate Uncle Julios into an upscale brand. Solid understanding of culinary with a natural palette for quality.

• Holds their team accountable to KPI’s and can speak to their numbers at any given time.

• A strong presence, culture creator, earns trust and loyalty from their team and can drive energy and enthusiasm from the field.

Other day-to-day job functions include:

• Develop and implement a model of operational excellence yielding the highest levels of guest satisfaction, brand identity and profit maximization.

• Create a vision and strategic growth plan for Uncle Julios Corporation that aligns with the company's overall objectives.

• Partner at a strategic and operational level with marketing and restaurant associates to ensure brand awareness and effective tactics in place to increase revenues and market penetration.

• Act as inspirational and motivational leader that models the culture and brand, while applying a continuous improvement philosophy.

• Present creative and market driven menu items and concepts to ensure the brand and operations are kept "fresh" and on the leading edge of industry standards, direction and trends.

• Effectively recruit, hire, train and develop appropriate talent who will embrace the culture, brand and service delivery expectations.

• Negotiate with vendors as needed to ensure consistency of product, service, pricing and presentation.

• Provide inspiration, insight and direction to restaurant management and staff in a manner that creates an enthusiastic group of brand and company promoters.

• Coordinate the development, implementation and interpretation of policies, operating procedures, training programs, directives, menus, service standards and other guidelines.

• Interact effectively at all levels of the organization as well as with community and civic leaders as needed to drive brand initiatives and create positive partnerships.

• Deliver on-site support and guidance to restaurants, to include working shifts, to better understand and assist in solving operational challenges and opportunities.

• Research and make recommendations on potential new markets with goal of expanding the Uncle Julios footprint.

Beyond daily operations, the major immediate goals for the VP Operations will be:

• Implementing and operationalizing innovative labor models across the system.

• Finding opportunities for innovation by leveraging in-house resources or cutting edge technology partners.

• Focus on driving sales through memorable experiences: increase guest experience metrics, overall dining experience, atmosphere, ambiance, setting the vibe in addition to food quality and service.

• Increase sales at a reasonable pace, expectations will be set together and won’t be out of reach. 

• Refining a strategy that will yield a stable bench of management so that recruiting is not reactive.

Why work with Uncle Julios and L Catterton?

• Partner with worldclass leaders who have a track record of building admired brands

• Up-level a concept that has the right foundational attributes: Great real estate in a resilient segment (tex-mex).

• Work alongside proven hospitality visionaries with a track record of exceeding quality and growth expectations.

• Build a network with L Catterton, one of the world’s most prominent Private Equity brands.

• Earn equity in the brand, positioned to grow exponentially over the next five years.

Reporting Structure

The VP Ops for Uncle Julios Corporation will report to RJ Thomas, President.  

notable press

• The Unlikely Origins of Tableside Guacamole

• Uncle Julio’s Chocolate Piñata Is Back, and It’s Stuffed With Mini-Churros

• L Catterton acquires Uncle Julio’s

qualification

• Player / coach mentality that can both tactically move the needle, and can inspire / empower their team to bring out the best in themselves.

• Experience in upscale dining, as we are seeking to elevate the food and service aspects of the brand

• Overseen 20+ restaurant units (scale is important)

• Track record of hiring and retaining top talent

• Thrives inside of the stores, not sitting in an office

• Passion for the concept, cuisine and success of the brand in the given market.

• Experience interacting and managing board expectations is a plus.

Interested in learning more or know the right person? Email mandeep@hhcsearch.com

About the Company

We opened our first restaurant with a simple commitment to fresh ingredients and handcrafted recipes. From the very beginning, we served mesquite-grilled fajitas, crave-able guacamole, and other Tex-Mex favorites. Whether guests are celebrating with family, meeting over lunch, or on a date, they have a welcoming atmosphere at Uncle Julio’s.

Over the past 30 years we’ve opened 34 restaurants across 11 different states.

Each of our restaurants has a distinct style and decor. Inspired by Mexican architecture and art, we provide an atmosphere as carefully curated as the ingredients in our recipes.

Fresh ingredients meet fresh air — if you’d like to eat outdoors, our restaurants feature beautiful dining patios. Made-From-Scratch Mexican tastes even better under an umbrella in the sun.

It didn’t stop with the swirl. Since, we’ve filled Chocolate Piñatas, paired guacamole with unique flavor combinations, and evolved how guests can engage with our restaurants. We’ve never stopped raising the bar so that Uncle Julio’s continues to offer a memorable experience for all our guests.

About L Catterton

Since 1989, L Catterton has made more than 250 investments in leading consumer brands across all segments of the consumer industry. With approximately $30 billion of assets under management dedicated to growing middle market companies and emerging high-growth enterprises, we believe we are the largest and most experienced consumer-focused private equity group in the world.

We have focused exclusively on building iconic and enduring consumer brands. Our category-first approach is aimed at truly understanding what matters most to consumers in order to subsequently identify the specific categories and companies that will benefit from those consumer preferences. At the heart of this approach is our constant pursuit of grasping how various types of trends—demographic, psychographic, technological, geographic, and socioeconomic—will drive and impact consumer preferences and purchasing decisions.

While our objective—to invest in and build consumer businesses that are rooted in emotional connectivity and thereby in sticky relationships that we can scale—has remained the same over time, we have had to adapt our thinking, our capabilities, and our methodologies to the shifting market environment.

L Catterton has a deep history in restaurant investments, including past holdings in such companies as Bloomin’ Brands Inc., Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, First Watch and P.F. Chang’s China Bistro.

The private-equity firm’s current investments include Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza, Chopt Creative Salad Co., Hopdoddy Burger Bar, Mendocino Farms, Noodles & Company, Piada Italian Street Food, Protein Bar, Primanti Bros., Punch Bowl Social, Snap Kitchen and Velvet Taco.

email mandeep@hhcsearch.com to chat more about the opportunity with Uncle Julios and L Catterton