General Manager at Goodbye Horses & The Dreamery

Job Description

Goodbye Horses is a wine bar on a leafy street in De Beauvoir Town, London. Recently awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand, we pair a seasonal menu with wines that are fun, living, and as close to zero-zero as possible - nothing added, nothing removed. We offer an extensive glass selection in a relaxed, convivial setting. Directly over the road is The Dreamery, our ice cream parlour and wine bar.

We're looking for a General Manager to take ownership of the full operation.

This is a role for someone who is obsessive about detail. Guest experience is key, and it is built from small things done properly, every single time the table set correctly, each dish named as it's placed down, the lighting right for the hour, the music at the right level, the room as tidy at 9pm as it was at 5pm.

We're a close-knit team. You'll report to the owners and the operations team, and you'll work side by side with our Head of Wine and our Executive Chef, who have ownership of the menus. We are also part of a growing and diverse group, with our bottle shop Stable Wines down the road, and a couple more openings in 2027, there will be plenty of opportunities for progression.

Responsibilities

• Full accountability for the day-to-day running and performance of Goodbye Horses and The Dreamery
• Setting and defending the standard on every detail of the guest experience: mise en place, table settings, dish delivery and description, lighting, sound, temperature, cleanliness, and the state of the room at every point in the day
• Owning the P&L for both sites: revenue, gross profit, staff costs, and controllable overheads
• Building rotas and managing labour to forecast across both venues, with regular reporting to the owners and operations team
• Day-to-day practical oversight of the kitchen team alongside the Head Chef: onboarding, appraisals, scheduling, standards, and compliance
• Leading stock control, stocktakes, ordering, and supplier relationships across bar and dry goods
• Recruiting, onboarding, training, and developing the front of house team, including appraisals and performance management
• Owning health and safety, food safety, allergen management, and licensing compliance as premises DPS
• Managing maintenance, and the upkeep of both sites
• Handling guest feedback and resolving issues confidently and professionally
• Leading from the floor and building a positive team culture with strong retention
• Forging and maintaining neighbour relations in a heavily residential area

Job Requirements

• A relentless eye for detail
• Proven experience as a GM, or a very strong AGM ready to step up, in a similar independent, quality-led venue
• Genuine enthusiasm for natural wine
• Commercial literacy. Comfortable reading and acting on a P&L and utilising data from in-house systems
• Personal Licence holder, or willing to obtain one
• A casual, warm, yet professional approach to hospitality
• Confidence working closely alongside a small, high-performing kitchen team
• Experience managing busy services with a calm, proactive approach
• Strong communication, organisation, and problem-solving skills
• Comfortable running more than one site and moving between them through the day

Job Location

21 Halliford Street
De Beauvoir
London N1 3HB