General Manager - College and University Food Service

Be Creative. Lead with Purpose. Make an Impact.

Creative Dining Services is seeking an experienced and energetic General Manager to lead our dining services team at Dordt University in Sioux Center, IA!

Are you a people-focused leader who thrives in a fast-paced environment? Do you enjoy building relationships, delivering exceptional customer service, and creating memorable experiences for students? If you’re ready to lead a team and make a difference in a vibrant college community, we want to hear from you!

As the General Manager, you’ll oversee the daily dining operations at Dordt University while serving as a key partner to the university and the Creative Dining Services team. You’ll have the opportunity to lead, develop, innovate, and connect with students while ensuring a high-quality dining experience and strong operational performance.

What You’ll Do

• Lead with purpose: Provide strong leadership and direction to the dining services team, creating a positive, professional, and engaging work environment.
• Create exceptional experiences: Build relationships with students, university partners, and employees while ensuring outstanding customer service.
• Drive operational success: Manage daily dining operations, budgets, purchasing, quality standards, and financial performance.
• Develop your team: Recruit, train, coach, and develop employees to help them reach their full potential.
• Be visible and engaged: Spend time in the operation interacting with students, listening to feedback, and identifying opportunities to improve their dining experience.
• Champion quality: Ensure food safety, sanitation, sustainability, and company standards are consistently met.
• Think creatively: Identify opportunities to improve menus, merchandising, marketing, and the overall dining experience.
• Build partnerships: Collaborate with university leadership and Creative Dining Services leaders to achieve shared goals and deliver an exceptional campus dining program.

What We’re Looking For

We’re looking for a strong, confident, and approachable leader who enjoys working with people and takes pride in providing excellent customer service.

The ideal candidate will have:

• Bachelor’s degree in Management, Hospitality, or a related field preferred
• 5+ years of successful management experience
• ServSafe Certification.
• Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills.
• A passion for hospitality and creating exceptional customer experiences.
• The ability to build strong relationships with students, employees, and university partners.
• A hands-on leadership style and a desire to be actively involved in the daily operation.

We Take Care of Our Team

At Creative Dining Services, we believe our employees deserve to be supported and rewarded. We offer:

• Competitive pay
• Daily Pay – access your earned wages when you need them
• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Bonus opportunities
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off
• Career growth and development opportunities
• And much, much more!

Why Creative Dining Services?

Creative Dining Services partners with colleges and universities, Fortune 100 companies, senior living communities, conference centers, and K-12 schools and camps to provide a different kind of hospitality experience—one that’s fun, innovative, and focused on community.

At Dordt University, you’ll have the opportunity to be more than a manager. You’ll be a visible leader, a trusted partner, and an important part of the student experience.

If you’re a passionate hospitality leader who loves people, service, and making a difference, bring your creativity and leadership to Creative Dining Services!

Apply today and be part of something creative!

Creative Dining Services is an Equal Opportunity Employer.