Venues Operations Manager – Hatted Restaurant & Design-Led Cocktail Bar

Lead the energy, service culture and day-to-day operations of From Here by Mike and Crane Bar & Lounge.

This is a role for someone who lives and breathes venues.

You might currently be a strong Venue Manager, Restaurant Manager or Bar Manager ready for a bigger platform. You know how to set the tone on the floor, build regulars, energize a team and create the kind of atmosphere guests want to come back for. You are highly operational, commercially aware and at your best when you are visible, leading service, reading the room and driving the vibe.

This is not a back-office role.

Yes, there will be rostering, ordering, cost control and operational planning, but the heart of this role is being on the floor, leading from the front and owning the day-to-day guest and team experience across both venues.

About the venues

From Here by Mike led by celebrated restaurateur Mike McEnearney is a hatted restaurant delivering breakfast, lunch and dinner with a strong focus on locality, seasonality, genuine hospitality and elevated but approachable service.

Crane Bar & Lounge is a design-led cocktail bar and lounge built around atmosphere, activations, nightly DJ’s, events and the energy of the city.

Together, these venues require a leader who understands both polished restaurant service and the pace, creativity and personality of a robust bar and lounge operation.

About the role

You will be responsible for the daily operational leadership of both From Here by Mike and Crane Bar & Lounge.

You will be the face of the venues, building relationships with regulars, creating energy in the spaces, developing the team and ensuring every service feels sharp, confident and commercially switched on.

You will work closely with the Venues Sales Manager & Marketing Manager, who drive the commercial revenue strategy, group bookings, activations and event opportunities.



Your focus will be bringing that strategy to life through outstanding operations, guest experience, team engagement, service culture and day-to-day cost control.

Responsibilities include

- Lead daily operations across both venues, ensuring service standards, guest experience and venue presentation are consistently delivered.
- Create the energy, culture and rhythm of the venues, making sure the spaces feel alive, welcoming and connected to the Melbourne hospitality scene.
- Coach, develop and engage the team, building a high-performance service culture where people are proud to work and excited to deliver.
- Own the onboarding, recruit superstars and put in place the processes to ensure they are set up for success.
- Highly visible on the floor during key services, leading from the front, supporting the team and connecting with guests.
- Work closely with the Venues Sales Manager to ensure group bookings, activations and commercial opportunities are executed seamlessly.
- Manage labour, ordering, stock control and operating costs with discipline, while keeping the guest experience at the centre of every decision.
- Drive service standards across restaurant, bar, lounge, breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night trade.
- Help grow regulars, repeat business and reputation by creating a consistent, memorable and energetic venue experience.

Why this role

This is a genuine step-up opportunity for an ambitious venue leader who wants more than a single-site management role.

You will have the opportunity to lead two distinct venues, shape the guest experience, build a strong team culture and become a key face of the operation.

You will be supported by an executive team focused on driving commercial growth, allowing you to focus on what you do best: leading the floor, engaging the team, managing the operation and creating venues people want to be part of.

For the right person, this is a chance to make a visible impact across two high-profile Melbourne hospitality spaces.

📌 Venues Operations Manager (Docklands)
🏢 1 Hotel Melbourne
📍 Docklands