Venue Manager / Front of House Manager - The Underdog by Third Wave BBQ

Venue Manager | New Brand. Big BBQ. Live Sport. Your Floor.

The Underdog by Third Wave BBQ | Carnegie

$85,000–$95,000 + super | Full-time | Immediate start available

Open something new, backed by a brand people already follow.

Third Wave BBQ is more than a restaurant group. We’re one of the most-followed restaurant brands on the planet, with our social content reaching up to 200 million views a month.

Slow-smoked meats. Loaded burgers. Outrageous specials. Food that stops people scrolling and brings them through the doors.

The Underdog is our new sports bar brand. Third Wave food, ice-cold drinks and live sport, in Carnegie, in the same building as the production kitchen that smokes for every Third Wave store. A new name, with the systems and support of an established group behind it.

We’re looking for a Venue Manager to open and run The Underdog.

As the opening manager you’ll recruit and train the team, set the standards and shape the venue from day one.

Lead from the floor

If you’re the kind of leader who loves being on the floor, running service hard and building a team that actually enjoys coming to work, this is your role.

This is not a “sit in the office” job. You’ll spend most of your time leading service and coaching your team, with admin fitted around service, not instead of it.

Why join Third Wave?

- Open something new. Your name on the launch of a brand, not a handover of someone else’s venue.
- A brand with momentum. A crowd that already knows Third Wave, in a suburb that has been waiting for a proper sports bar.
- Work directly with owners and management. No corporate layers, decisions actually get made.
- Grow with us. As new venues open,



the manager who gets The Underdog firing is the obvious person for bigger roles.
- Discuss a roster that works. Nights and weekends are part of the role, but we’re open to conversations about shift flexibility.

What you’ll do

- Recruit, train and develop the opening team; manage rosters and staffing levels.
- Lead day-to-day front-of-house operations with energy and consistency.
- Run a daily pre-shift briefing and use it to lift service every day.
- Own the venue’s numbers: sales, spend per head, food and drink mix, FOH labour, wastage.
- Run bookings, functions, game-day crowds, guest feedback and recovery.
- Watch online reviews and act quick on anything below standard.
- Manage bar and FOH stock: ordering, par levels, wastage.
- Keep RSA, liquor licensing, food safety and WHS compliance tight, and team certifications current.
- Run the weekly internal venue audit and keep presentation and hygiene high.
- Work with the Head Chef and management so the whole venue runs as one.
- Drive promotions, events and game-day initiatives that build repeat business.

Who we’re looking for

You bring:

- 2+ years managing a high-volume hospitality venue, bar or sports bar.
- Calm under pressure, a straight-up communicator, high standards without the ego.
- Confidence with POS, bookings and rostering systems.
- A genuine feel for sport, atmosphere and a big night done well.
- Availability across evenings and weekends.

Opening experience is a bonus. Leadership, standards and energy on the floor matter more.

The details

- Salary: $85,000–$95,000 + super, depending on experience.
- Location: Carnegie — The Underdog, alongside our central production kitchen.
- Reporting to: Area Manager, then COO.
- Employment: Full-time permanent, including nights and weekends.
- Start: Immediate start available for pre-opening training.

Ready to run the floor?

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