Ice @ LSDG General Manager

Job Description:

General Manager, The Ice House @ Lone Star Dry Goods

Company: Lone Star Dry Goods (LSDG)

Location: The Ice House @ LSDG — 173 Walnut St, Abilene, TX 79601

Reports To: Owners

Schedule: Must be available nights, weekends, and holidays, including Shiner Saturdays and all ticketed live music events

The Ice House is the bar and live music venue attached to the flagship Lone Star Dry Goods store in downtown Abilene. It's the social heart of the LSDG brand — a place for cold Shiner, good conversation, and live Texas music that brings the community together and drives foot traffic into the retail store. The General Manager (GM) is the person responsible for making sure that experience runs flawlessly, night after night.

The General Manager owns the day-to-day operation of The Ice House. This is a hands-on leadership role covering staff scheduling and management, food & beverage purchasing and inventory, cost and margin control, guest experience, and the booking and coordination of the live music calendar. The GM is the final word on the floor — responsible for making sure every shift is fully staffed, every keg and case is accounted for, every dollar is tracked, and every guest leaves wanting to come back.

• Build and publish weekly staff schedules for bartenders, servers, barbacks, door/security staff, and sound techs, balancing labor costs against projected sales and event calendar demand.
• Recruit, interview, hire, onboard, and train new front-of-house and bar staff.
• Set and enforce performance standards; conduct regular check-ins, coaching, and formal reviews.
• Manage day-to-day HR tasks: approving time-off requests, resolving schedule conflicts, handling call-offs and shift coverage, and administering disciplinary action or termination when necessary.
• Lead pre-shift meetings to align staff on nightly specials, reservations, VIPs, and show details.
• Foster a low-turnover, high-morale team culture through clear expectations, fair scheduling, and recognition of top performers.
• Ensure all staff certifications (TABC/alcohol service, food handler permits, etc.) are current and on file.
• Directly supervise the kitchen team (cooks, prep, dish) alongside the front-of-house staff, including scheduling kitchen shifts around event volume and prep needs.
• Set clear expectations for kitchen staff on ticket times, food quality, portioning, and plating consistency; hold line cooks accountable to recipe specs.
• Train and cross-train kitchen staff on proper food handling, storage, and sanitation procedures, and ensure all kitchen employees hold current food handler certifications.

• Own kitchen operations end-to-end, including staffing, prep schedules, and line management during service to keep ticket times and food quality consistent during both slow nights and packed show nights.
• Set and enforce food quality standards: taste, presentation, portion size, and consistency across every shift and every cook.
• Conduct regular line checks and spot-taste menu items to catch quality issues before they reach the guest.
• Enforce a strict cleaning schedule for the kitchen, bar, and front-of-house areas — daily opening/closing checklists plus deep-cleaning routines (fryers, cooler, ice machine, drains, hood vents, restrooms, patio).
• Maintain compliance with all local health department codes; own the venue's health inspection score and promptly correct any violations.
• Manage pest control, waste disposal, and grease trap servicing vendor relationships.
• Ensure proper food safety practices are followed at all times: safe holding temperatures, labeling/dating, FIFO rotation, and allergen…