Managing Director – New Project with Aparium Hotel Group

A new opportunity from BMRS Hospitality Recruitment

Managing Director for Exciting New Santa Monica Project

A Revolutionary Performance Art, Culinary, and Hospitality Experience

In Collaboration with Nationally Acclaimed Aparium Hotel Group

A groundbreaking new project is coming soon to West Los Angeles – a first-of-its-kind restaurant & bar, rooted at the intersection of performance, storytelling, and hospitality. Conceived as a canvas for connection and discovery, the venue fuses culinary mastery and mixology with a nightly rhythm of artistic expression—from the pulse of live music and spoken word, to intimate micro-theater and the movement of interpretive dance. Tucked away within a storied Santa Monica enclave, guests are invited into a reimagined realm of sensory experience, where hospitality is art, and every evening a new chapter in an ever-evolving tale.

The project is led by award-winning Chicago-based operator Aparium Hotel Group, in collaboration with a private ownership team that holds a deep passion and connection to the arts and creative community. This is a space designed with intention—imagined not for margins, but for meaning. Performance and design are woven into the very fabric of the guest experience, with the goal of building a world-class destination that gives back to the creative community it celebrates.

The venue itself will feature three distinct outlets — a performance-driven fine dining experience centered around unique and immersive entertainment during service, an elite Mediterranean-inspired full-service restaurant and bar, and a stunning al fresco, café-style patio space with its own distinctive menu composition and specially curated beverage offerings. Slated to debut in the spring of 2027, this ambitious project aims to usher in a new era of immersive dining and entertainment, grounded in artistry, hospitality, and meticulous attention to detail.

Aparium Hotel Group is looking for a hands-on, entrepreneurial visionary to come on board as Managing Director for the venue. This role will serve as the strategic and operational heartbeat of the concept, and be responsible for crafting and executing a comprehensive business strategy modeled on the values of service and culture that the project aims to achieve. As the face of the venue, this person will play a critical role in integrating the vision of the property into the cultural fabric of the community, while overseeing the full scope of the business with a focus on driving revenue, ensuring operational excellence, and delivering an unparalleled guest experience. Working closely with Aparium senior leadership, this role will help develop, train, and lead a diverse and multifaceted team of individuals in order to shape the venue into an engaging and culturally relevant space known for its artistic vibrance and community impact.

The ideal candidate brings a strategic blend of sharp business insight, hands-on leadership, and a deep-rooted passion for hospitality operations and service. Candidates must be able to balance the tactical demands of day-to-day operations with long-term strategic planning in order ensure the experience for both guests and team members is aligned with the project’s purpose and promise. Looking for an ambitious, inspirational leader and proven hospitality operator with strong ties to the community and a deep-rooted passion for creating unrivaled food, beverage and entertainment experiences. This is a rare, ground-level opportunity to shape an immersive cultural destination from the ground up, and be a part of something truly extraordinary!

Managing Director Responsibilities Include:

• Shape and execute long-term business plans that reflect ownership’s vision
• Seek out and act on opportunities to increase revenue, boost market relevance, and improve profitability
• Serve as a brand steward, ensuring the venue’s identity and values are consistently reflected in the guest experience
• Work closely with artistic leadership to curate a dynamic lineup of performances and experiences aligned with the project’s multidimensional mission
• Collaborate with ownership and management teams to track performance, enhance financial results, and implement strategic initiatives
• Design and implement training programs and standards that deliver exceptional service and seamless guest interactions at every turn
• Manage day-to-day operations across all dining, entertainment, and events to uphold service quality and brand integrity
• Recruit, inspire, and lead a top-tier management team focused on culture, accountability, and professional growth
• Track performance metrics across departments, including financials, labor, and guest satisfaction, in order to inform decision-making
• Lead the budgeting process and ensure financial performance aligns with projections
• Promote a guest-centric approach at every level of the operation, ensuring every visit is personalized and memorable
• Collaborate with culinary and beverage teams to maintain excellence, innovation, and consistency in all offerings
• Help drive marketing and programming efforts, with a focus on grassroots initiatives and strategic partnerships that build audience and awareness
• Support the marketing team with PR, content, and event efforts to elevate the brand voice
• Serve as the face of the project to the local and greater community, building lasting relationships with local businesses, creatives, and civic leaders
• Represent the venue at public events, in the media, and within industry and community circles
• Lead the venue’s social impact efforts through philanthropic work, local sourcing, and engagement with neighborhood causes
• Perform additional responsibilities as needed and assigned in order to maintain relevant brand positioning and meet the needs of and ever-evolving organization
• Lead all pre-opening activity from hire through debut — including team recruitment and onboarding, vendor selection and relationship establishment, systems implementation, and operational readiness across all three outlets simultaneously.
• Collaborate with Aparium senior leadership, ownership, design, and construction teams throughout the pre-opening process to ensure the physical space, operational infrastructure, and guest experience vision are fully aligned before doors open.
• Build and launch the venue’s foundational playbooks — service standards, training programs, operational SOPs, and cultural onboarding — so that the team is prepared to deliver at the highest level from opening night forward

Candidate Requirements & Qualifications:

• Minimum of 5 years’ executive-level leadership experience in high-volume restaurants, experiential dining, or entertainment venues is required (multi-unit or multi-concept backgrounds highly preferred)
• Prior experience working in creatively driven or entertainment-focused hospitality concepts (such as dinner theaters, music lounges, or immersive venues) is an extreme plus and highly preferred
• Familiarity with the culinary, cultural, and hospitality landscape of Santa Monica and the greater Los Angeles area is highly desired
• Genuine passion for the arts, storytelling, and crafting unforgettable guest experiences
• Strong financial acumen with a history of driving revenue growth and profitability while nurturing high-performing, collaborative teams
• In-depth expertise in food and beverage operations, event execution, and experiential or lifestyle marketing
• Financial fluency with a strong proficiency in budgeting, forecasting, and P&L management
• Demonstrated experience selecting, implementing, and managing the technology systems required to operate a multi-outlet venue at scale — including point-of-sale platforms, reservation and guest management systems, event and entertainment scheduling tools, and the reporting infrastructure needed to make informed, data-driven decisions across all departments
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills and ability to engage with guests, team members, ownership, and the press
• Entertainment programming, event production, or creative partnership experience is a plus
• Empathetic and adaptable leader who can guide the team by example and clarity
• Ability to champion a workplace culture rooted in accountability, inclusion, and ongoing growth
• Proven track record of driving innovation and inspiring teams to deliver thoughtful, high-quality service every day
• Data-driven decision maker with an inherent instinct for hospitality and guest connection
• Highly engaged and hands-on with all aspects of the business, with the ability to remain visible, approachable, and actively involved in daily operations
• Entrepreneurial and resourceful with a “roll up your sleeves” mindset
• Comfortability navigating ambiguity and thriving in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
• Tremendous work ethic with the ability to thrive in high pressure situations and deliver results

Compensation Package Includes:

• Base Salary in the $200–$225k range depending on experience level
• Future Bonus Potential
• Aparium Medical Benefits Package
• 401k with company match
• PTO Plan
• Relocation Assistance   

Please do not reach out to Aparium Hotel Group directly. Qualified applicants will be contacted.

Brad Metzger Restaurant Solutions (BMRS), a Southern California based Hospitality Recruitment and Placement firm, has established relationships with and represents the most acclaimed independent fine dining restaurants in the U.S., celebrity chef restaurant groups, casual restaurant companies, luxury hotels, country clubs and distinguished private chef clients. www.restaurant-solutions.com