Brand General Manager – Fond Of
Industry: Hospitality
Department: Food & Beverage Service
Reports To: CEO & Co-Founder
Employment Type: Full-time
About the Brand
Fond Of - The Coffee Place is a comfort-first neighborhood café built around specialty coffee and a globally-inspired, India-rooted food menu. It’s neighborhood favorite - the kind of daily return most hospitality brands never earn. Fond Of is expanding across Hyderabad today, with the ambition to grow into new cities as part of Skyla Collective's wider growth.
Fond Of - The Coffee Place is a brand of Skyla Collective, a Hyderabad-based hospitality platform that operates a portfolio of lifestyle hotels and F&B brands since 2014.
Overview of the Role
This role exists for someone who wants to build something, not just run it. Fond Of is a genuine, proven concept - the job is to take it from a single, well-loved location to a brand that shows up the same way, every time, wherever it opens next.
You'll be the person who makes the calls day to day, the final word on the floor. The kind of leader who can walk into a busy morning service, a hiring decision, and a conversation about the next location, all in the same day, and bring the same standard to each.
This is a rare kind of ownership in hospitality: an early, hands-on shot at building a brand with national ambition from a strong foundation, not managing an established playbook, but writing the next chapters of one that's already working. If you're looking for a role where your judgement sets the standard, not just feeds into someone else's, this is that role.
"This is a near-term, launch-critical mandate - the next location is opening soon, and pace matters as much as judgement."
Scope of Work
Immediate Mandate
● The Fond Of Coffee brand P&L - taking the current outlet to full profitability, and leading the pre-opening build and launch of the next location.
● The coffee and beverage programme end to end - sourcing, brewing and quality standards, menu development, and consistency across locations.
● The food menu and kitchen operation, run in partnership with the culinary team.
● The Fond Of format itself - footprint, layout, equipment, and staffing model - refined so the next location is a confident, repeatable execution, not a first attempt.
● Vendor and supply-chain relationships for coffee, beverage, and food inputs.
● Leading the Fond Of team on the ground - service, production, and housekeeping.
● Coordinating with property teams to manage shared resources where Fond Of operates inside a hotel.
As Fond Of Scales
● As the brand proves out across its current locations, this role is expected to grow into full brand-wide ownership - including site evaluation and feasibility work for future locations, potentially including standalone sites.
● This is the trajectory of the role, not a day-one deliverable, and comes with its own conversation on scope, authority, and compensation as it materializes.
Responsibilities and Ownership
● Own the Fond Of P&L for the brand's current and next location - drive revenue, cost, and margin performance against target, and report on unit economics per outlet.
● Set and audit brewing and quality standards across every location, and sign off on menu development - consistency is the standard: the same cup, the same quality, everywhere Fond Of operates.
● Own the food menu and kitchen operation in partnership with the culinary team - sign off on menu direction, costing, and quality standards, and track food cost against margin targets.
● Design and evolve the Fond Of format so it's genuinely replicable - the next location should be a confident decision, backed by a proven model, not a leap of faith.
● Manage vendor and supply-chain relationships for coffee, beverage, and food inputs, balancing quality and cost.
● Hire, train, and lead the Fond Of team across service, production, and housekeeping - build a well-run, low-turnover team that guests and colleagues enjoy working with.
● Coordinate with property teams on shared staff, space, and resources, so Fond Of and the hotel run as one guest experience, not two.
● Own the guest experience and service standard at Fond Of - guests keep coming back, whether they're hotel guests or walk-ins; repeat visits and guest feedback are the read on this.
Qualifications
● Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management, Culinary Arts, or a related hospitality discipline.
● A further qualification in Business Management (MBA or equivalent) is a strong plus, given this role owns a full P&L and brand end to end.
● A strong, demonstrable background in coffee and beverage - specialty coffee, café operations, sourcing or roasting relationships, and the quality systems that keep a beverage programme consistent at scale.
● Real food and kitchen experience alongside that - a working understanding of the full café product, not just what's in the cup.
● Demonstrated experience owning P&L for more than one outlet or location - this is a core requirement, not a preference.
● Experience hiring, training, and leading teams through a new-location opening or launch, in addition to running steady-state operations.
Skills
Technical
● Specialty coffee expertise - sourcing, brewing standards, and the quality systems that hold a beverage programme consistent across locations.
● Working knowledge of kitchen operations - food costing, menu development, and quality and compliance standards.
● P&L management - reading, owning, and driving revenue, cost, and margin performance.
● Vendor and supply chain management - across coffee, beverage, and food inputs.
● Operational planning - staffing models, format design, and site feasibility assessment.
Soft Skills
● Strong ownership mentality and decisiveness - comfortable making the final call without waiting on sign-off.
● Cross-functional collaboration - works fluidly with brand, marketing, and hotel operations teams.
● Team leadership - hires, trains, and retains a low-turnover team, leads by being present, not just directing.
● Clear communication - coordinates across shared resources and multiple stakeholders without needing constant escalation.
● Entrepreneurial adaptability - equally comfortable behind the counter and in a strategic planning conversation.
Pay: ₹900,000.00 - ₹1,100,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Food provided
- Health insurance
- Paid sick time
- Paid time off
- Provident Fund
Work Location: In person
