Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Affiliations
References
Timeline
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Grant Opitz

Little Rock,AR

Summary

Dynamic culinary and operational management leader with a track record of driving revenue growth at Sky Zone Little Rock, achieving a remarkable 7%-12% annual increase. Expertise in boosting membership sales, while cultivating an inclusive team culture that prioritizes employee well-being.

Results-driven professional with knowledge in talent development and efficiency improvements, consistently enhancing revenue and guest satisfaction. Proficient in P&L analysis, leveraging critical thinking to optimize operational strategies and drive overall performance. Empathetic engagement fosters strong team dynamics, ensuring operational excellence across all levels. Career goals include further advancing organizational success through innovative leadership and operational practices.

Overview

17
17
years of professional experience

Work History

General Manager

Sky Zone Little Rock
Little Rock, AR
01.2021 - 01.2024
  • Hands on leader and role model that is an expert in operations, memberships, parties, events, maintenance, food, and safety
  • Directly responsible for Balanced Score Card KPI’s such as EBITDA, top line revenue, bottom line profits, Labor costs, staff turnover, Guest satisfaction scores (NPS/OSAT), staff training, membership conversion percent, membership growth, and incident reporting on time
  • Catalyst for creation of positive and inclusive store culture through modeling behavior, accountability, and reward and recognition programs
  • Set the pace through the philosophy of, “The speed of the leader is the speed of the team.”
  • Consistently meets or exceeds budgeting goals in Revenue, Labor, and EBITDA
  • Created memorable moments for guests to create a sense of community and increase guest retention
  • Chief leader for membership initiative taking the conversion from 11% average to 29.5% average

Regional Manager/General Manager

Urban Air Adventure Park
Little Rock, AR
01.2019 - 01.2021
  • Driver and champion of gaining top line revenue through actively seeking out potential customers and gaining recognition and rapport with business, churches, and schools in the community
  • Directly responsible for Key Point Indicators that were to be achieved so the company made a profit
  • Daily guest relations contact for the stores for any issues or questions from current and potential guests
  • Used the L.A.S.T
  • Approach to all negative issues to either keep all parties calm or to de-escalate the situation
  • Ability to identify production and operations issues and create effective and actionable solutions, sometimes on the fly
  • Trained, mentored and coached staff in a positive and meaningful manner as to create a team and family atmosphere
  • Dealt directly with all vendors including manufacturers in China for attraction parts and new design elements

General Manager / Executive Chef

TCC - Transcendent Culinary Creations
Little Rock, AR
01.2017 - 01.2021
  • Accountable for planning, preparing, and plating dinners for weddings and special events as well as designing and developing menus for events and parties for 8 to 500 people
  • Held responsible for applying leadership, excellent planning and organization skills, and communication abilities to oversee diverse culinary activities and functions
  • Review and assess business performance to ensure the highest levels of productivity, efficiency, and quality
  • Promptly address customer needs/requests as well as resolve any issues, problems, or concerns in a timely manner

Executive Chef

Soul Fish Café
Little Rock, AR
01.2016 - 01.2019
  • Hire, train, develop cooks and assistant managers for the kitchen while creating a team environment to promote the goal of flawless execution to maximize guest retention and profits
  • Along with the constant training and development of the kitchen staff, our sanitation standards consistently and constantly exceeded those of the state’s Health Department requirements and guidelines
  • Was able to leverage my culinary acumen with the opportunity to have creative freedoms with weekly and daily specials, desserts and soups
  • Developed and implemented food cost measures not in place to minimize waste and maximize profit
  • Conceptualized and put into action cost sheets for each item and waste sheets for inventory to reduce shrinkage and add to the bottom line

Assistant General Manager

Zoe’s Kitchen
Little Rock, AR
01.2014 - 01.2016
  • Direct accountability for leveraging strong leadership, facilitation, communication, and problem-solving skills to open and manage two stores
  • Supervised 15 kitchen staff and over 15 FOH employees, managed hiring/staffing needs, trained, developed, and motivated team, and facilitated a positive work environment and team atmosphere
  • Managed kitchen and store costs and implemented strategies to reduce food waste and minimize labor costs
  • Charged with planning, preparing, and serving food and overseeing on-site catering/events for up to 600 people

Sous Chef

Culinary Consultants
Little Rock, AR
01.2010 - 01.2014
  • Maintained full responsibility for using extensive culinary knowledge and skills to prepare/write menus, manage food costs/waste, and handle ordering and receiving needs
  • Directly responsible for serving international cuisine to four private schools as well as creating and preparing dinner to go menus and food for pick up catering service
  • Uphold a positive image and support efforts to deliver courteous service and complete customer satisfaction
  • Established a reputation for professionalism and reliability as well as for maintaining a high level of productivity

Assistant General Manager / Kitchen Manager

TGI Friday’s
Little Rock, AR
01.2007 - 01.2010
  • Fully accountable for demonstrating strong communication and leadership abilities while ensuring efficient and productive daily operations
  • Earned multiple sales and financial achievement awards including Guest Excellence Achievement and Silver and Gold Star awards and two promotions to Assistant GM and Interim General Manager
  • Supervised over 100 hourly team members in a high volume restaurant with annual sales volume of $4.5M
  • Ranked in the Top 5 for food cost and labor variance and received 100% health department scores consistently

Education

B.S. - Business Administration, Marketing

University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte, NC

A.A.S. - Culinary Arts

Pulaski Technical College Culinary and Hospitality Institute
Little Rock, AR

Culinary Technical Certificate -

Proficiency in Food Preparation Certificate -

Skills

  • Culinary Operations Management
  • Efficiency Improvement Initiatives
  • Talent Acquisition and Development
  • Inventory Management
  • Performance Coaching
  • Safety Compliance
  • Vendor Collaboration
  • Critical Thinking
  • Efficient Resource Utilization
  • P&L Analysis Proficiency
  • Effective Problem Solving
  • Empathetic Engagement
  • Operational Efficiency Strategies
  • Sales Performance Enhancement
  • Supervise Diverse Site Management
  • Leadership in Team Dynamics

Affiliations

Landscape and Abstract Painter

Muscle Car Enthusiast

Quality Time Spent with Daughter

References

References available upon request.

Timeline

General Manager

Sky Zone Little Rock
01.2021 - 01.2024

Regional Manager/General Manager

Urban Air Adventure Park
01.2019 - 01.2021

General Manager / Executive Chef

TCC - Transcendent Culinary Creations
01.2017 - 01.2021

Executive Chef

Soul Fish Café
01.2016 - 01.2019

Assistant General Manager

Zoe’s Kitchen
01.2014 - 01.2016

Sous Chef

Culinary Consultants
01.2010 - 01.2014

Assistant General Manager / Kitchen Manager

TGI Friday’s
01.2007 - 01.2010

B.S. - Business Administration, Marketing

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

A.A.S. - Culinary Arts

Pulaski Technical College Culinary and Hospitality Institute

Culinary Technical Certificate -

Proficiency in Food Preparation Certificate -

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