50 Years & Counting The success of Guten Foods owes much to the cornerstones on which the company’s core restaurant brands were founded: authentic German cuisine, festive atmosphere, and welcoming friendly service. For more than fifty years, Der Rheinländer German Restaurant stood as a landmark of Portland dining. Opened in 1963 under the leadership of Chef Horst Mager, the Rheinländer quickly established itself as a popular restaurant destination for both locals and visitors. Its reputation and guest counts grew each year, establishing the restaurant as the place to go for a unique dining experience in the Pacific Northwest. The Rheinländer’s success and loyal customer base offered a natural springboard toward expansion, which led Horst and his daughter Suzeanne to open the first Gustav’s in 1992. Adjoining the original restaurant and modeled after a traditional German beer hall, the concept featured house-made sausages and rotisserie meats. Unique for the time, the beverage lineup included twenty-one beers on tap ranging from world-class imports to local microbrews.

Expanding the Brand In the spring of 1997, Suzeanne officially took over as president and owner after purchasing the company from Horst. In 2002 and 2003, Suzeanne expanded the Gustav’s concept by opening restaurants in Vancouver, Washington and Tigard, Oregon. In 2002 Gustav’s was awarded space at the Portland International Airport Concourse C expansion. To this day the restaurant enjoys the highest sales per square foot of any retail outlet in the airport. The Gustav’s family of restaurants continues to attract new customers while maintaining a loyal customer base. 50,000 guests are served monthly, enjoying a dining legacy that has become a benchmark for success and longevity in the local restaurant industry. Gustav’s was listed as the area’s favorite restaurant in Zagat’s 2012 Portland Dining Guide.

Hosts are the key to our first impressions.  You’re often the first and last point of contact that a guest has with our restaurants.  You also manage and control the flow of the restaurant, providing both Hospitality and Culinary teams valuable information that helps keep the restaurant running smoothly.

The Guten Foods team is all based around the 4 Pillars of Restaurant Success: Sales, People, Controls, and Standards.  As an employee of the company, you are expected to do your part in helping your team achieve and uphold these 4 pillars.

SALES

• Having a strong knowledge of our products will only make you better at your job.  Don’t worry, we’ll provide you training and support.

• You will also be responsible for to-go orders.  This will involve working with the guest directly and suggesting additional items that will complement their meal.

PEOPLE

• Work well with others regardless of what your role is.  We operate as a whole team and that includes both hospitality and culinary services.

• We may call on you to help train others from time to time, this usually means we trust you and you’re pretty awesome at your job.

CONTROLS

• We want you to take pride in where you work and the tools we use.  Part of this means keeping and maintaining our restaurant.  As the saying goes, leave it better than before you arrived is the goal. 

STANDARDS

• Follow our protocol and standards while fulfilling your job as a host.  This sounds technical but we have a system that has proven to work.  This includes our uniform policy, which you’ll see below.  Just follow our systems and you’ll do great!

• You control the flow of the restaurant.  The host is responsible for quoting accurate wait times to guests, providing accurate menu counts for the culinary team, and helping to set up the servers to provide that great guest experience.

• You are just as much empowered as anyone else to uphold the quality standard of our products.  If you feel something is not up to snuff, speak up!  We protect the guest experience, first and foremost.

§  No degree necessary.  Experience is a plus, but not a must. 

§  A positive attitude, passion for service, and desire for growth.

§  Flexible schedule, the ability to work holidays, evenings, and weekends is a plus.

§  Teamwork is huge and the ability to communicate well with both guests and co-workers is a must.

§  Current food handler’s permit or at least the ability to get one upon hire.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

As a member of the team, you are expected to uphold our uniform standards. We expect all employees to show up to work on time in uniform already. Uniform will be CRISP, free of excessive wrinkles and stains. All servers wear a black button up shirt, black slacks, and black non-slip shoes.

Jewelry worn should not be excessive. If needed, we may ask you remove jewelry if we deem it not appropriate for our dress codes.