Food & Beverage Manager

Interaction Recruitment Group; Godstone; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Interaction Recruitment Group is seeking a senior Food & Beverage Manager to lead a high-volume, multi-outlet operation in a busy environment across café, restaurant, grab-and-go, seasonal and event catering. You will own day-to-day operations, drive standards, cost control and customer experience, while developing the team and offering.

The role requires hands-on leadership and a commercial mindset to optimise productivity, profitability and guest satisfaction in a fast-paced setting.

Responsibilities

• Manage a high-performing F&B operation
• Take overall responsibility for food and beverage services, ensuring consistent standards of quality, speed and customer service across cafe/restaurant, grab-and-go outlets, seasonal catering and event catering
• Ensure the operation performs effectively during busy and quieter periods by adjusting staffing, service and resources
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, profitability and the overall customer experience
• Lead by example and develop the team: develop supervisors and team leaders, build a strong management structure, improve staff engagement and retention, create a lean operation that can run smoothly without constant supervision
• Develop the F&B offering using sales data, customer feedback and operational insight to review menus, pricing and service flow, identifying new products or services with commercial potential
• Seasonal and event planning: forward planning for busy trading periods, holidays and events and ensuring appropriate staffing levels

Job description

Food & Beverage Manager

Lead and develop a high-volume, multi-outlet F&B operation

We are looking for an experienced and commercially focused Food & Beverage Manager to take ownership of a busy, multi-outlet operation serving a large and varied customer base.

This is a senior, hands-on position with responsibility for the day-to-day running, performance and continued development of the entire food and beverage operation. The role covers everything from café and restaurant service through to grab-and-go outlets and seasonal or event catering.

You will be responsible for maintaining excellent standards while identifying opportunities to improve efficiency, profitability and the overall customer experience.

This position would suit an experienced hospitality operator who enjoys working in a fast-paced environment and is ready to take genuine ownership of an F&B department.

The Role:

Manage a high-performing F&B operation

Take overall responsibility for food and beverage services, ensuring consistent standards of quality, speed and customer service across:

• Café and restaurant operations
• Grab-and-go outlets
• Seasonal catering
• Event and function catering

You will ensure the operation performs effectively throughout both busy and quieter periods, adjusting staffing, service and resources according to demand.

Improve commercial performance

You will have clear responsibility for the financial and commercial performance of the F&B operation, with particular attention to:

• Increasing spend per head
• Improving gross margins
• Controlling food and operating costs
• Maximising labour efficiency and productivity
• Reducing waste
• Improving stock management and purchasing

You will be expected to identify areas for improvement and put practical strategies in place to increase profitability and overall performance.

Lead by example and develop the team

This is a hands-on management role. You will be visible and involved during busy trading periods, setting standards and supporting your team when required.

Alongside this, you will be responsible for:

• Developing supervisors and team leaders
• Building a strong management structure
• Increasing the capability and confidence of the wider team
• Improving staff engagement and retention
• Creating a team structure that allows the operation to run effectively without relying on you for every decision

Develop the F&B offering

Use sales information, customer feedback and operational insight to continually improve the offer.

This could include:

• Reviewing menus and pricing
• Improving customer flow and service speed
• Identifying opportunities for new products or services
• Introducing ideas that improve the customer experience while delivering a commercial return

You will have an important role in ensuring the F&B operation continues to evolve and make a meaningful contribution to the wider customer experience.

Seasonal and event planning

Forward planning will be an important part of the role, particularly around busy trading periods, holidays and events.

You will ensure:

• Staffing levels are appropriate