Head of Food & Beverage

RBH Hospitality Management Ltd; York and North Yorkshire; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discounted hotel room rates

Birthday leave

Course Sponsorship

Refer a Friend scheme (£250)

Flexible working arrangements

Wagestream

Life Insurance

Employee Assistance Programme

Wellness events

Free meals on duty

Job summary

The Milner York, part of RBH Hospitality Management Ltd, is seeking a senior Food & Beverage Leader to take ownership of three outlets (Garden Room, Peaches Bar & Grill, Swollen Gambler). You will drive commercially-focused initiatives, coach a management team and lead from the front in a fast-paced, guest-centric four-star hotel in York.

You will shape strategy, monitor performance, and deliver exceptional guest experiences while balancing innovation with operational excellence.

Qualifications

• Four-star hotel F&B experience essential.
• Experience managing managers and supervisory teams.
• Strong commercial awareness and proven ability to drive revenue.
• Excellent knowledge of food, beverage and hospitality operations.
• Strong understanding of financial performance, labour costs, stock control and profitability.
• Experience developing and implementing sales initiatives.
• Creative and entrepreneurial approach to F&B.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the F&B leadership team across three outlets (Garden Room, Peaches Bar & Grill, Swollen Gambler).
• Set strategy, analyse performance and translate ideas into measurable results.
• Own the commercial performance of the F&B operation and maximise revenue and profitability.
• Develop and implement menus, promotions and experiences to drive demand.
• Coach managers, ensure service standards, recruit and retain talent, and manage budgets.

Skills

F&B leadership

Commercial awareness

Guest focus

People management

Financial acumen

Entrepreneurial mindset

Hands-on leadership

Job description

At RBH we believe our people are our biggest assets and understand the value in putting them first. Our approach to diversity in the workplace, health & wellbeing, sustainability and individuality sets us apart from our competitors and is one of the reasons we are rated Top 30 Best Places to Work in Hospitality! We are passionate about the industry and always on the lookout for new talent to join us on our journey...

OUR BENEFITS

You will have access to a benefits package we believe truly works for our people

• Discounted hotel room rates for you and your friends & family
• An additional day's leave for your birthday
• Enhanced Maternity, adoption & shared parental leave
• Course Sponsorship
• Refer a Friend scheme (earn £250 for each referral up to 5 referrals)
• Flexible working arrangements
• Wagestream - choose how and when you get paid
• Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Social and wellness events and activities all year round
• Free meals on duty saving you over £1000 per year

And much much more!

The Milner York is a stylish and welcoming hotel in the heart of York, known for its warm hospitality, dedicated team, and unforgettable guest experiences. As part of a vibrant and passionate group, we pride ourselves on creating a workplace where everyone can grow, belong, and be proud to deliver the best-loved stay in the city.

JOIN US

At RBH we believe our people are our biggest assets and understand the value in putting them first. Our approach to diversity in the workplace, health & wellbeing, sustainability and individuality sets us apart from our competitors and is one of the reasons we are rated Top 30 Best Places to Work in Hospitality! We are passionate about the industry and always on the lookout for new talent to join us on our journey...

OUR BENEFITS

You will have access to a benefits package we believe truly works for our people

• Discounted hotel room rates for you and your friends & family
• An additional day's leave for your birthday
• Enhanced Maternity, adoption & shared parental leave
• Course Sponsorship
• 30% F&B discount at RBH hotels
• Refer a Friend scheme (earn £250 for each referral up to 5 referrals)
• Flexible working arrangements
• Wagestream - choose how and when you get paid
• Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Social and wellness events and activities all year round
• Free meals on duty saving you over £1000 per year

And much much more!

The Milner York is a stylish and welcoming hotel in the heart of York, known for its warm hospitality, dedicated team, and unforgettable guest experiences. As part of a vibrant and passionate group, we pride ourselves on creating a workplace where everyone can grow, belong, and be proud to deliver the best-loved stay in the city.

The Opportunity

We’re looking for an experienced Food & Beverage leader who wants to make their mark.

The Milner York is looking for a commercially astute, forward-thinking and highly proactive Food & Beverage Manager to lead our F&B operation and take it to the next level.

This is a senior, hands‑on leadership role for someone who is equally comfortable setting strategy, analysing performance and stepping into service. You will lead from the front, coach your management team and turn ideas into measurable results.

You will have responsibility for our retail F&B operation across three distinct outlets, leading F&B managers, supervisors and the wider team.

Our F&B Operation

The Garden Room

A beautiful space overlooking our grounds, currently offering afternoon tea in a luxurious and relaxed setting. The opportunity is to develop the Garden Room into an experience guests actively seek out — creating reasons to visit, return and recommend us.

Peaches Bar & Grill

A dining experience centred around local produce, seasonal menus and a carefully considered drinks offering. The focus is on developing the proposition, increasing covers, growing average spend and establishing Peaches as a destination for both hotel guests and the local market.

The Swollen Gambler

A vibrant destination bar with an exciting cocktail menu and strong selection of drinks and beers. There is significant opportunity to increase footfall, grow spend and build an experience that becomes a destination in its own right.

What We’re Looking For

We are not looking for someone who simply manages rotas, checks reports and waits for the next day’s numbers.

We want a visible, energetic and commercially driven leader who:

• Leads from the front and gets involved in service.
• Spends time in the operation, talks to guests and understands what is really happening.
• Spots opportunities and turns them into action.
• Challenges the status quo and looks for better ways of working.
• Coaches managers and creates energy, ownership and accountability.
• Understands that commercial performance comes from creating experiences people want to buy.

Commercial Leadership

You will take ownership of the commercial performance of the F&B operation, with a clear focus on:

• Increasing F&B revenue, profitability and contribution.
• Identifying new revenue streams and commercial opportunities.
• Increasing covers, average spend and spend per head.
• Driving upselling and suggestive selling.
• Creating promotions, events and experiences that generate demand.
• Maximising revenue opportunities across the restaurant, Garden Room and bar.
• Using sales, labour, stock and performance data to make informed decisions.
• Working closely with Sales, Marketing, Rooms and Meetings & Events to maximise hotel-wide opportunities.
• Reviewing menus, pricing, products and promotions to ensure they remain relevant and commercially effective.
• Controlling labour, stock and other departmental costs.
• Setting clear financial and operational targets and holding the management team accountable.

Operational & Performance Responsibilities

• Departmental budgeting and sales forecasting.
• Gross profit, purchasing and stock control.
• F&B standards, service consistency and operational excellence.
• Guest satisfaction and service delivery.
• Training, coaching and development.
• Recruitment, retention and succession planning.
• Menu and product development.
• Commercial opportunities and upselling.
• Performance management.
• Health, safety and compliance.
• Coordination and consistency across all F&B outlets.
• Developing the F&B strategy and presenting performance to the General Manager / Hotel Manager.

The Questions We Want You to Ask

• What could we do better?
• What would make people choose us?
• How can we increase sales?
• What would make this experience memorable?
• What would make a local guest come back?
• Where are we leaving revenue on the table?

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach and develop your managers.
• Empower managers to take ownership of their areas.
• Set clear expectations and hold people accountable.
• Develop future F&B talent and succession plans.
• Build confidence and capability within the supervisory team.
• Create consistent standards across all three outlets.
• Build a positive, energetic and performance-focused culture.
• Recognise great performance and address poor performance quickly.
• Ensure every colleague understands the commercial goals and their role in achieving them.

Elevate The Milner

• We have the location.
• We have the spaces.
• We have the products.
• We have a great team.
• Now we need the right leader to bring it all together.

About You

Four-star hotel F&B experience is essential. We are looking for a senior F&B leader who can demonstrate:

• Previous Food & Beverage management experience within a four-star hotel environment.
• Experience managing managers and supervisory teams.
• Strong commercial awareness and a proven ability to drive revenue.
• Excellent knowledge of food, beverage and hospitality operations.
• Strong understanding of financial performance, labour costs, stock control and departmental profitability.
• Experience developing and implementing sales initiatives.
• A genuine passion for food, drink and exceptional guest experiences.
• Excellent leadership and people‑management skills.
• Confidence to challenge, influence and make decisions.
• A creative and entrepreneurial approach.
• A proactive, make‑it‑happen attitude.
• The ability to balance strategic thinking with hands‑on operational leadership.
• The energy and personality to engage both guests and colleagues.

Why The Milner York?

The Milner York is a unique four-star hotel in the heart of York, offering an opportunity to genuinely make your mark.

You will have the freedom and responsibility to shape our F&B offering, develop your team and influence the future direction of the operation.

If you are ambitious, commercially hungry and ready to elevate Food & Beverage at The Milner York, we want to hear from you.

COME MAKE YOUR MARK.

Apply now — and tell us what you would do differently.