Banquet Manager

Crescent Hotels & Resorts; Santa Monica (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Crescent Hotels & Resorts seeks an experienced Banquet Operations Leader in a full-time role in Santa Monica, CA. You will plan, direct, and supervise banquet services for meetings, weddings, conferences and catered events, ensuring flawless execution from setup to breakdown.

You will review BEOs daily, lead cross-functional meetings, and manage staffing, quality control, and guest satisfaction with a focus on cost efficiency and safety standards.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent; Associate's or Bachelor's degree preferred.
• 3–5 years of banquet, catering or F&B leadership experience.
• Previous supervisory or management experience required.
• ServSafe Certification required (or obtained in required timeframe).
• Alcohol Awareness/Responsible Beverage Service Certification required where applicable.
• Strong knowledge of banquet operations, labor management and inventory, and hotel F&B standards.
• Flexible schedule including mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays.

Responsibilities

• Plan, organize, supervise banquet operations for events.
• Review BEOs daily to understand event details, guest counts, menus, timelines and AV needs.
• Lead daily banquet meetings with culinary, banquet, sales and hotel leadership teams.
• Coordinate with Sales & Catering to fulfill client expectations and obligations.
• Supervise banquet staff during event execution.
• Recruit, onboard, train, coach, and develop banquet associates.
• Prepare staffing schedules and manage labor costs for productivity.

Skills

Banquet operations

Labor management

Staff scheduling

Supervisory experience

Food & Beverage standards

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Hospitality-related degree preferred

Tools

ServSafe Certification

Alcohol Awareness Certification

Job description

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Plan, organize, supervise, and direct all banquet operations, including meetings, conferences, weddings, receptions, social events, and catered functions.
• Review Banquet Event Orders (BEOs) daily to ensure complete understanding of event details, guest counts, room setups, menus, timelines, audiovisual requirements, billing instructions, and special requests.
• Conduct daily banquet meetings with culinary, banquet, sales, and hotel leadership teams to review upcoming events and operational priorities.
• Coordinate with the Sales & Catering department to ensure all client expectations and contractual obligations are executed accurately.
• Supervise banquet captains, banquet servers, banquet bartenders, banquet housepersons, and other banquet associates during event execution.
• Recruit, interview, onboard, train, coach, mentor, schedule, evaluate, and develop banquet associates.
• Prepare staffing schedules based on business demands, occupancy forecasts, and event requirements while controlling labor costs and maximizing productivity.
• Ensure banquet rooms are properly set according to approved room diagrams and Banquet Event Orders prior to guest arrival.
• Inspect banquet rooms before, during, and after events to ensure cleanliness, presentation, functionality, and compliance with hotel standards.
• Monitor food quality, beverage presentation, service timing, and overall guest satisfaction throughout each event.
• Serve as the primary operational contact during banquet events, responding promptly to client requests, operational changes, and guest concerns.
• Resolve guest concerns professionally and implement service recovery solutions to ensure guest satisfaction.
• Coordinate banquet operations with the Executive Chef and culinary team to ensure accurate food production, timely service, and quality presentation.
• Oversee banquet room setup, event transitions, and breakdown activities to maximize operational efficiency.
• Ensure banquet equipment, furniture, linens, china, glassware, silverware, portable bars, audiovisual equipment, and decor are properly maintained, inventoried, and stored.
• Monitor banquet inventory levels and coordinate purchasing of banquet operating supplies as needed.
• Review banquet payroll, scheduling, labor reports, productivity, and overtime to ensure departmental financial objectives are achieved.
• Assist with managing departmental budgets by controlling labor, operating expenses, equipment usage, and supply costs.
• Ensure accurate event documentation, function sheets, shift reports, incident reports, payroll records, inventory records, and operational checklists are completed.
• Maintain compliance with all food safety, sanitation, OSHA, responsible alcohol service, and workplace safety regulations.
• Ensure all banquet associates maintain professional appearance, grooming standards, and exceptional guest service behaviors.
• Conduct regular coaching sessions, performance evaluations, disciplinary actions, and recognition programs to foster associate engagement and accountability.
• Collaborate with Engineering regarding banquet equipment maintenance and facility repairs.
• Participate in hotel leadership meetings, Food & Beverage meetings, banquet planning meetings, and special projects.
• Maintain flexibility to work mornings, afternoons, evenings, weekends, holidays, and extended hours based on banquet schedules and business demands.
• Comply with all Crescent Hotels & Resorts policies, brand standards, OSHA regulations, and all applicable federal, state, and local laws.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS:

• High school diploma or equivalent required; Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management, Hotel Administration, Business Administration, or a related field preferred.
• Minimum of three to five years of progressive banquet, catering, or food and beverage leadership experience, preferably in a full-service hotel, convention center, resort, or upscale hospitality environment.
• Previous supervisory or management experience required.
• ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification (or equivalent) required or must be obtained within the required timeframe.
• Alcohol Awareness or Responsible Beverage Service Certification required where applicable.
• Strong knowledge of banquet operations, conference services, labor management, inventory control, and hotel food and beverage standards.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, and extended hours based on banquet operations.

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

Customer Satisfaction:

Our customers are what we are about. One of the keys to a positive guest experience is positive interaction with Crescent staff. It is essential that you remain professional at all times, and that you treat all guests and associates with courtesy and respect, under all circumstances. Every Crescent associate is a guest relations ambassador, every working minute of every day.

Work Habits:

In order to maintain a positive guest and associate experience, your work habits should always meet and strive to exceed hotel standards for work procedures, dress, grooming, punctuality and attendance. You should be adaptable to change in your work area and in hotel procedures with a willingness to learn new skills and/or improve existing ones, have the ability to solve routine problems that occur on the job and ask for help whenever you are not sure how to do something.

NOTE

This description excludes non-essential and marginal functions of the position that are incidental to the performance of the fundamental job duties. Furthermore, the specific examples in each section are not intended to be all-inclusive. Rather, they represent the typical elements and criteria considered necessary to perform the job successfully. Other job-related duties may be assigned by the associate's supervisor.

Furthermore, this description is subject to change, in the sole discretion of the Company, and in no way creates an employment contract, implied or otherwise; each associate remains, at all times, an "at will" associate.

Licenses & Certifications

ServSafe Alcohol Awaren (required)

Skills

• Food & Beverage Operations (preferred)

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.