Catering Sales & Operations Manager

Finney Hospitality Group; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Finney Hospitality Group is seeking a Catering Sales & Operations Manager to lead and grow the catering business across multiple restaurant locations in Indiana. The role owns the catering sales strategy, builds client relationships, and oversees event execution from inquiry to completion.

The ideal candidate is a strong sales leader, highly organized, and comfortable managing both sales and operations, with proven catering or hospitality experience and a track record of meeting goals across

Qualifications

• Proven experience in sales, catering, hospitality, restaurant operations, or business development.
• Demonstrated success generating new business and achieving sales goals.
• Previous management or team leadership experience.
• Strong sales, negotiation, presentation, communication, and relationship-building skills.
• Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple clients, events, employees, and restaurant locations.

Responsibilities

• Own the overall catering sales strategy and revenue growth across multiple restaurant locations.
• Lead inside and outside sales efforts, including prospecting through cold calls, email outreach, networking, community involvement, client visits, and other business development activities.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with new and existing clients while driving repeat business, referrals, and long-term partnerships.
• Directly manage and develop two Catering Sales Representatives and two Catering Operations team members.
• Set sales goals, monitor performance, and lead regular sales meetings.
• Train and coach team members on prospecting, sales, closing, and client relationships.
• Oversee the complete catering process from inquiry to execution and follow-up.
• Collaborate with General Managers, kitchen teams, and leadership to ensure timely, accurate catering orders.
• Ensure consistent catering menus, packaging, presentation, service, and standards across locations.
• Develop and maintain catering procedures to improve efficiency and execution.
• Manage catering menus and pricing aligned with demand and profitability.
• Monitor revenue, costs, margins, and overall profitability to identify opportunities.
• Maintain accurate client, sales, event, and financial records and report to leadership.
• Follow up with clients post-events to ensure satisfaction and identify additional opportunities.
• Resolve issues quickly while maintaining high customer service levels.
• Ensure catering operations have staffing, equipment, and information needed for events.

Skills

Sales leadership

Relationship building

Organization

Negotiation

Communication

Tools

Microsoft Office

Google Workspace

CRM

POS

Job description

Catering Sales & Operations Manager

The Catering Sales & Operations Manager is responsible for leading and growing the catering business across multiple restaurant locations. This position owns the catering sales strategy, develops new business, manages client relationships, leads the catering team, and oversees the successful execution of catering events from initial inquiry through completion. The ideal candidate is a strong sales leader and relationship builder who is results-driven, highly organized, and comfortable managing both sales and operations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own the overall catering sales strategy and revenue growth across multiple restaurant locations.
• Lead inside and outside sales efforts, including prospecting through cold calls, email outreach, networking, community involvement, client visits, and other business development activities.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with new and existing clients while driving repeat business, referrals, and long-term partnerships.
• Directly manage and develop two Catering Sales Representatives responsible for inside and outside sales, as well as two Catering Operations team members responsible for catering preparation, packaging, delivery, pickup, setup, timing, and event logistics.
• Set individual and team sales goals, monitor performance, lead regular sales meetings, establish priorities, and hold the team accountable for results.
• Train and coach team members on prospecting, sales, closing, client relationships, follow-up, and operational expectations.
• Assist with challenging accounts, proposals, negotiations, and client issues.
• Oversee the complete catering process from initial inquiry and booking through preparation, delivery, event execution, and client follow-up.
• Partner closely with General Managers, kitchen teams, and restaurant leadership to ensure catering orders are accurately entered, communicated, scheduled, prepared, delivered, and executed on time.
• Ensure consistent catering menus, portions, packaging, presentation, service, and operational standards across all locations.
• Develop and maintain consistent catering procedures and processes across the restaurant group while identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and execution.
• Manage the catering menu program, ensuring menus and packages align with customer demand, restaurant capabilities, operational efficiency, and profitability.
• Monitor catering revenue, sales performance, costs, margins, and overall profitability; identify opportunities to increase revenue and improve financial performance.
• Ensure accurate pricing, discounts, deposits, invoicing, payment collection, and proper attribution of catering revenue, labor, tips, and expenses to the appropriate restaurant location.
• Maintain accurate client, sales, event, and financial records and provide regular catering performance reporting to leadership.
• Follow up with clients after events to ensure satisfaction, strengthen relationships, and identify additional sales opportunities.
• Resolve operational or client issues quickly and effectively while maintaining a high level of customer service.
• Ensure the catering operations team has the appropriate staffing, equipment, supplies, and information needed to successfully execute events.

Qualifications:

• Proven experience in sales, catering, hospitality, restaurant operations, or business development.
• Demonstrated success generating new business and achieving sales goals.
• Previous management or team leadership experience.
• Strong sales, negotiation, presentation, communication, and relationship-building skills.
• Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple clients, events, employees, and restaurant locations.
• Strong understanding of restaurant and catering operations.
• Comfortable with both inside and outside sales.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently while collaborating with restaurant leadership.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, CRM, POS, catering, or sales-management systems.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 5+ years of catering, restaurant, hospitality, or B2B sales experience.
• Previous experience managing a sales and/or operations team.
• Experience selling corporate or large-volume catering.
• Established relationships within the local business and community market.
• Experience managing catering programs across multiple locations.

Key Performance Indicators:

• Catering revenue and profitability growth
• New account acquisition
• Individual and team sales performance
• Client satisfaction and retention
• Successful and consistent event execution
• Operational efficiency and order accuracy
• Development and performance of the catering team
• Consistency of catering standards across all restaurant locations