Food and Beverage Manager

Useppa Island Club & Marina; Bokeelia (FL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Useppa Island Club & Marina seeks an experienced Food & Beverage Manager to oversee daily operations of a premier fine dining restaurant on Useppa Island, Florida.

The role focuses on delivering an exceptionally personalized guest experience, maintaining luxury service standards, and coordinating with culinary teams for seamless beverage and food service.

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years of progressive management experience in fine dining, luxury hospitality, upscale restaurants, private clubs, resorts, or similar environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily front-of-house operations and ensure consistently exceptional service.

Skills

Hospitality leadership

Fine dining service

Operations management

Budgeting

Staff training

VIP guest handling

Education

Hospitality management degree

Tools

POS systems

Inventory control

Forecasting

Job description

Nestled in the heart of Southwest Florida’s barrier islands, Useppa Island is a private, boat-access-only paradise known for its natural beauty, rich history, and close-knit community. Useppa Island Club is the centerpiece of this unique destination offering upscale dining, a world-class marina, charming guest accommodations, and recreational amenities in a tranquil, car-free environment.

This is more than a resort. It’s a legacy community where history, elegance, and nature converge.

Position Overview:

We are seeking an experienced, polished, and highly motivated Food & Beverage Manager to lead the daily operations of a premier fine dining restaurant located on Useppa Island in Florida.

This role is responsible for delivering an exceptional dining experience while maintaining the highest standards of service, hospitality, food quality, beverage execution, and operational efficiency. The ideal candidate is a hands-on hospitality professional who understands luxury service, develops strong teams, and thrives in an environment where attention to detail and guest personalization are paramount.

The Food & Beverage Manager will serve as a visible leader on the floor, ensuring that every aspect of the guest experience reflects the restaurant's standards of excellence.

Key Responsibilities:

Guest Experience & Service

• Lead daily front-of-house operations and ensure consistently exceptional service.
• Maintain a warm, sophisticated, and highly personalized approach to guest relations.
• Anticipate guest needs and proactively resolve concerns with professionalism and discretion.
• Build relationships with repeat, VIP, and high-profile guests while maintaining appropriate confidentiality.
• Conduct pre-shift meetings, service briefings, and post-service reviews.
• Monitor dining room flow, pacing, table maintenance, reservations, and overall guest satisfaction.
• Ensure service standards are consistently maintained from arrival through departure.
• Train, coach, and develop front-of-house team members.
• Establish clear performance expectations and hold the team accountable to luxury service standards.
• Create a positive, professional, and collaborative work environment.
• Develop training programs covering service standards, menu knowledge, wine and beverage knowledge, steps of service, and guest engagement.
• Prepare staffing schedules and manage labor efficiently.
• Conduct performance reviews and provide ongoing feedback and mentorship.
• Lead by example with a highly visible and hands-on management style.
• Oversee daily restaurant opening and closing procedures.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, food safety regulations, health standards, and responsible alcohol service requirements.
• Coordinate closely with the Executive Chef and culinary team to ensure seamless food and beverage service.
• Maintain excellent communication between front and back of house.
• Monitor table turns, reservations, pacing, staffing levels, and service efficiency.
• Ensure dining areas, service stations, bars, and guest-facing spaces consistently meet presentation standards.
• Assist with special events, private dinners, celebrations, and other high-touch guest experiences.
• Monitor food, beverage, labor, and operating costs.
• Assist with budgeting, forecasting, purchasing, inventory, and cost‑control initiatives.
• Review daily sales, labor, and operational reports.
• Minimize waste, loss, and unnecessary expenses while maintaining luxury service standards.
• Maintain appropriate inventory levels and coordinate ordering with vendors and the culinary team.
• Support monthly financial reporting and departmental budgeting.

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years of progressive management experience in fine dining, luxury hospitality, upscale restaurants, private clubs, resorts, or similar environments.
• Proven experience managing a high-volume or high-touch food and beverage operation.
• Strong knowledge of fine dining service standards and hospitality best practices.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and organizational skills.
• Strong financial and operational understanding, including labor and cost controls.
• Professional appearance and demeanor with exceptional interpersonal skills.
• Ability to remain calm, composed, and solutions‑oriented in a fast‑paced environment.
• Strong knowledge of wine, spirits, and elevated beverage service preferred.
• Ability to work evenings, weekends, holidays, and extended hours as business needs require.
• Experience working in a resort, private club, yacht club, destination restaurant, or island environment is a plus.

Ideal Candidate

• The ideal candidate is a natural hospitality leader who genuinely enjoys creating memorable experiences for guests and developing people.
• You are detail‑oriented without losing sight of the bigger picture. You understand that luxury hospitality is defined not only by the food and surroundings, but by the consistency, anticipation, warmth, and professionalism of the service.
• You are comfortable being on the floor, coaching employees in real time, handling VIP guests, resolving problems discreetly, and working closely with culinary and operational leadership.
• Experience in fine dining, luxury resorts, private clubs, exclusive destination properties, or Michelin‑level restaurants is highly valued.