Food & Beverage Manager

CFS Recruitment; Hoedspruit; On-site; ZAR 420,000 - 660,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Live in

Job summary

Luxury Safari Lodge in Hoedspruit, Limpopo seeks a hands-on Food & Beverage Manager to lead an exceptional dining experience. You will own the guest journey from greeting to farewell, ensuring warm, polished, and personalised service.

In this role you will work closely with the Executive Chef, develop the F&B team, uphold stringent standards, and craft memorable dining moments while optimising stock, costs and operational paperwork.

Qualifications

• Strong Food & Beverage leadership and team development capabilities.
• Excellent wine, beverage and food knowledge.
• A genuine passion for luxury hospitality and personalised guest service.
• Strong stock control, cost awareness and administrative skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities.
• A professional, confident and polished approach to guest interaction.
• Exceptional attention to detail, presentation and aesthetics.
• The ability to anticipate guest needs and respond intuitively.
• Strong planning, organisation and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day F&B operation and maintain luxury lodge standards.
• Manage dining journey across all service periods and events.
• Maintain high standards of mise-en-place, presentation, cleanliness and ambience.
• Collaborate with Executive Chef to coordinate kitchen and service teams.
• Oversee beverage stock, ordering, and supplier relationships; manage admin.
• Maintain cost controls, rosters, training records and SOPs.

Skills

F&B leadership

team development

wine knowledge

guest service

stock control

cost awareness

communication

presentation

planning

problem solving

calm under pressure

creativity

integrity

Job description

FOOD & BEVERAGE MANAGER

Luxury Safari Lodge | Hoedspruit, Limpopo

An exciting opportunity for a passionate Food & Beverage professional to lead an exceptional luxury lodge dining experience.

This hands-on management role is ideal for an intuitive hospitality professional who combines operational excellence with genuine warmth, strong leadership and an exceptional eye for detail. You will take ownership of the full F&B guest journey, leading and developing the team while creating personalised and memorable dining experiences.

THE ROLE

Operations

• Oversee the day-to-day Food & Beverage operation and ensure consistently high luxury lodge standards.
• Manage the complete dining journey across breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, sundowners, dinner and after-dinner service.
• Maintain exceptional standards of mise-en-place, presentation, cleanliness, ambience and service.
• Work closely with the Executive Chef to ensure seamless coordination between the kitchen and service teams.
• Oversee beverage stock, ordering, stock takes, supplier relationships and departmental administration.
• Maintain effective cost controls, rosters, training records, SOPs and operational documentation.

Guest Experience

• Deliver intuitive, highly personalised hospitality and ensure guests feel recognised and genuinely cared for.
• Anticipate guest preferences, dietary requirements, allergies and special occasions.
• Maintain a visible management presence and ensure service is warm, polished, discreet and professional.
• Create memorable dining moments through thoughtful detail, storytelling, ambience and personalised service.
• Monitor guest feedback and address concerns promptly and professionally.

Wine & Beverage

• Take ownership of the lodge's wine and beverage experience.
• Ensure the team has strong knowledge of wines, varietals, menus and appropriate food pairings.
• Conduct regular wine, beverage and menu training.
• Continuously identify opportunities to enhance the guest experience through creative beverage journeys and presentation.

Leadership

• Lead, motivate and develop the F&B team while fostering a positive, professional and accountable culture.
• Set high standards for grooming, service delivery, guest engagement and product knowledge.
• Identify training needs and implement practical, ongoing team development.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, scheduling and performance management where required.
• Work collaboratively with the kitchen, housekeeping, guides, Front of House and lodge management.

WHO WE’R LOOKING FOR

We are looking for a polished, hands-on hospitality professional with a genuine passion for food, wine, exceptional service and creating memorable guest experiences.

The successful candidate should demonstrate:

• Strong Food & Beverage leadership and team development capabilities.
• Excellent wine, beverage and food knowledge.
• A genuine passion for luxury hospitality and personalised guest service.
• Strong stock control, cost awareness and administrative skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities.
• A professional, confident and polished approach to guest interaction.
• Exceptional attention to detail, presentation and aesthetics.
• The ability to anticipate guest needs and respond intuitively.
• Strong planning, organisation and problem-solving skills.
• The ability to remain calm and decisive under pressure.
• Creativity, initiative and a continuous-improvement mindset.
• Integrity, reliability and the ability to hold a team accountable in a positive and respectful manner.

THE DETAILS

Remuneration: Market Related DOE
Live In/Out: Live in
Work Cycle: 42 days on / 14 days off
Reporting To: General Manager
Start Date: ASAP