Front Of House Manager | Malewane Lodge

The Royal Portfolio; South Africa; On-site; ZAR 550,000 - 850,000; Full time

Job summary

The Royal Portfolio is seeking a Front of House Manager for Malewane Lodge and Africa House in South Africa. You will lead a high-performing FOH team, ensure exceptional dining and beverage experiences, and manage rosters, training, and service standards in a luxury lodge environment.

Candidates should have a hospitality management degree and 3–5 years in a senior managerial role, with strong budget, SOP, and guest feedback handling capabilities.

Qualifications

• Formal tertiary qualification in Hospitality or Hotel Management preferred.
• 3 to 5 years in a mid to senior managerial role in luxury safari lodge or upscale restaurant environment.
• Beverage knowledge across wines, cocktails and liquors.
• Proven track record of leading a high performing team.
• Ability to work well under pressure and be customer centric.
• Excellent communication, adaptability and cultural fit for The Royal Portfolio.

Responsibilities

• Motivate and inspire FOH team to create unforgettable guest experiences.
• Oversee dining and beverage experiences across lodge settings and events.
• Schedule rosters in line with occupancy levels.
• Train and develop team members; manage performance and disciplinary processes.
• Maintain stock par levels and ensure equipment is serviced and functional.
• Adhere to budgetary constraints and ensure SOPs are followed.
• Coordinate interdepartmental communications and guest feedback handling.
• Support room checks and guest arrivals when needed.

Skills

Hospitality leadership

Beverage knowledge

Team management

Communication skills

Customer focus

Education

Hospitality/Hotel Management degree

Job description

The Front of House Manager at Malewane Lodge and Africa House is responsible for ensuring that our guests enjoy nothing but the very best dining experiences during their time with us. Our team understands that while game viewing is the main purpose of our guests' visits, this can be enhanced tenfold by ensuring that we consistently surprise them exceptional dining and social moments in and around the lodge. The Front of House Manager leads a team that is directly responsible for making sure that Malewane Lodge lives up to The Royal Portfolio’s purpose, which is “to give our guests a complete experience and a perfect stay” .

MAIN DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Motivate and inspire FOH team members to constantly create unforgettable magical moments for our guests within the food and beverage realm.

EnsuringFOH team are providing guests with excellentdiningand serviceexperiences across bush dinners, boma dinners, drinksstopsand more.

Effective scheduling and monitoring of the roster in line with occupancy levels.

Training team members, constantly looking for ways to grow and develop them

Performance management and disciplinary processes followed and adhered to when necessary.

Maintaining and adjusting stock par levelswithin the outlets

Ensuring all equipment ismaintained, serviced and in good working order.

Adhere to budgetary constraints with expenditures.

Ensuring allSOP’sare in place for effective running of the front of house.

Ensuring that standards are met and exceeded.

Managing interdepartmental communications.

Providing andmaintainingrecycling practices across the department

Effective fire prevention and procedures are adhered to.

Ensuring that sustainable products are used wherever possible.

Host site inspections when required

Manage all guest feedback, positive and negative

Assist with room checks, or guest check ins when needed.

REQUIREMENTS, QUALIFICATIONS & EXPECTATIONS:

Formal Tertiary institution qualification in either Hospitality or Hotel Management is preferable

3 to 5 years in a mid to senior managerial role in a luxury 5* safari lodge or general management in a luxury, multi outlet restaurant environment

Beverage knowledge across wines, cocktails and liquors

Proven track record of leading a high performing team

Ability to work well under pressure

Customer centric

Solutions driven

Adaptable

Excellent communication skills

Passionate

Dedicated

It is important that the candidate is able to work as part of a team and is a good cultural fit for The Royal Portfolio.
South African citizenship is advantageous. A valid work permit is essential if you are not in possession of a South African ID document. Please note it is a condition of employment on the Thornybush Game Reserve, that all staff undergo a pre-employment polygraph test.