Most hotels and large restaurant chains have a food and beverage director. This is an individual who manages the entire food and beverage operation of a company. He is responsible for coordinating the management of large banquets, weddings, conferences, and restaurant activities. This director is responsible for the oversight of employees, inventory, and budgets of the food and beverage department.
The education for a food and beverage director is typically either a hotel restaurant management program or a culinary degree. The director should understand basic hotel management and restaurant management. This type of curriculum is available at many culinary colleges throughout the world.
Many directors work through their way up through various disciplines of restaurant management operations. This typically includes cooking, serving, and shift management training. The director is responsible for the entire restaurant and banquet facility team. His staff size can range from 50 to 100 employees, depending on the size of the company.
Most food and beverage director positions require the management of the alcohol budget. This requires strict monitoring of bartenders, the bar area, and pouring techniques. The director is required to perform daily inventory of liquor sales and usage to ensure adequate profit margins are maintained in the bar area.
It is also important to control food cost to manage the profit margin for a restaurant. This is typically managed by reducing wasted food and inventory controls in the food and beverage department. The director is responsible for ordering and using food before it becomes wasted due to age or misuse. He must design weekly menus that ensure food waste is minimized.
The food and beverage director is typically responsible for coordinating large banquets and wedding receptions. This requires significant logistic skills and strong management skills. Banquets and receptions are formal events that require strong coordination between meal courses. Most of theses receptions include a minimum of a full four-course dinner.
Managing a large banquet is a difficult people-orchestration process. This typically includes the management of servers, cooks, waiters, and table bussers. Each group must work in coordination with the course completion to ensure fast and even distribution of food. The food and beverage director is responsible for coordinating this effort during a banquet reception.
The selling of meeting rooms and convention space is another responsibility of the food and beverage director. He is responsible for selling the banquet facilities of a hotel. This typically requires an understanding of hotel restaurant management.
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ajvician
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This is definitely a people-oriented career. Along with the importance of being skilled at people-orchestration as mentioned in the article above you have to be able to work well with the clients that use your venue’s services. If there are any problems you need to make things right so your clients are happy.
This is a career with various important responsibilities. If you work for a hotel or convention center this area can be a good portion of their revenue. This also means you will need to have the skills to work well with upper management.
Although it is a demanding job, it can be fun and exciting. You really need to be creative when it comes to event planning, which can bring a lot of job satisfaction. One of our friends held this position at a hotel and along with client events she planned special hotel events such as their Mother's Day brunch. Each year she would come up with new themes, decorations, and menus to keep people coming back. She loved people and they loved her which helped her to be very successful in her career.
If you are talented in working with people, creative when it comes to event planning, and skilled in the business side of food and beverage management you can have a rewarding career with a better than average salary. Many places prefer a bachelor's degree and a number of years experience. |
