Food and Beverage Manager

Responsible for the effective day-to-day management of Food & Beverage operations (including restaurants, beverage operations and food and beverage service in the casino operations), with specific regard to:

• Achieving profitability in specific outlets
• Improving of standards of operation
• Facilities and product maintenance and enhancement
• Ensuring all F&B operational efforts on the casino floor achieve the F&B strategy and objectives

Minimum requirements (Education and Experience)

• 3 Year Hotel School Diploma or equivalent National Qualification at Diploma level
• 9-10 years in the food and beverage industry of which at least 5 years are at a management level

Scope and limits of the job

Manages multiple teams that service guests visiting the business unit. Prepares and controls a budget for multiple food, beverage and conferencing outlets within the business unit.

Work conditions and special requirements

• Ability to work shifts that meet operational requirements
• Mobility and ability to move around as per job requirements (including with the use of aids)
• Physically be able to move operating equipment
• Have an open attitude to perform similar functions in alternative outlets due to operational requirements

Duties and responsibilities include

F&B Strategic Planning

• Understand the Group F&B strategy and align Unit F&B strategy
• Develop strategic objectives for the Unit's F&B deliverables
• Facilitate the project management and achievement of milestones of F&B deliverables
• Direct F&B product analyses and benchmark with leading F&B trends
• Identify and investigate new F&B opportunities for the property
• Direct risk analyses i.t.o impact on short term profit margins vs. long term sustainability
• Provide clear delegation of authority and accountability for deliverables at all levels
• Communicate with all relevant Stakeholders internally at a unit and Group level and externally
• Manage and allocate people and operational resources
• Facilitate marketing plans relative to promotions and strategies
• Align strategies with EE, SD and procurement transformation strategies which contribute towards BBBEE targets being achieved for the property
• Establish revenue targets per outlet to track performance on a daily basis
• Develop business action plans and promotions to capitalize on revenue and drive incremental revenues.
• Leverage off suppliers to drive value add promotional activity

Product Development

• Complete a competitor analysis of food, beverage and conferencing products in property catchment areas including pricing comparisons
• Conduct product performance analyses / reviews and make recommendations to address opportunities and gaps
• Provide product rationalisation on a regular basis or as required
• Motivate new product enhancements
• Budget and direct the implementation of approved projects
• Measure ROI and performance on a regular basis
• Share unit successes with other operations

F&B Standards & Governance

• Oversee F&B standards and processes at a unit level
• Integrate Group standards into Unit Operations
• Align practices with new legislative compliance around health, hygiene, safety and the environment
• Implement sufficient control measures (including systems and processes) & checks within each department to mitigate any financial risk to the business. All staff in F&B to adhere to the policy and procedures.
• Conduct weekly walkabouts of all F&B front of house and back of house areas to monitor compliance
• Drive a waste management culture and ensure all staff are trained.
• Work with internal stakeholders (maintenance, finance, HR, and security) to identify risk areas and address these

People Management and Development

• Lead and motivate F&B employees and promote positive working relationships, direction and support
• Lead and oversee departmental communication ensuring employee and management interaction
• Measure and develop strategies to enhance employee engagement
• Identify and manage training, coaching and development requirements in line with strategic plans, e.g. skills shortages, succession plans, talent management
• Ensure competent levels of staff meet operational level requirements (right fit for the job)
• Source and Select talent as per EE plan to build the future food and beverage talent pipeline
• Performance Manage and coach reporting managers to ensure KPA's are achieved
• Manage employee relations within the F&B function (monthly meetings with Union - formalised, minuted, issues addressed).
• Motivate and manage Capex requirements
• Complete Cost of Sales reports including
• Theoretical COS per outlet for food & beverage respectively.
• Recipes – Recipe links need to be in place to ensure accuracy and legitimacy of theoretical as well as put us in a position for the theoretical to be system generated.
• Food recipe – All menu item food recipes to be reviewed and signed off and where needed recaptured into the system MC or IFS to ensure accurate food theoretical.
• Procurement – All supplier prices and supplier price quotes to be reviewed and monitored on a monthly basis going forward to ensure we monitor and track price movements to minimize input cost fluctuations.
• Cost control – oversee the conducting of accurate stock takes in line with Company process. Use stock takes variance reports to manage underperforming outlets in relation to COS

F&B Promotions & Marketing

• Liaise with Marketing to drive banqueting sales and marketing and promotional F&B activities
• Build collateral with marketing to position promotions to the external market
• Conduct post-mortem and analysis of promotions
• Calculate ROI

Reporting

• Consolidate monthly Financial Reports for the entire food and beverage operation including consolidated views of :
• Salary forecast vs actuals – salary monthly forecast to be based on rosters. Track and monitor salary cost in relation to revenue achieved daily and make adjustments throughout the month to bring salary cost in line as a percentage of revenue.
• Absenteeism – actively manage and report on absenteeism in line with company policy, rules, and regulations
• Productivity – Covers per hour / drinks per hour needs to be monitored daily to ensure staff are operating at the required level to achieve and exceed budgeted revenues with remedial action taken when not tracking on target.
• Sales targets – report on variation to set sales targets in line with staff productivities and revenues. Report on remedial action taken when targets not met.
• Labor brokers – report on the use of labour brokers

Customer Relationship Management

• Develop a CVP in line with the unit strategy and marketing
• Guest feedback
• Deal with any escalations / complaints
• Frequent Interaction with guests (especially VIP's)
• Supports VIP services in various initiatives i.e. functions, events
• Communicates customer standards to department for implementation
• Monitors customer standards and addresses gaps
• Be present and provide management support in F&B outlets and operation when required

Stakeholder relationship management

• Attends meetings as per schedule
• Informs department / staff of information required to perform the duties and restaurant operation effectively
• Communicates department's objectives, standards and operating procedures to internal and external service providers as per SLA
• Communicates any special guest requirements or events to other relevant operating departments
• Provides feedback and reports back to Unit management on the performance and challenges within the restaurant
• Maintains regular communication with all relevant stakeholders with regards progress, issues, changes, etc.
• Provides feedback on operations to Group F&B on initiatives, performance, concerns, etc.

Planning

• Short term planning involves conducting the planning of activities to meet and optimise new business targets and growth in customer spending within the unit;
• Organise, plan and prioritise tasks to ensure that work gets done profitably and efficiently;
• Effective scheduling to ensure that team is adequately resourced to achieve targets / meet job requirements.

Decision making

• Apply business acumen and sound common sense to the overall management of food & beverage outlets and teams;
• Monitor changes in the food and beverage environment and is quick to act upon potential opportunities;
• Consider all the facts, options and possible outcomes prior to making decisions;
• Analyse and diagnose outlet performance issues in order to maximise or leverage the strengths of the team in a competitive environment;
• Able to make sound decisions within procedural parameters, and provide appropriate motivations where necessary.

Problem solving

• Deal with diverse problems in own area, using judgment and discretion to resolve them;
• Provide information and make recommendations regarding products and services that will meet customer needs;
• Suggest initiatives to increase penetration of customer base;
• Solve a wide range of queries related to customer service, dealing with these sensitively and within operational / procedural limitations;
• Solutions should be profitable and ensure the correct customer behaviour in terms of product usage;
• Arbitrate / resolve difficult customer complaints and / or issues / disputes.
• Optimise and streamline existing systems and processes to support the business strategy in terms of cost efficiency, managing risks and improving the service offering;
• There are guidelines / policies and procedures in place to be followed, but the incumbent needs to research new ways of doing things, with a view of constantly improving productivity and profitability.

Core behavioural competencies

• Motivating others / gaining co-operation
• Decision-making
• Training; coaching; keeping abreast of new developments in field
• Analysing / Diagnosing performance of the outlet / product performance
• Reviewing - Assessing feasibility; assessing compliance; efficiencies
• Appraising / Developing Others including evaluating for recruitment, performance, coaching and training
• Controlling people and non-people resources
• Food & Beverage Cost and revenue management