Director of Food & Beverage / Chef

The Loutrel and The Veranda Lounge seek a dynamic Director of Food & Beverage / Chef to elevate our growing F&B program. This hands-on role blends culinary and beverage innovation, leading a passionate team across our lounge, rooftop, and events. With two Michelin Keys, we’re pushing hospitality boundaries through exceptional menus, cocktails, and experiences. If you excel in both kitchen and front-of-house leadership, balancing creativity and cost management, this is your chance to make an impact!

Job Overview

As the Director of Food & Beverage / Chef, this role will take part in and direct food preparation, production, menu development/execution, direct service standards to ensure guest satisfaction and maximize revenues and profitability, and control for all food outlets and banquet facilities at the hotel. The Director of Food & Beverage / Chef is responsible for maintaining food, beverage, and labor costs with a continual enforcement of high culinary standards and guest satisfaction. This position oversees both the back of the house and front of the house food & beverage team.

The Ideal Candidate will:

• Be incredibly friendly, customer centric, love to smile and radiate a positive and accommodating attitude while interacting with customers.
• Create and plan all meals, beverage programming and menus for the restaurant/s, outlet/s and catered events.
• Works within a monthly set food cost budget, adjusts food requisitions and controls waste.
• Monitor food outlets, buffets, stations and food displays for creativity, quality, cleanliness and food safety.
• Assure timely set up, schedules well trained cooks in all areas in proper uniform.
• Lead and take part in food and beverage services for events and group activities at the hotel and coordinate with other hotel-level departments to facilitate services agreed upon by the sales office and prospective clients.
• Work frequently with subordinates in the Food and Beverage Department to ensure all aspects of business are running smoothly and on schedules to improve existing practices and services both in the front of the house and the back of the house.
• Communicate financial information to the General Manager, including up-to-date budget information and revenue growth programs formulated through short term and long term operational and financial plans for the food and beverage department.
• Achieve budgeted revenues, controls cost (which includes labor, food, maintenance, etc.) and maximizes profitability related to the facility operations.
• Inspect restaurants and outlets daily to ensure high quality food and food presentation, cleanliness and side work duties completed. Maintain follow-through of all guest requests, problems, complaints and/or accidents which occur in the Room Service, Lounge or Banquets.
• Schedule employees at proper staffing levels; watch labor cost daily to ensure efficiency in scheduling.
• Participate in monthly inventories and initiate programs to reduce breakage and loss in China, Glass and Silver.
• Assist in the aggressive recruitment of staff department using company hiring standards
• Conduct pre-shift meetings to inform staff of daily events; ensure staff is prepared, organized and delivers high standards of service.
• Provide a professional image at all times through appearance and dress.
• Manage procurement of all inventory for the food and beverage department.
• Regularly inputs all invoices and purchase orders into the property’s accounting system.
• Create and manage all food and beverage vendor relationships in a positive manner which represents The Loutrel and The Veranda Lounge in the best light.
• Monitor and report bi-weekly payroll of the department to the General Manager..

SPECIFIC JOB KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

The individual must possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities and be able to explain and demonstrate that he or she can perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some other combination of knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Must be able to speak, read, write and understand the primary language(s) used in the workplace.
• Must be able to read and write to facilitate the communication process.
• Requires excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Most tasks are performed in a team environment with the associate acting as a team leader.
• Must possess basic computational ability.
• Must possess basic computer skills.
• Knowledge of computer accounting programs, math skills as well as budgetary analysis capabilities required.
• Extensive knowledge of menu development, insight into marketing, cost and wage control.
• Ability to lead and perform in a fast paced work environment and high pressure situations.
• Thorough knowledge of food products, standard recipes and proper preparation.
• Thorough knowledge of wine, beer, liquor and non-alcoholic beverages.
• Thorough knowledge of recipes for traditional and elevated cocktails.
• Ability to analyze, forecast data, and make judgments to ensure proper payroll and production control.
• Ability to supervise large staff and accomplish goals on a timely basis.
• Ability to conduct meetings, menu briefings and effectively communicate with supervisors and team members both in culinary and exterior departments of the hotel.
• Ability to create and lead in a team orientated environment.
• Ability to effectively deal with internal and external customers some of whom will require high levels of patience, tact and diplomacy and collect accurate information to resolve conflicts.
• Ability to create recipes and support material, i.e., recipe cards, descriptions, and pictures, and to read and visualize the same.
• Provide development and continued education opportunities for hourly associates and mid-level department management to set up for future success
• Provide regular feedback and insight on monthly financial reporting, identifying areas of success as well as opportunity
• Must be able to work directly with group coordinators and meeting planners
• Must participate in regularly scheduled property leadership meetings and working directly with other department heads to ensure the collective success of the hotel as a whole
• Must be able to work flexible hours, including evenings, weekends, holidays
• Ensure a safe working environment at all times for all associates

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Most work tasks are performed indoors. Temperature generally is moderate and controlled by hotel environmental systems; however, candidates must be able to work in extreme temperatures like freezers (-10°F) and kitchens ( 110°F), possibly for one hour or more.
• Must be able to sit at a desk for up to 5 hours per day. Walking and standing are required the rest of the working day. Length of time of these tasks may vary from day to day and task to task.
• Ability to physically handle knives, pots, mirrors, or other display items as well as grasp, lift and carry the same from shelves and otherwise transport up to 50 pounds to every area of the kitchen. Ability to perform cutting skills on work surfaces, topped with cutting boards, 3 to 4 feet in height. . Proper usage and handling of various kitchen machinery to include slicers, buffalo choppers, grinders, mixers, and other kitchen related equipment.
• Ability to physically self-demonstrate culinary techniques, i.e., cutting, cooking principles, plate presentation, safety and sanitation practices.
• The worker is subject to noise. There is sufficient noise to cause the worker to shout in order to be heard above the ambient noise level.
• Must be able to exert well-paced ability in limited space and to reach other departments of the hotel on a timely basis.
• Must be able to lift up to 30 lbs. on a regular and continuing basis.
• Must be able to push and pull carts and equipment
• Must be able to bend, stoop, squat and stretch to fulfill cleaning tasks occasionally.
• Requires grasping, writing, standing, sitting, walking, repetitive motions, bending, climbing, listening and hearing ability and visual acuity.
• Must be capable of successfully managing stressful and/or emergency situations, as well as actively working to prevent those situations from arising in the first place.

QUALIFICATION STANDARDS

EDUCATION

High school or equivalent education required. Culinary degree or certification strongly preferred.

EXPERIENCE

• Have a minimum of 5 years of experience in a Supervisory/Leadership role in a Food and Beverage Department.
• Have 2 or more years of progressive experience in Hotel or Luxury Food & Beverage front of house operations
• Have 1 or more years of experience in Culinary Operations