Director, Food & Beverage

Pay: $0 per year - $0 per year

The Director of Food & Beverage leads and manages all operational teams, concepts and performance aspects of food and beverage operations within a lodge. The successful candidate must quickly develop an understanding of the Great Wolf Lodge brand and establish close working relationships throughout the Lodge and organization.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Complete oversight responsibility for all; functions, programs, systems, procedures and operational performance for food & beverage department.
• Establish procedures and manage constancy for delivery of food and beverage service operations that meets all goals related to budgets and KPI matrixes for: revenue, cost, margins, profit, guest capture optimization, guest satisfaction/NPS, staff engagement and eNPS, audits and safety.
• Strategically and tactically drive business output and profitability: food and beverage sales, guest capacity and capture optimization, average check, and COGS/Margin management.
• Meet food and beverage financial objectives by forecasting requirements; preparing an annual budget; scheduling expenditures; analyzing variances; initiating corrective actions
• Plan and direct the functions of administration and planning of the Food and Beverage Department to meet the daily needs of the operation.
• Clearly describe, assign and delegate responsibility and authority for the operation of the various food and beverage sub departments
• Assist all managers in establishing and achieving predetermined profit objectives and desire standards of quality food, service, cleanliness, merchandising and promotion
• Achieve restaurant operational objectives by contributing information and recommendations to strategic plans and reviews; preparing and completing action plans; implementing production, productivity, quality, and customer-service standards; resolving problems; completing audits; identifying trends; determining system improvements; implementing change
• Controls food and beverage costs by reviewing portion control and quantities of preparation, minimizing waste and ensuring high quality of preparation; Implement effective control of food, beverage and labor costs among all sub departments
• Drive and ensure a professional and ethical procurement, sourcing and inventory control culture with adherence to systems, schedules, policies and procedures. Guiding Purchasing Manager, Executive Chef and FOH Managers on highest standards and accuracies for: order forecasting, inventory control and on property distribution of food, beverages, supplies, equipment and disposables
• Responsible for recruiting, hiring, onboarding & training, assigning, scheduling, coaching and counseling employees; communicating job expectations; planning, monitoring, appraising, and reviewing job contributions; planning and reviewing compensation actions; enforcing policies and procedures
• Plan and administer a training and development program within the department, which will provide well-trained employees at all levels and permit advancement for those persons qualified and interested in career development
• Regularly review and evaluate the degree of customer acceptance of the individual restaurants and banquet service and recommend new operating and marketing policies whenever declining or constant sales imply dissatisfaction by the customers, a material change in the make-up or the customer market, or a change in the competitive environment
• Maintains safe, secure, and healthy environment by establishing, following and enforcing food safety and sanitation standards and procedures; complying with all Great Wolf Lodge and local/federal written standards, policies, procedures and laws.
• Ensures all operations conform to regulations of the alcoholic beverages commission
• Maintain accurate and up to date operations documentation for all food and beverage service areas.
• Ensuring all F&B technology systems are updated for optimal and effective use
• Maintain and manage Jolt/Audit FOH system and functionalities.
• Ensure compliance and highest standards of all food safety, sanitation and HACCP codes, requirements, regulations, company policy and laws.
• Develops positive working relationships with all lines of business, all other functional leaders
• Support Corporate Food & Beverage and peers with additional projects
• Be an ambassador and active participant of the organization’s shared values and customer service programs.
• Volunteer to support and partake in task-force/project activities that positively benefit the organization, lodges and department.

Required Qualifications & Skills:

• Associates Degree in Hospitality Management or similar
• Minimum of 5 years of demonstrated success in a F&B operational leadership role in a multi-unit environment
• Documented track record of managing and leading efficient and effective food and beverage operation, services and programs
• Documented track record of successfully developing, managing and implementing organizational, operational, and system changes through organizational growth.
• Demonstrated advanced knowledge of food and beverage: products, recipes, categories, programs, origins and trends.
• Demonstrated proficiency in restaurant, banquet, bar and QSR outlet: services, sales, promotions, marketing, guest capture optimization, check value optimization and controls.
• Demonstrated advanced knowledge of food production forecasting, waste management and yield management.
• Exceptional service mind-set.
• Demonstrated methodological and systematic approach to: problem solving, identifying system and operational defects, create solutions and implementing improvements.
• Demonstrated ability to drive continuous process improvement activities and programs
• Strong technology systems experience including proficiency in Point of Sales, Scheduling, Procurement and Microsoft
• Demonstrated proficiency in procurement and inventory control systems and operations: methodology, configurations, functions, policies and procedures.
• Demonstrated strong financial acumen including experience in: P&L Management, budgeting, forecasting, controls and financial performance optimization
• Demonstrated experience in driving effective and meaningful training, people development and mentorship programs.
• Demonstrated excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelors Degree in Hospitality Management or similar a plus
• Experience leading and managing leaders
• Well versed in utilization of service automation and mobile technology.
• Excellent relationship and trust building skills with ability to communicate and collaborate cross-functionally - professional image that inspires trust and confidence.
• Highly self-motivated, strong work ethic, and continuous improvement attitude; ability to suggest and implement best practices.
• Experience with diversity, inclusion and unconscious bias culture and programs