Food and Beverage Director Essay

The operation in food and beverages has been a staple source of income in hotels for many years. Development of a food and beverage department in most of the hotels supplements the income generated from room profits as well as builds the image of the hotel. People come to hotels now not just for the room accommodations but also for the food and beverages they offer in their restaurants, cafes, function rooms, and bars. The demand of food and beverages lead to the creation of a hotel position called food and beverage manager that spearheads the services offered by the hotel’s food and beverage department(Hubsch 1966). Food and beverages management is among the most complicated areas of hospitality and is an integral part of the hotel industry. The latest trend in the management of food and beverages in a hotel setting has shifted from a cuisine based job into a career that necessitates knowledge in marketing and productivity. The shift can be attributed to the challenge to provide a service of high quality despite the increasing competition, technological innovations, and clientele sophistication. At present, the duties and responsibilities of a food and beverage director of a hotel go beyond planning the menu. Food and beverage trends affects the preference of clients thus the food and beverage manager should be able to constantly monitor this and cope up with the trends so that the clients will be able to appreciate the services offered. Nowadays, to be able to compete and cope up with the fast paced hospitality industry individuals like hotel food and beverage managers need to have a wide knowledge on the various aspects of business. Aside from the basic knowledge on cuisine, these managers now need to possess an understanding on organizational skills, technical expertise, and dedication to high standards of the industry(Riley, 2005). A food and beverage department of any establishment especially in hotels is supervised and coordinated by a manager or director. This individual makes sure that the service delivery at all points of sale must be done appropriately. The primary responsibilities of a food and beverage manager include the following: guarantee that the guest will receive service of excellent quality; make sure that all the department as well as the company’s regulations are followed; responsible for the optimizing the chain of supply as well as the utilization of raw materials; and ensure that the costumers are satisfied by the services offered(HEG). The manager of the food and beverages in dining rooms, private clubs, institutions, restaurants, resorts, convention centers, and hotels is the one responsible for planning, directing, and controlling all aspects of the services in food and beverages(emerit, 2006). The individual suited for this type of job needs to be able to ensure that the organization’s financial and labor objectives are met with the application of management skills and balanced with excellent customer skills. The responsibilities of a person managing the food and beverages of an organization are the following: staff recruitment and training of staff; organization, direction, and assessment of services associated with food and beverages; scheduling of employee shifts; purchase and regulating inventory; management of staff performance that include staff performance monitoring and feedback provision; monitoring revenues and expenses; assure that the health and safety regulations are practiced; communicate and negotiate with clients regarding the offered services; and handle negotiations with the suppliers of food and beverages products(Society, 2007). Hotel food and beverage managers have various responsibilities as well as needed abilities to be able to do these responsibilities. Through management of the catering and beverages department is one of these responsibilities. The food and beverage manager (F&B manager) oversees the functions of the all of the employees in the department including the maitre d’hotel’s, production managers, and banquet mangers. All the operations in the department are under the scrutiny of the F&B manager. Designing and pricing menus is another role of the F&B manager. The menu is the first thing a client sees in the hotel restaurant or bar thus the design should be done appropriately with the prices based on the pre-determined gross profit. The purchasing or supervision of the purchasing of all the food, beverage, and related products is the third responsibility of an F&B manager. He or she can do the purchasing himself or can delegate the task to a subordinate with his or hers supervision. Adequate knowledge on quality, mark, grades, and counts of all the perishable and non-perishable foods must be possessed by the food and beverages manager. With his or her supervision the following are arranged: dealers guide of purchase specifications; a clerk that receives the products delivered; and, and chefs and stewards according to need. Part also of the F&B manager’s work is the search for better deals for goods in places like markets and packing houses(Brodnerc 1960). Another responsibility of a hotel food and beverage manager is working as the head of the food and beverage department which necessitates knowledge on handling labor organizations, scheduling staff duties, job descriptions, psychology of employment, and the likes. The regulation of the number of personnel and areas to staff needed during different occasions is the primary function of the H&B manager in staffing. He or she must be equipped with appropriate capability to determine the service needs of the clients in different instances according to room occupancy of the hotel; various functions or gatherings held in the hotel; and outside patronage(Brodnerc 1960). A wide knowledge on state of the art cooking methodologies and procedures will be of excellent value to a hotel food and beverage manager. This individual should be well versed in the kitchen and equipped with fitting experience about the cooking process for easier performance. The manager though will not have cooking as part of his or her duty can function better with the passion for cooking and food. The modern methods of food production nowadays is widely accepted so a F&B manager without excellent exposure and passion for cooking can do the job but still the position will be better performed by an individual that is not only well versed in the clinic but also has the passion for cooking(Brodnerc 1960). The food and beverage manager especially in big hotels supervises the maitre d’hotel, headwaiters, and other service personnel thus the individual needs to have the capability to direct this employees into achieving the appropriate standards of services offered. No matter how excellent the quality of food the staffs in the kitchen produces if the individuals that serve this to the clients will not be able to do so with the preservation of the food quality, the service provided would still be of inferior quality(Brodnerc 1960). Purchases of beverages, bar operations, cocktail lounges, and services during feasts are also taken care of the food and service managers. Without a department that specifically handles feast occasions the food and beverages department will come to the rescue hence the F&B manager needs to be competent enough to handle this situations. Success in the feast can be attained either with delicious and extravagant food or with excellent mixed drinks offered. The purchases of beverages as well as for the bar operations, feasts, and cocktail lounges must be managed well by the F&B manger(Brodnerc 1960). The control and regulation of every storeroom, refrigerators, and similar areas is another function of the food and beverage manager of a hotel. This individual needs to prevent losses due to the spoilage of raw materials purchased. He or she has the task to control all the storage rooms and refrigerators by mandating that these areas are to be locked when not used, all these areas must be of the proper temperatures needed for the materials or products, and prevent unauthorized individuals from having access to the area(Brodnerc 1960). Excellent knowledge about the lay-out of the kitchen, efficient utilization of the latest equipment and technologies, and compliance with the proper sanitation procedures will be of value to a food and beverage manager. The manager should be able to suggest to the management how to efficiently use the modern amenities in the kitchen. Despite if the kitchen is very old the F&B needs to ensure that practices in housekeeping are in compliance with the health standards of the area(Brodnerc 1960). The above mentioned responsibilities and capabilities of a hotel food and beverage manger are only representatives of the various functions of a person with this type of position. Though most of the things are not done by the F&B manager directly, he or she still needs to have necessary experience and passion for preparing and serving food so as to function well. Even though in big hotels there are many sub-positions from the manager, the F&B manger still has the responsibility to integrate and monitor the said aspects of food production(Brodnerc 1960). The job as a food and beverage manager requires skills that will enable the individual to fulfill the demands of the job. Among the skills needed for this job are: good team player qualities including team management and leadership; passion for organizational type of work; management effectiveness specifically on delivering profit centre profitability; excellent sales ability; good public relations especially sensitivity to the customers; financial awareness; capability to adopt with the diverse needs of the customers; and, having the initiative(HEG). Hotel executives now have a growing trend of hiring individuals that possess the qualifications to manage their food and beverage operations. The demand for a hotel food and beverage manager is high but the qualifications set for the position also parallels the demand. Hence, a person who is interested in having a career in the food and beverages industry must first have himself equipped with the necessary and education to be able to function in the competitive world in which the hotel food and beverage manager position is included. References Brodnerc , J. (1960). The Food and Beverage Manager. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 1(79). emerit. (2006). Food and Beverage Manager Certification [Electronic Version]. Food and Beverage Manager (FBM). Retrieved December 8, 2007, from http://www. emerit. ca/eng/pdf/foodandbeveragemanager. pdf HEG, H. E. G. -. Food and Beverage. jobsinhotels. co. uk Retrieved December 8 2007, from http://www. jobsinhotels. co. uk/Default. asp? page=83#1 Hubsch , A. W. (1966). Hotel Food and Beverage Management. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 7(9). Riley, M. (2005). Food and beverage management: A review of change. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 17(1). Society, T. H. (2007). Food and Beverage Manager. Retrieved December 8, 2007, from http://www. go2hr. ca/CareersbrinTourism/JobDescriptions/FoodandBeverageManager/tabid/590/Default. aspx