Food & Beverage Manager - The Cotswolds

Job Description

Front of House Manager

The Package; At a Glance;

• A great working venue.


• Working hours typically 40-45 hr week including evenings and weekends (operating hours 8am-9pm during peak trading periods) – you will manage your own rota and train your team to ensure that effective leadership is in place across all trading periods. Our expectation is that during peak season your working pattern will include at least one evening and one weekend day per week


• 31 Days holiday per annum pro rata (inclusive of bank holidays, which are normal working days)


• Salary Range - Salary is £30,000-£32,000, rising within 6 months for the right candidate


• A small, friendly team.


• Free Parking on Site.


• An exciting opportunity.


• Start date as soon as possible.


• Location: Rural, outside Cheltenham, Gloucestershire so own transport is required.

This exciting role is based is one of the UK’s leading rural attractions, based in The Cotswolds. They are growing fast, and are looking for the best people to help them on the next chapter of their journey.

Role: Front of House Manager;

Reports to: Head of Operations Manages: Kitchen and Front of House food service teams. 6 x full time and up to 30 seasonal team members (including a core team of 10 working 9-11 months/year)

Further to significant recent investment in the site and the sustained growth and development of our diverse business, a unique opportunity has arisen for an experienced Front of Manager to take the lead overseeing all aspects of our catering and hospitality offerings.

The venue has been operating for 50 years and is one of the UK’s leading rural attractions.

It comprises:

• Year-round farm-based visitor attraction, including farm animals, indoor and outdoor play, and seasonal events and activities.

• A range of accommodation types, including lodges, glamping, pods, touring and camping.

• Food and Beverage – daytime and evening, including a bar and restaurant.

• Retail – offering a range of high-quality gifts, toys, food, and beverage.

• Marketing and Maintenance support teams.

This tourist attraction is on an exciting journey from a seasonal ‘day out’ to a larger scale visitor attraction with extensive accommodation. This would be an excellent point in time for an experienced Front of House Manager to join our management team and help deliver the strategic plan.

About the Role:

The Front of House Manager is responsible for the effective and efficient running of the food and beverage teams, with direct responsibility for all outlets and activities within the department.  

The Successful Candidate will be: A truly ambitious individual who is motivated by decision making, responsibility and creative freedom to develop their ideas alongside a company’s objectives and is hungry to lead a successful team. We are searching for someone that has a wealth of experience in establishing operational systems and knowledge of creating multiple menus over a varying number of outlets and events. Skilled in outlet and menu design alongside experience in implementing operational procedures and maintaining excellent food service standards. We would like to accelerate our journey towards presenting a locally sourced or seasonal menu that fits within our food policy framework, which can be produced at high quality and high volume. Some experience in this area would be advantageous.

Key Responsibilities; We expect all candidates to be able to demonstrate skills and experience in the following areas:

Operational Delivery

• The overall running of the F&B department to ensure the offer reflects the company’s objectives within the budgeted framework.

• To ensure that the offer stays relevant, competitive, and attractive.

• Continued development of satellite and pop-up units in the park to provide high quality and high-volume service, in an attractive and comfortable environment.

• Inspiration and design of the menus in the various outlets across site, working toward a locally sourced high-quality, high-volume offer. As a visitor attraction with accommodation, these menus must cover breakfast, lunch, café and an evening service for campers and local guests, an in-park daytime offer and flexibility to upscale to cater for one-off events.

• Continued assessment of integrating technology. Research and propose where appropriate – for example the development of a table ordering system via phone apps or by ordering screens.

• To maintain 5-star customer service levels and respond directly to specific customer complaints and queries when required. Team Leadership and Development

• Line and performance management of the Head Chef, the Front of House Manager and the Supervisor team. In the future, the successful applicant will be encouraged to develop their own team structure and organise line management as appropriate.

• Recruit and train all necessary seasonal staff. • Coach and mentor your team to develop their skills, experience and role responsibilities.

• Maintain our 5-star food hygiene certification, with continuous development and improvement of our team’s food safety training and procedures. Currently the Safer Food Better Business processes are followed, we are looking to review this and consider a HACCP management plan as part of our growth strategy.

• Work closely with the marketing team to ensure that content and promotional material is provided in line with the marketing calendar to effectively drive sales and maximise all revenue opportunities.

• Work alongside the wider management team, to ensure that F&B offers are well communicated across the park, that they are communicated via our online channels and that they work logistically.

• Work collaboratively with other managers to drive footfall to the rest of the business and maximise spend opportunities and operational efficiencies within other enterprises.

• Ensure that sufficient training and procedures are in place to ensure that the F&B EPOS system is maintained with accurate and relevant data, ensuring that front and back of house requirements are functional (technical support and training is provided for this). • Meet all statutory and legislative requirements, taking a proactive approach to implementation. For example, Natasha’s Law, Allergens, calories. Financial Performance

• You will have strong, financial acumen and will have full responsibility for managing the F&B budget, ensuring that all opportunities are maximised to hit the daily, weekly, and monthly KPIs, reporting back to the Head of Operations with proposals and changes.

• Pricing: To review current menu costings and establish areas where improvements can be made. To source new suppliers when necessary and be responsible for negotiating and maintaining the cost of both wet and dry goods. Using the team to ensure that goods are ordered on time and received correctly. To continually review our suppliers and re-negotiate when required.

This list is not exhaustive.

If you would like to know more or you would like to apply for this opportunity pick up the phone and call 01242 577222 and speak to Fiona, or alternatively apply with your current CV.

We can offer permanent and temporary work to our candidates and we are always looking for good candidates for a variety of roles including chefs, management in all disciplines, housekeepers, hotel receptionists and waiting staff / bar staff.

Please visit our website for all current vacancies – www.cateringinternational.co.uk

Catering Services International acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment and as an employment business for the supply of temporary workers.

Are you working at the moment? Want to Temp? If you are looking for immediate work while you find the perfect permanent role, make sure you mention this in your application.