Overview
The food and beverage director is one of the most important managers within a hotel business. A true cornerstone of the establishment, they generally work in a large operation (100 rooms or more). Their aim is to attract guests by enhancing the image, quality and reputation of the food and beverage offering by every means available.
What is a food and beverage director?
Appointed by the hotel manager, the food and beverage director, also known as the F&B Manager, is an accomplished business manager. As the title suggests, they head up the entire food and beverage division of a hotel, meaning the restaurants, the bars, room service and the banqueting and events department. The kitchen, the pantry, the cellar and the stores are naturally also areas they must manage.
Ensuring the profitability of the food and beverage outlets is their primary objective. To achieve this, they must make each outlet appealing while respecting the budget, the ratios and the targets set (calculating food, beverage and payroll costs, among others) so that the establishment and every department under their responsibility runs smoothly. They are of course responsible for commercial policy and oversee human resources within their area of activity.
What does a food and beverage director do?
The food and beverage director has a wide range of responsibilities. This hospitality professional has to get involved at every level in order to raise the standard of the services delivered within the hotel.
Working with their line manager, the hotel manager, they choose the positioning of the restaurant or restaurants (fine dining, themed restaurant and so on). But that is not all: they must also focus on the finer details to ensure service runs smoothly and guests are satisfied. Together with the head chef, they design the menu and set the prices for every dish and set menu served.
Constantly on the floor, they work with the sales department on a range of commercial initiatives to strengthen the brand image of their food and beverage operation. This can range from commissioning advertising campaigns and launching promotional offers to organising various events on site. Their remit also includes maintaining an impeccable guest relationship: quality, speed and precision of service, along with compliance with hygiene and safety standards, are therefore central concerns. By acting in advance to meet guests' needs, they also assess their satisfaction afterwards in order to improve the quality and efficiency of the service.
A natural manager, the food and beverage director leads and coordinates all the staff working within their departments. Their teams may be larger or smaller depending on the size of the operation. They also take part in recruitment, oversee training and assess performance on a daily basis.
What skills & qualities does a food and beverage director need?
Working on every front, the food and beverage director must above all be highly versatile, with several strings to their bow in order to meet their objectives:
- Sound management knowledge and strong commercial instincts
- Unrivalled leadership and unshakeable authority
- Excellent communication skills
- Great resilience in the face of stress and a heavy workload
- Flexibility and availability, including evenings and weekends
- Versatility and the ability to step in across every area of food and beverage
- A talent for managing and coordinating teams
What are the career prospects and salary for a food and beverage director?
The average salary of a food and beverage director can vary widely according to their experience, but also according to the size and success of the hotel they work in. On average, a food and beverage director can expect a gross monthly salary of around €2,900. That figure can rise to €4,000 gross depending on the size and reputation of the business.
If they start out in a small hotel business, this hospitality and catering professional can aim for the same position in a larger establishment. Further progression is also possible: they can move up to a wider remit by targeting the role of hotel manager. Another option for those with an entrepreneurial streak is to go it alone and open their own restaurant or hotel.
How do you become a food and beverage director?
The role of food and beverage director is not an easy one to reach. It is generally taken up after several years' experience in other positions within the same department, for example as a head waiter or head chef. It is by demonstrating strong hospitality and management skills in the field that you can then step into this role.
So if you hope one day to become a restaurant director, you will need to start with a hospitality and catering programme and then work your way up the ladder step by step. It can be wise to begin with a hospitality and catering baccalaureate, then continue at a hotel management school such as CMH, which offers a Grande École Programme open to students straight from the baccalaureate and through lateral entry, leading to the MBA International Hospitality and Luxury Brand Management. Over five years, the school awards an RNCP Level 7 qualification, preparing you to become a future manager of luxury establishments. This programme also leads to a European Bachelor in Hotel and Tourism Management: a career-focused, internationally oriented programme that will give you solid foundations in modern foreign languages and, above all, real hands-on experience.
Taking these programmes as a work-study route can clearly add real value to your CV, since each of them will need to be supplemented by several periods of professional experience within an establishment before you can take on the responsibilities of a food and beverage director.
