Food Operations
This department is central to the hotel and pub food and beverage service offer. Many hotels and pubs offer a range of all-day dining options, from early morning to late evening, also catering for in-house and external functions and events.
In a hotel setting the food and beverage offer often includes banqueting, club lounge and in-room dining options, while pub restaurants and dining rooms range in style from informal family bistros to upmarket, fine dining experiences.
Duties include setting and resetting tables, explaining food and beverage options, serving food and the preparation and service of beverages to accompany food.
Food Operations Hierarchy
Front of house -
where experiences are created! Areas where customers interact directly with pub/hotel staff.
one
A runner is a vital cog in a busy hotel or pub. Their job is to ‘run’ food from the kitchen to the customer. Runners need to be quick thinking, have great attention to detail and be willing to go the extra mile for the customer. A love of food is a bonus, runners also need to know the menu back to front, and answer any questions a customer might have about the food.
two
Hotel and pub operators know that ‘they’re only as good as their last customer.’ Every customer is important, and every interaction is an opportunity to impress! Our industry is very competitive, with lots of dining choices. Great service often sets one hotel or pub apart from the rest!
That’s why the role of Waiter/Food and Beverage Attendant is so integral to a venue’s success. To excel at this role staff need to possess a genuine interest in interacting with people from all walks of life. They are often the first person to greet a customer and make them feel welcome. Customers rely on their knowledge of food and beverages on offer and seek out appropriate recommendations. They must juggle multiple tasks, be able to plan and prioritise under time pressures, and make quick decisions.
three
After a few years developing skills as a Waiter/Food and Beverage attendant there are many opportunities in large, busy hotels and pubs to step up to a supervisory level. A supervisor oversees the operation of restaurants and, during service periods, works alongside a team while managing service standards and troubleshooting any issues that might arise.
four
A Maitre’d (Bistro or Restaurant Manager) is the welcoming face at the door, the person responsible for ensuring guests enjoy their dining experience. The role entails overseeing reservations and allocating tables, training and managing wait staff, communicating with the kitchen and ensuring service periods run as smoothly as possible. To become a Maitre’d you will need solid experience working in a restaurant, with exceptional knowledge of food and wine and possess a measured leadership style.
five
Many larger hotels and pubs might employ a Food and Beverage Manager to plan, coordinate and oversee all their food and beverage operations. Likely a highly experienced and passionate ‘foodie,’ key aspects of their role include menu design, marketing activities, development of policies, to maintain high service standards, managing customer suggestions and complaints and compliance activities relating to safe food handling and the responsible service of alcohol.
six
The Duty or Shift Manager is the person who is in control of the venue during a shift and is responsible for ensuring the hotel or pub operates within the guidelines and rules, set out by the owner, the management company (e.g. Marriott or Hyatt) and the various governing authorities, such as the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation and local council.
In a hotel, the Duty Manager is responsible for making sure the operations of the hotel run smoothly, in the General Manager’s absence, through maintaining great customer service, overseeing any security issues and addressing any maintenance issues that might impact guest satisfaction.
Aside from the years of experience working in hotels or pubs, to succeed in this role you will need to be able to make rational decisions and be good at troubleshooting problems under pressure. You will like leading people, be comfortable dealing with conflict and possess a laser focus and keen attention to detail. This role is a great way to hone your skills, on the way to becoming a Hotel Manager, Pub or Venue Manager.
seven
Welcome to the world’s best job! Where no two days will ever be the same and every day is both rewarding and challenging. Sure, there is a lot of hard work involved and a huge amount of responsibility, but to get to this position you will have done the hard yards and know how pubs ‘tick’. Being a pub manager is very much like running your own business, and you need to be fluent in front of house and back-office processes.
To be a great pub manager, first and foremost, you will love leading a team and you will enjoy interacting with people from all walks of life. You will need empathy, patience, humour and business smarts plus energy to burn. You will love multitasking, innovating and finding creative solutions. We often say that the pub is the centre of the local community, therefore the pub manager is thought of its unofficial mayor! Which really means that being a pub manager comes with the responsibility of helping to make the community a better place.
eight
This role exists in organisations that own multiple pubs and venues, we often refer to these businesses as ‘pub groups’. The role of Area Manager is one that oversees a number of pubs, sometimes more than 20. Each pub has a Pub Manager that reports directly to the Area Manager. The Area Manager oversees the strategic direction, compliance and financial performance of their portfolio of businesses. A large part of the role is to prepare detailed reports, analyse the variance performance measures of the business, and implement strategies for improvement and growth. To achieve this level of seniority, many years of hands-on experience is required along with a strong leadership style and abilities in strategic planning and thinking.
