Director of Food & Beverage

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Lexington, KY, US

2 days ago Requisition

DIRECTOR OF FOOD & BEVERAGE PROFILE

Reports to:
General Manager, position is exempt

We are seeking an experienced Director of Food & Beverage to lead all food and beverage operations for this full-service hotel. This leader will oversee the restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner; and a full banquet and catering program supporting corporate meetings, social celebrations, weddings, and other signature events. The ideal candidate brings strong operational expertise, financial acumen, and a passion for creating consistently elevated guest experiences.

The Director of Food & Beverage is the senior leader and responsible for all food and beverage operations. Reporting directly to the Hotel General Manager, this role owns the restaurant, bar, banquets and events, catering, and in-room dining from end to end. The vision, standards, financial performance, and teams are all within this leader’s scope.

You set the strategy, build the leaders, and hold the entire operation to a single elevated standard, whether it is a Tuesday breakfast, a sold out Saturday night, or a full-hotel wedding weekend running on top of both.

This role calls for a hands-on leader who identifies what needs attention and takes action. You will be present in service where it matters most while building the financial discipline, tools, and systems that allow a successful hotel food and beverage operation to perform at its best.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Own all of F&B. Develop and execute the operating plan that delivers every outlet and event space, restaurant, bar, banquets, catering, and in-room dining, at a consistent elevated standard, every daypart, every day.
• Own the P&L, the budget, and the forecast. Build the annual F&B operating budget, deliver accurate monthly forecasts, set goals and KPIs by revenue center, lead inventory and cost controls, and manage labor and expense to deliver the financial result the operation is built to produce.
• Own banquets and catering performance. Lead/delegate banquet operations from BEO to breakdown, hold execution to the same standard as the dining room, and partner with the Sales team on menu architecture, pricing, and packages that maximize catering revenue and protect margin.
• Build and lead the leadership team. Hire, develop, and hold accountable the outlet and banquet leaders beneath you, building the bench strength and succession pipeline a growing operation demands.
• Set and protect the service standard. Define the sequence of service for every outlet and event type, train to it, and hold every floor to it through every daypart and every cover.
• Lead by example. Be present in service where the stakes are highest, mentoring and coaching the teams and giving them everything you know about food, beverage, and hospitality to build real technical skill.
• Own the beverage program. Set the beverage vision across every outlet, curate the wine list and the cocktail and spirits offering, drive banquet beverage strategy, and educate the teams so every member can speak to it with authority.
• Build the systems. Establish and maintain the staffing, scheduling, ordering, inventory, BEO, sidework, and shift-log discipline that lets a multi-outlet operation run cleanly every night, and own the tech stack behind it.
• Partner with the kitchen. Work with the Executive Chef on menu architecture and item performance across restaurant, banquet, and in-room dining to sharpen the offering and protect margin.
• Drive the guest and client experience. Act as the ambassador for F&B across the hotel, engage…