How to Record a Food & Beverage Manager Video Job Ad

Date modified: 2nd June 2025 | This article explains how you can record a food & beverage manager video job ad inside the Pilla App which you can share with external candidates. You can also check out the Job Ads Guide for more info on other roles or check out the docs page for Managing Videos in Pilla.

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Food & Beverage Manager is one of hospitality's most demanding roles. They oversee everything that guests eat and drink—restaurants, bars, room service, banqueting, often multiple outlets with different concepts and teams. They're responsible for revenue, costs, quality, and team across what's frequently the largest department in a hotel or hospitality operation. The combination of commercial acumen, operational expertise, and leadership required is significant. Your video job ad needs to convey the scope and complexity of what you're offering, because capable F&B managers are scarce and evaluating multiple options.

Step 1: Open with the Opportunity

Experienced F&B managers assess opportunities based on scale, autonomy, and strategic challenge. Lead with what makes your role compelling.

Operation scope: What F&B outlets exist? Restaurant concepts, bars, banqueting facilities, room service, grab-and-go? The breadth of the operation determines complexity. A single restaurant is different from managing five outlets across a hotel.

Annual revenue under management? Team size? These metrics help candidates assess scale and fit.

Commercial context: What's the current performance trajectory? Strong results to maintain? Underperforming outlets needing improvement? New concepts to develop? Each context presents different challenges.

What are the expectations—revenue growth, margin improvement, guest satisfaction targets?

Autonomy level: How much is genuinely theirs to shape? Concept development influence, menu collaboration, supplier relationships, team building? Or executing within tight corporate parameters?

F&B managers who want to build something need creative latitude; those who want systems and support need structure. Which do you offer?

Career positioning: Is this a ceiling role or stepping stone? Hotel GM pathway? Multi-site F&B director? Group-level roles? Where does this fit in a career trajectory?

Step 2: Show Your F&B Operation

Film all F&B outlets and back-of-house operations. Candidates need to see what they'd be managing.

Each outlet: Restaurant dining rooms, bars, grab-and-go, pool or garden service—whatever exists. The concepts, aesthetics, and positioning of each. The variety and complexity they'd oversee.

Service in action: Capture actual service if possible. The pace, the style, the guest interaction. What does F&B look like during operation?

Kitchen and production: Kitchen facilities—main kitchen, pastry, banqueting kitchens. The production infrastructure that supports F&B.

Banqueting and events: If applicable, event spaces and banqueting operation. This is often a significant revenue stream and requires specific management.

Back of house: Storage, receiving, staff facilities. The operational infrastructure.

Current team: Restaurant managers, bar managers, head chef, outlet supervisors. The leadership team they'd inherit and direct.

Step 3: Paint a Picture of the Role

F&B Manager responsibilities span commercial accountability, operational excellence, and people leadership. Define what yours involves.

P&L responsibility: Full F&B P&L ownership. Revenue targets across outlets. Cost management—food cost, beverage cost, labour cost. Margin delivery and financial reporting.

What's the annual revenue scale? £1m? £5m? £15m? The commercial weight varies enormously.

Outlet oversight: Managing multiple outlet managers—restaurant, bar, banqueting, room service. Setting standards and ensuring consistency. Stepping in when outlets need support.

How much direct outlet management versus managing managers?

Menu and concept: Collaboration with executive chef on menus. Beverage program oversight. Concept development and refresh. Seasonal changes and promotional activity.

What's the balance between operational management and concept development?

Quality control: Guest experience standards across all outlets. Consistency maintenance. Guest feedback monitoring and response. Quality systems and checks.

Banqueting and events: If applicable, event revenue is often substantial. Menu development for events. Pricing and profitability. Coordination with events team. The banqueting business within F&B.

Team leadership: Outlet manager direction and development. Recruitment involvement. Performance management across F&B department. Culture building across a large, diverse team.

F&B departments are often the largest in hotels. The people leadership scope is significant.

Kitchen relationship: Working with executive chef—collaborative partner, not direct report typically. Menu collaboration, cost discussions, service coordination. This relationship is often as important as direct reports.

Commercial planning: Budget development and management. Capital requests for equipment and refurbishment. Revenue forecasting and strategy.

External relationships: Supplier relationships for beverage. Tourism board and guide engagement. Local market presence.

Hours and presence: F&B operations run long hours. What's the realistic time commitment? Which services require presence? The lifestyle reality of the role.

Step 4: The F&B Manager You're Looking For

F&B Manager hiring requires balancing commercial capability with operational expertise and leadership.

Commercial track record: P&L management at scale. Evidence of revenue growth, margin improvement, cost control. Can they run F&B as a business, not just an operation?

Multi-outlet experience: Managing complexity across different concepts. Shifting attention appropriately. Not getting lost in one outlet while others suffer.

Operational credibility: Do they understand how restaurants and bars actually work? Can they identify operational problems? Have the credibility to lead outlet managers? Background across restaurant and bar operations strengthens this.

Leadership capability: Building and developing teams. Managing managers—a different skill from managing staff. Handling performance issues. Creating culture across a large department.

Chef partnership: F&B success depends on kitchen collaboration. Can they work productively with strong chefs? Navigate creative and commercial tensions? Build trust across the kitchen-floor divide?

Guest experience instinct: Commercial pressure can erode quality focus. How do they balance efficiency with experience? Maintain standards while managing costs?

Property type match: Luxury hotels, business hotels, resorts, independent restaurants—each requires different F&B management approaches. Does their experience translate to your context?

Stage and ambition: Building toward GM or operations director? Or finding a long-term F&B home? Neither is wrong, but understanding ambition helps assess fit.

Step 5: Make the Offer Compelling

F&B Manager compensation should reflect the scope and commercial responsibility.

UK compensation context:

  • F&B Manager (small operation/single outlet): £38,000-48,000
  • F&B Manager (mid-size hotel): £45,000-58,000
  • F&B Manager (large/luxury hotel): £55,000-75,000
  • Director of F&B (major hotel): £70,000-95,000+

Bonus structures: Performance bonus tied to F&B department results—revenue, profit, guest satisfaction. What percentage is realistic based on current performance?

Service charge: How does service charge distribution work for F&B management? This can significantly affect total compensation.

Benefits package: Pension, healthcare, meals. At this level, comprehensive benefits are expected.

Development and progression: Hotel GM pathway for those interested. Multi-property F&B director. Group operations roles. What progression exists?

Industry conferences and events. Professional development budget.

Hours honestly: F&B management is demanding. Which services require presence? Weekend and holiday expectations? What's typical weekly commitment? Honest conversation prevents resentment.

Accommodation: Is live-in available or expected? This has significant value and lifestyle implications.

Autonomy and authority: What can they decide independently? Menu changes, pricing, staffing, supplier switches? The decision-making scope that experienced F&B managers want.

Step 6: The Application Process

F&B Manager hiring requires thorough assessment appropriate to the responsibility.

Application requirements: CV highlighting F&B management experience—outlets managed, revenue scale, team size. Commercial results if available. Cover letter explaining interest and relevant experience. Salary expectations.

Assessment stages: Initial conversation: experience, commercial approach, mutual interest. Detailed interview: P&L discussion, operational depth, leadership approach. Outlet visits: walking through each F&B outlet, discussing observations. Chef meeting: assessing kitchen relationship capability. GM/owner meeting: final approval for senior hire.

What you're assessing: Commercial capability: can they discuss P&L, strategy, and results intelligently? Operational depth: do they understand how F&B operations actually run? Leadership presence: evidence of building and developing teams? Chef collaboration: can they work productively with kitchen leadership? Cultural fit: do they match your hospitality values?

Reference depth: For F&B Manager roles, reference thoroughly. Previous GMs or owners. Executive chefs worked with. Outcome verification. Understand why they left previous roles.

Practical evaluation: Consider an outlet walk-through as part of the process. What do they observe? What questions do they ask? How do they think about the operation? This reveals more than interview discussion.

Chef interaction: Include meaningful interaction with your executive chef. Both parties need confidence in working together. The F&B-kitchen relationship is crucial.

Mutual assessment: Strong F&B manager candidates evaluate you too. What's the real state of F&B performance? Owner or GM support for investment? Kitchen relationship history? Answer questions honestly.

The F&B Manager role sits at the intersection of hospitality, commerce, and leadership. Finding someone who excels across all three—who can drive revenue while maintaining experience and developing teams—creates significant competitive advantage.