Food and Beverage Manager: Job Profile and Role

For quite a few of us, working in the hospitality industry has been a means to finance our post-school education. Maybe you have also worked as a waiter/waitress or a bartender and have fallen in love with a job that was supposed to be only temporary. In this case, you may be interested in the job of a food and beverage manager.

In the following blog, we explore what it takes to become a food and beverage manager in the UK and what skills will benefit you both professionally and personally. You will also find out all you need to know about your annual salary, your potential employers, and your working hours. We conclude this blog by giving you some insights into your future working days and tips for thriving as a food and beverage manager.

Short Summary

• As a food and beverage manager, you are responsible for all foods and beverages of the hospitality establishment you are working for. This includes ensuring sufficient stock and knowing the latest food and beverage trends.
• As a food and beverage manager, you are in charge of a food and beverage team which can consist of (head) waiters/waitresses, bartenders, and kitchen staff. It is your job to delegate all tasks related to their respective positions.
• As a food and beverage manager, you may be in charge of so-called operational tasks, such as planning and executing food and drinks menus for a dinner, a wedding, or corporate events.

Job description

A fast-paced environment, varied and creative daily tasks, delegation, and working with a team are all part of your job description as a food and beverage manager. Naturally, you are also almost solely responsible for everything connected to the food and beverage side of the hospitality establishment you are working for. You are in charge of planning food and drinks menus, doing inventories, and ordering supplies from your trusted vendors and suppliers. To succeed as a food and beverage manager, you need certain qualifications and a strong skill set. Earning said qualifications and working on your soft skills are also a part of your job.

Responsibilities

• Event Planning
• Quality Control
• Customer Service
• Staff Management
• Menu Development
• Supplier Management
• Inventory/Stock Control
• Marketing and Promotion
• Health/Safety Compliance
• Budgeting/Financial Management

Different types of Food and Beverage Managers

• Hotel Food and Beverage Manager
• Food Service Manager
• Restaurant Manager
• Beverage Manager
• Bar Manager

Salary

Your annual salary as a food and beverage manager in the UK can range from ￡37,000 to￡57,000, ￡37,000 being your starting salary. Typically, the average annual salary is somewhere in between and comes in at around ￡46,000. Keep in mind that you earn more in this managerial position, whereas as a food and beverage assistant – likely your entry-level position – you will only earn between ￡19,000 and ￡23,000. Moreover, your employer and your employer’s location will affect what you earn each year.

Working hours

Your typical working hours as a food and beverage manager can range from 35 to 45 hours per week. There are a few things you should factor in and be okay with when this job is your chosen career. You will work shifts that can start early in the morning or the evenings. Weekend shifts are also the norm and are not necessarily limited to only working Saturdays. You should also keep in mind that your working hours can increase during busy times, for example, during the “wedding season” (spring/summer) and the festive season, starting in November.

Employers

It may be quite obvious that as a food and beverage manager, you will browse the job ads related to the hospitality sector since this is the industry that will eventually employ you. So far, so good and no surprises here. Therefore, you can look for jobs in restaurants, hotels, cafés, and bars. These establishments can be independent establishments, part of a hotel/restaurant chain or franchise, or part of a holiday/wellness resort.

Qualifications

To work as a food and beverage manager, you need specific qualifications that generally include two important steps: first, you need to finish your school education and second, you need to complete further training.

These steps can look like this: you need to have so-called pass grades at GCSEs which tend to be A* to C (9 to 4). Relevant subjects are English and maths, you may also benefit from A-Levels in business and hospitality management. GCSEs or A-Levels enable you to enter your further education which can be one of the following: a university course or an apprenticeship, usually an advanced or a higher apprenticeship.

Besides your educational qualifications, you should look into industry-related certifications and qualifications, such as the Level 2 or 3 Award in Wines and Spirits awarded by the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET). Also, you should make yourself familiar with useful software, such as TouchBistro, BeerSAVER, and Toast POS.

Skills

As a food and beverage manager, you should have strong leadership and teamwork skills. After all, you are both the person your team ideally looks up to and the person who needs to work with said team. There are more skills you should have when you want to work as a food and beverage manager. Even though we recommend you always check the required skills in the respective job advertisements, we are sure that the following three skills will certainly benefit you.

Interpersonal Skills

Besides the mentioned leadership and teamwork skills, you should also have strong interpersonal skills. As a food and beverage manager, you will not only deal with your F&B team but also with other colleagues, customers, vendors, and suppliers. Knowing how to read all these people and to interact with them accordingly is vital for you to perform a good job.

Organisational Skills

As a food and beverage manager, you are in charge of multiple organisational tasks, for example, ensuring that all needed food and drinks are sufficiently stocked. You are also in charge of delegating daily tasks to your team and setting up the staff roster. Therefore, you should have strong organisational skills that ensure that you perform these tasks admirably.

High Stress Threshold

If you have already worked in the hospitality industry, you know that any related job comes with high pressure, sometimes high-maintenance customers, rush hours, and seasonal peak times. There will be days when you have hardly time to eat and drink, never mind, breathe. To deal with this level of stress, you need very high stress thresholds. This is the only way you will be able to both perform and stay in your job as a food and beverage manager.

Career Path

After you have worked as a food and beverage assistant, you can think about advancing to the more senior position of a food and beverage manager. Equally, you can think about other managerial roles in the hospitality industry, such as the job of a food service manager, a beverage manager, or a bar manager.

Educational Background

You can become a food and beverage manager by earning an undergraduate degree or by completing an advanced or higher apprenticeship. 

If you want to pursue an academic approach, you can look into the following university courses: a Bachelor of Science (BSc), a Bachelor of Arts (BA), or a BA (Hons) in International Hospitality Management. Usually, these studies include modules focussing on food and beverage management. Note, however, that not all UK universities offer these degrees/studies.

If you would rather do an apprenticeship, you have the following options: Level 4 or 5 Apprenticeships in Hospitality Management, a Hospitality Supervisor Advanced Apprenticeship, or even a Level 4 Brewer Apprenticeship.

Entry Level

Your career as a food and beverage manager very likely starts as a food and beverage assistant, this being your entry-level position. This job may not offer you the highest wages – but it gives you invaluable benefits. You gain your first work experience and you may already apply ways to thrive. Here is a tip from us: ask one of your senior colleagues (manager) if you can be his or her “shadow”, meaning that you are said colleague’s assistant. This way, you get insider tips that will benefit you when you want to progress to a managerial position.

Continuous Learning

Some numerous qualifications and certifications can be a part of your continuous learning as a food and beverage manager. One of those qualifications can be an FSA Food Allergy Training offered by the Food Standards Agency. This is a vital qualification to have considering that it is pretty much mandatory for people in the hospitality industry to know the exact ingredients of all foods and beverages. The following qualifications and training can also be useful: a Level 4 Award in Managing Food Safety from the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH), a NEBOSH Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety, and professional development training gained through the Institute of Hospitality.

Universities that offer BAs in Hospitality Management

Currently, ten UK universities offer BAs in hospitality management: the University of Surrey, Bournemouth University, Oxford Brookes University, the University of Derby, Leeds Beckett University, the Manchester Metropolitan University, Middlesex University, and the Sheffield Hallam University in England, the University of Strathclyde in Scotland, and the Ulster University in Northern Ireland.

A Day in the Life of a Food and Beverage Manager

As a food and beverage manager, you will have a daily bouquet of various tasks that may vary depending on both your employer and seasonal requirements, so to speak. In this section, we will look at three tasks that are typical in a day in the life of a food and beverage manager – regardless of the employer or the season.

Discuss Food and Drinks Menus

One of your jobs as a food and beverage manager is to discuss the existing food and drinks menus with your respective staff. Here, you check whether these menus are still “ready to go” or if they need a few adjustments. Discussing menus always includes taking your team’s opinions and suggestions on board since they know which dishes and beverages are particularly popular with your customers.

Administrative Tasks

Let’s continue with the least creative part of your job as a food and beverage manager: administrative tasks. These can range from writing the staff roster to payrolling. It can also include checking your customer’s feedback online and acting on it. By the way: said feedback may not always be what you want to read but it will give you valuable tips for improving your food and beverage services.

Customer Interaction

As a food and beverage manager, customer interaction is another one of your daily tasks. Besides the virtual interaction by replying to online feedback, you also need to speak to your patrons, both existing and new. It is your job to make sure they have an outstanding and (positively) memorable time at your restaurant. Therefore, you also need to follow up on their enquiries, requests, and complaints.

Tips for Thriving as a Food and Beverage Manager

We are certain that you want to know even more ways to thrive as a food and beverage manager. After all, your further qualifications are by no means the only factors that ensure your professional success. So, without much further ado, let’s take a look at three more ways to thrive as a food and beverage manager:

• Customer service
• Specialised knowledge
• Market trend understanding 

Customer Service

Great customer service is the key to a successful business. Maybe this is especially true for the hospitality industry where direct contact with customers happens daily. If you and your team want to thrive as food and beverage experts, you should invest time into specialised customer services training, such as courses offered by the National Hospitality Academy or the CPD Online College.

Specialised Knowledge

When you work as a food and beverage manager, you should strive to improve your specialised knowledge. Let’s say you have always been passionate about fusion cuisine and menus or the ongoing trend spirit, gin. If you want to thrive as a food and beverage manager, you should become the eminent authority in your chosen field. Your knowledge will not only benefit you but also your team and your customers.

Market Trend Understanding

Being passionate about food and beverages is one way to thrive. But you should also keep market trends in mind. To find out what’s hot and what’s not, you should spend some time on social media daily. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok have turned into trendsetters if you want. Whatever is trending on there will likely turn into food and beverage hits you absolutely need to be aware of. You should then also try to implement said trends into your food and drinks menus.

Frequently Asked Questions