Restaurant Manager

This role is a HOD position. The duties and responsibilities are based around food and beverage service to the customers in the restaurant. Styles of hotel vary and this reflects on the standards of service offered. Key skills needed are staff management, budgetary control of stock and wages, diary management, exceptional standards in terms of customer care.

Communication's: Front desk, Senior Management, Kitchen, Housekeeping, Accounts, C and B, F and B manager.

Sommelier

This role is based around the service of wine and spirits within the restaurant department. It is a specialist position that demands training and dedication. Depending on the size of the restaurant and style of the operation the sommelier may manage a small team of junior or trainees under him/her. The position calls for an in-depth knowledge of wines and spirits so that recommendations can be made and service carried out correctly. Management of stock is part of the responsibilities so knowledge of storage and handling is paramount. Qualifications are available through specialist bodies and assistance is available through colleges.

Communication's: Front desk, Senior Management, Kitchen, Housekeeping, Accounts, C and B, F and B manager.

Chef De Rang

Traditionally a senior position in the restaurant team. From the classical history of restaurants, this job role was to manage a small team of Demi Chef De Rang and Commis waiters. This team was responsible for the food service to a section of tables and customers. There would be a number of chef de rang in the restaurant and their objective was primarily to be with the customers and ensure that every need was fulfilled using the junior team to fetch and carry. This role and its use is still employed in some establishments, but the term now can be loosely translated as senior waiter. Irrespective of the responsibility the individual still reports to the restaurant manager and head waiter.

Communications: Kitchen, Restaurant team, Laundry, Cellar.

Food and Beverage Manager

Responsible for all aspects of food and beverage service in the hotel through restaurant, bars, banqueting and lounge service. The individual will manage departmental heads in the above areas and the kitchen. The job description will include, training, health and safety, customer care, recruitment, budgetary control, product development and operational control. A stepping stone to operations or deputy manager, to attain this role you will have excellent knowledge as a HOD or assistant manager in the food and beverage department. The role does vary from hotel to hotel varying on size and quality, but the key responsibilities remain.

Communication: All departments.

Conference and Banqueting Manager

The conference and banqueting business is a major source of revenue in many hotels - for those in the city centre's as well as in country locations. Your role will be to ensure that these facilities operate profitably, and you will be involved in every aspect, from marketing and selling, to ensuring that the event runs smoothly - and that the bills are paid.

Attention to detail is crucial, along with excellent organisational and administrative skills. Some of your clients will be well used to running conferences, meetings, cocktail parties, receptions, lunches, dinners, working breakfasts and exhibitions, and will tell you exactly what is required and when. Others will have little or no experience and their planned event may be a once-in-a-lifetime affair. But they also want everything to be perfect, and to feel that you are giving their requirements your full attention.

Communication: Kitchen, F and B, Conference Office, Accounts, Housekeeping.

Bar/Liquor Manager

The role involves all things to do with beverage sales in the hotel. Outlets can include various bars from static to mobile for what ever the need and often it is responsibility of the liquor manager to oversee mini bar operations of the rooms.

To undertake the role knowledge is needed in terms of stock control and wastage, gross profit, security, stock handling and storage. This departmental head role will have a team of staff to support and serve the customers in line with hotel standards. Strong links are needed between the other F and B departments in order to ensure excellent customer care is maintained.

Communications: Kitchen, Restaurant, Nights, Cellar, Accounts, C and B, F and B Management, Reception.

Cellar Management

The unsung hero of the beverage department. Responsibilities include the ordering, storage, dispensing and security of stock. Close working ties with the accounts department, bars and housekeeping. The role is based around early starts to meet draymen and suppliers.

Communication: Restaurant, Bars, Accounts.

Sales Manager

This individual is responsible for pro-actively developing all sales through the hotel. Identifying possible users of the hotel and attaining their business. The position requires a confident, result orientated individual who can communicate at all levels either on the phone or face to face. Excellent administration skills are necessary as they are often responsible for the production of marketing material and tenders. As a manager the position often includes controlling a team of administrators, account executives and assistants so managerial skills are necessary to ensure that the department achieves.

Communication: Reservations, front desk, regional sales directors, general manager, conference office.

Reservations Manager

Reservations or bookings are the life blood for hotels. This is where a potential customer becomes a future guest. Details of the guests requirements are noted and checked against availability of rooms, special requirements are detailed and recorded. This is the moment that the price is agreed by the hotel and guest and as a result it is crucial to attain the best possible room rate for every transaction. The reservations manager controls this process and the team that handles it.

Communication: Front Desk, Conference office, Sales Manager, General Manager.

Reservationist

This is the operator working for the reservations manager (See Reservations Manager).

Conference and Events Coordinator

The conference office is where all booking are organized and handled prior to the event. This role involves show rounds of the facilities, agreeing requirements of the guests, communication of the clients needs to other departments, diary management and telephone selling skills. This role is office based and as such excellent computer and administration skills are needed.

Communications: Kitchen, C and B, Reservations, Front Desk, Sales Manager.

Receptionist

You are likely to be the person who first greets the guest on arrival at the hotel. A good first impression - you're welcome, your appearance, and the appearance of reception - gets the stay off on the best note. Administrative skills are also important, so that you deal with reservations accurately and efficiently, prepare guest bills correctly, and ensure that the necessary information goes to housekeeping, the restaurant, maintenance, management, the leisure centre and any other departments with which the guest will come into contact. Many guests take their queries to reception, as well as complaints and other problems that are less easy to deal with. You may be responsible for taking payment, and even exchanging foreign currency. In some hotels, receptionists operate the switchboard, directing incoming calls and assisting guests to make external calls.

Communications: All hotel departments.

Shift Leader

A front desk position that includes the management of the reception team on duty and ensuring that the essential reports, banking and check out is completed correctly. Shifts in hotels usually run from 7am to 3pm or 3pm to 11.00pm. and work on a late early basis. This means that as a guest checks in on an evening they will greeted the next morning by the same staff that were working the night before, giving continuity and adding to customer care.

Communications: All Departments

Front of House Manager

As the front office manager, your role will involve managing your team of receptionists and making sure the front desk offers a warm welcome, and speedy, efficient check-in and check-out. In many hotels, you may also be responsible for telephone sales. Even in large hotels, the department may be taking sales calls outside of office hours. Shift work, rota planning, dealing with emergencies and dealing with customers, when they come to the desk to complain, all make this a demanding but rewarding position.

Communications: All departments.

Housekeeper

Much of your time will be taken up in supervising and training your staff; planning staff rota's dealing with the suppliers of linen, cleaning materials and guest supplies (sachets of tea and coffee, soap, shampoo, etc); and stock-takes, budgets and other paperwork (maintenance reports, room check sheets, safety audits, etc).

Key areas are controlling the costs of cleaning materials, linen, laundry, maintenance and wages. You will liaise closely with other heads of department and the general manager, and attend the regular heads of department meetings.

Good relations with reception staff are crucial, so that they know when rooms are ready to re-let, and you know when rooms can be serviced, which rooms are taken by departures, arrivals or VIPs, or have special requirements such as a bed board.

Maintenance is another key department, so that repairs are carried out promptly, and rooms are kept in good order. You will be closely involved with renovations and new developments, working with architects, interior designers and other specialists.

In a large hotel, you will have supervisors to control the work of room attendants, and probably linen-room staff and someone to issue the cleaning supplies. A regular part of your routine will be checking that high standards of cleanliness are maintained, rooms are correctly serviced, and equipment kept in a safe condition (for guests and staff). Some cleaning materials are hazardous, and it is your responsibility to ensure that staff are trained to use them safely. Health, safety (including fire safety) and security will be ongoing concerns.

Communications: Front desk, reservations.

Operations/Deputy Manager

This is a number two role in the hotel answering only to the General Manager. The basic remit is to manage the day to day running of the hotel and all of its departments. Leading from the front this individual coordinates the operations by use of departmental heads and their teams. Financially accountable this role demands a full understanding of the mechanics of the hotel operation and its budgets. In terms of personnel issues knowledge of recruitment, training, appraisals and disciplinary procedures is crucial in order to motivate and manage the team in order to drive the business forward.

Communications: All departments and head office staff.

General Manager

The buck stops here, full control of every aspect of the hotel, guest care, personnel issues and financial performance. Responsibilities include Health and Safety, personnel, planning and development for the hotel, financial control, sales and marketing and company contribution. Varying on the size of the operation the general manager may be needed to assist with the day to day running of the unit but irrespective planning and coordination is fundamental to the role.

Communication: All departmental heads and head office.

Personnel and Training Manager

Although not guest facing this role is an important link between the staff and the management. The personnel side of the role involves recruiting, appraising, disciplining and counseling of staff. The training side of the role incorporates all cross department training such as health and safety, COSHH, customer care, induction and managerial skills. Budgetary understanding is important as the P&T manager often holds the purse strings of the wage's to ensure that correct staffing is maintained and overspending avoided. The role with its specialist nature is difficult to attain and related qualifications are necessary.

Communications: All staff, management and Head office.

Exec / Head Chef often known "Chef"

This person is responsible for all aspects of the kitchen operation. Duties include health and safety, food safety, team management, cost control, consistency of product and smooth operational service and these pre requisites are in place regardless of the standard of the food produced. The kitchen is a highly pressurised environment that needs a strong leader to control and direct the team. Creativity and flair is required by “Chef” to produce appetizing and interesting menu's for all food outlets and then the ability to be able to deliver. In hotels where the title of Executive Chef is employed there can be a head chef also employed. This structure is most often found in larger or more substantial properties where business levels permit and workloads demand.

Communications: All food outlets, accounts, GM, Operations or Deputy Manager, C&B office, reservations and reception.

Chef De Partie

This is a senior position in the kitchen. In a traditional, French-based kitchen organisation, the chef de partie runs a section of the kitchen - for example, sauces, vegetables, pastries, the larder, the grill - with the assistance of one, two or more commis and trainee chefs. The job title may reflect this - for example, pastry chef or larder chef. Nowadays, many kitchens have two or three sections only, or operate as just one team. In these situations, as chef de partie, you will have a hands-on role, with responsibility for preparing, cooking and presenting a range of dishes, assisted by commis and/or trainee chefs. You may also help to develop new dishes and menus. Careful attention must be paid to hygiene, health and safety, and to portion and wastage control. Maintaining profit margins is crucial to business success. The senior chef de partie (sometimes called sous chef) will usually be in overall charge when the head chef is away.

Communications: All food and beverage departments, personnel and training.

Commis Chef

This is the starting position for a career in hotel and restaurant kitchens. Job titles and responsibilities vary, but you will do a lot of the preparation work and basic cooking, under the supervision of more experienced chefs. Ideally, you should move around the different areas of the kitchen, to get the widest possible experience before you consider specialising - for example, in pastry work. The type of cooking will depend on the style of hotel, what sort of menu is offered to guests, and the prices they pay. Sometimes, there is minimum preparation, but this does not diminish the skill required to produce a perfectly cooked, well presented dish. High standards of hygiene and accuracy in measuring dish ingredients and portions sizes are all essentials. Duties may include dealing with deliveries, stock rotation and requisitioning of stock.

Communications: Kitchen brigade and all F and B team.

Branded Area Manager

A diverse role based on delivering budgeted results for a regional area. Areas vary in size, depending on density of restaurants in the brand. Main focus is on maintaining brand standards, building sales and controlling costs and developing teams through a series of business meetings with the individual restaurant managers across the region.

Communication's: Operations manager, Restaurant managers, Kitchen Managers, Deputy & Assistant Manager, other external bodies including marketing companies, recruitment companies, EHO.

Branded General Manager

Role is based on delivering sales of a branded food product within a budget. Themes of restaurants vary but are generally based on cuisine from one particular country with style of food reflecting the theme. Key skills are recruitment and selection, local marketing to drive sales, budgetary control of wages and stock, team development and leadership, and good customer facing skills.

Communication's: Area Manager, Management team, Kitchen Manager, kitchen & floor Staff and suppliers.

Branded Deputy Manager

Next in line to the General Manager and full control in his/her absence. Key skills are recruitment and selection, local marketing to drive sales, budgetary control of wages and stock, team development and leadership, and good customer facing skills. Upholding brand standards at all times.

Communication's: Area Manager, General Manager, Assistant Manager, Kitchen Manager, floor & kitchen staff

Branded Assistant Manager

Assisting the senior management in running the restaurant. Focus is on directing the team during service to ensure customer delight. Carrying out daily and weekly duties including stock taking, compiling rotors, weekly cash consolidation and Hygiene audits. Upholding the brand standards at all times. Important link between floor staff and senior management.

Communication's: General Manager, Deputy Manager, Kitchen Manager, floor n & kitchen staff

Branded Kitchen Manager

Responsible for delivering a consistent food product to the brand standard whilst working within budget for food and wage costs. A mainly hands on role with some paper work. Required to keep Hygiene & safety standards to company standard, ordering and rotating stock. Key is the ability to develop and retain chefs in a competitive labour market and a must is to be able to lead the team when the pressure is on

Communication's: Restaurant Manager, Deputy and Assistant Manager