Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for F&B Clerk

🎯 Role Definition

The F&B Clerk (Food & Beverage Clerk) is a frontline procurement and inventory specialist within hospitality operations responsible for accurate receiving, inventory management, record-keeping, and vendor coordination to ensure kitchens, bars and outlets are stocked with the right quantities of quality goods at the right time. This role enforces food-safety standards (HACCP/ServSafe), applies FIFO stock rotation, reconciles purchase orders and invoices, produces inventory and cost reports, and partners with chefs, bartenders and purchasing teams to control waste and optimize working capital. The ideal candidate blends operational discipline, clerical precision, and strong vendor relations skills to support efficient F&B operations across outlets, events and banquets.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Kitchen steward / Stock room attendant
Receiving clerk / Warehouse assistant
Back-of-house or bar support associate

Advancement To:

Inventory Supervisor / Stores Supervisor
F&B Purchasing Coordinator / Buyer
Assistant F&B Manager or Cost Controller

Lateral Moves:

Banquet or Events Coordinator
Purchasing assistant or Procurement Analyst
Front-of-house supervisor or Outlet supervisor

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Receive and inspect incoming food, beverage and service supplies against purchase orders and delivery manifests, verifying quantity, quality, temperature and condition of perishable items to ensure vendor compliance and product safety.
Accurately record all delivery receipts and goods received notes into the property’s inventory or ERP system (e.g., M3, Oracle, Fourth, or similar), attaching invoice and packing-list documentation for audit trail and traceability.
Reconcile vendor invoices, packing lists and purchase orders, identify discrepancies, generate return-to-vendor requests or credit notes, and route invoice exceptions to purchasing or accounts payable for resolution.
Maintain perpetual inventory records with daily updates of receipts, transfers, issues and wastage; perform cycle counts and participate in monthly or period-end physical inventory and reconciliation to support financial reporting and cost controls.
Monitor par levels, reorder points and lead times for all food, beverage and operating supplies; prepare purchase requisitions or purchase orders in collaboration with the purchasing manager or chef to maintain service continuity.
Enforce FIFO (first-in-first-out) and date-labeling policies for all perishables; coordinate proper rotation, labeling and disposal of expired or compromised products to minimize spoilage and ensure food safety.
Maintain temperature logs for refrigerated, frozen and dry storage; escalate deviations immediately and coordinate corrective actions (e.g., quarantining, returns) to maintain HACCP compliance.
Track and analyze food & beverage usage, waste and variance reports to identify trends, over-ordering, theft or pilferage; produce weekly and monthly inventory KPI reports (stock turns, on-hand value, variance vs. theoretical) for management review.
Support menu costing and recipe-level ingredient issuance by providing accurate consumption and price-history data to the culinary and finance teams for margin optimization.
Process special orders, bulk or event-specific purchases, coordinating with banquet, catering and outlet managers to ensure timely delivery and correct product specification for large events.
Coordinate and negotiate with vendors on delivery schedules, product substitutions, pricing adjustments and credits; establish and maintain positive supplier relationships and up-to-date supplier contacts.
Manage inter-outlet stock transfers and internal requisitions, ensuring timely movement of inventory between stores, kitchens and outlets while recording adjustments in the inventory system.
Prepare and maintain documentation required for regulatory compliance, liquor licensing and audits (e.g., delivery records, invoices, stock records, waste logs), and assist during internal and external audits.
Support invoice coding and routing for accounts payable, ensuring invoices are matched to POs and receiving records and that discrepancies are documented and escalated for resolution.
Operate and maintain receiving equipment and technology (barcode scanners, scale, handhelds, POS integrations), and report any equipment failures to IT or maintenance promptly.
Maintain storeroom and dry/temperature-controlled storage areas to organizational standards, including shelving, labeling, hazard signage, pest-control checks and cleanliness to reduce contamination and access time.
Implement and train outlet and kitchen staff on receiving, stock-issue and inventory control procedures, ensuring consistent application of standard operating procedures across all F&B areas.
Process supplier returns, credits and chargebacks, coordinating physical returns and ensuring accounting entries are posted correctly and timely.
Follow cash handling and petty purchasing procedures when required for incidental purchases or vendor deliveries, reconciling receipts and submitting expense documentation in accordance with company policy.
Generate and distribute inventory and consumption reports to outlet managers, executive chef, F&B controller and procurement, highlighting variances, aging stock and near-expiry items to enable timely action.
Maintain accurate allergen, ingredient and supplier specification records to assist kitchen teams with allergy management and recipe compliance.
Coordinate emergency replenishments during unexpected demand peaks (e.g., large events, high occupancy) and escalate supply shortages to purchasing or operations to prioritize urgent orders.
Support sustainability and cost-saving initiatives such as supplier consolidation, bulk purchasing programs and waste-reduction measures through data-driven recommendations and process improvements.
Assist with documentation and tracking of alcohol inventory, excise records and compliance items for bars and outlets, ensuring legal and regulatory record-keeping.
Participate in continuous improvement projects related to inventory accuracy, demand forecasting, ERP integrations and receiving efficiency, contributing practical operational insights for process design.

Secondary Functions

Support outlet managers and culinary teams with ad-hoc inventory research and historical usage analysis to prepare for events or menu changes.
Maintain a library of supplier catalogs, SDS (safety data sheets) and product specifications for quick reference during sourcing and quality checks.
Help coordinate returns logistics and liaise with suppliers and couriers to ensure timely pickup and credit processing.
Assist purchasing and finance teams during budget cycles by providing historical spend data and forecast inputs.
Contribute to onboarding and cross-training of new store-room and receiving staff to build depth and consistency in the team.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Inventory management systems and ERP experience (e.g., Oracle, M3, Fourth, ChefTec, BirchStreet, or equivalent hospitality systems).
Point-of-sale (POS) familiarity and ability to reconcile POS outlet sales with inventory issuance.
Advanced Excel skills: VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, pivot tables, SUMIFS and basic macros for inventory reporting and variance analysis.
Purchase order processing and accounts-payable matching (PO/GRN/Invoice reconciliation).
Barcode scanning and handheld inventory device operation; familiarity with cycle count and stock-take methodology.
Food safety and cold-chain monitoring: HACCP knowledge, ServSafe (or local equivalent) certification preferred; temperature log management.
Knowledge of FIFO stock rotation, date-coding, labelling and perishable handling best practices.
Basic accounting literacy: understanding of cost of goods sold (COGS), stock valuation methods and variance reporting.
Strong procurement fundamentals: vendor communications, order lead-time management and basic negotiation.
Reporting and KPI generation: stock turn, shrinkage, on-hand value, theoretical vs. actual consumption reporting.
Familiarity with allergen management and ingredient specification records.
Physical inventory and cycle-count execution experience, including reconciliation procedures.

Soft Skills

High attention to detail and clerical accuracy for data entry, invoice matching and inventory reconciliation.
Strong organizational skills and methodical approach to managing multiple outlets, stockrooms and delivery schedules.
Effective verbal and written communication to coordinate with suppliers, kitchen teams and finance departments.
Problem-solving orientation: ability to investigate variances, identify root causes and propose corrective actions.
Time-management and prioritization in a fast-paced hospitality environment with shifting demands.
Team player mentality and willingness to cross-train and support other F&B functions.
Integrity and reliability in handling invoices, stock movements and confidential purchasing information.
Adaptability to seasonal peaks, events and last-minute order changes.
Customer-service focus when liaising with internal stakeholders (chefs, bartenders, outlet managers) to support operations.
Stress tolerance and composure during high-volume receiving periods or inventory audits.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or equivalent.

Preferred Education:

Associate degree or diploma in Hospitality Management, Business Administration, Supply Chain, or a related field.
Certifications such as ServSafe, HACCP, or procurement-related certificates are advantageous.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Hospitality Management
Business Administration / Finance
Supply Chain / Logistics
Culinary Arts (operational understanding of kitchen workflows)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

1–4 years of experience in inventory, receiving or stores management within hospitality, food service, catering or retail environments.

Preferred:

3+ years’ experience specifically in F&B inventory/receiving for hotels, restaurants, bars or large-scale catering operations, with demonstrated use of hospitality inventory systems and experience conducting physical inventories and invoice reconciliation.