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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for F&B Officer

💰 $ - $

HospitalityFood & BeverageOperations

🎯 Role Definition

The Food & Beverage (F&B) Officer is responsible for day-to-day operational delivery of food and beverage services across outlets, banquets and events, ensuring guest satisfaction, strict food safety compliance, cost control and consistent service standards. This role blends operational supervision, inventory and vendor management, menu and beverage execution, and cross-functional coordination with sales, kitchen and finance teams to maximize revenue and maintain brand standards.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Food & Beverage Supervisor / Captain
  • Restaurant Shift Leader
  • Banquets Coordinator

Advancement To:

  • Assistant F&B Manager / F&B Manager
  • Banquet & Events Manager
  • Cluster Food & Beverage Manager / F&B Director

Lateral Moves:

  • Events / Conference Sales Manager
  • Procurement / Purchasing Officer (F&B)
  • Outlet Manager (Restaurant / Lounge)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Oversee daily operations of all F&B outlets and banquet functions, ensuring timely opening/closing procedures, staffing coverage, and consistent adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs) and brand service standards.
  • Ensure full compliance with local health and safety regulations, food safety standards (HACCP), sanitation protocols, and licensing requirements; coordinate and lead internal audits and external inspections.
  • Manage inventory control for food, beverage and ancillary supplies through regular stocktakes, reconciliations, shrinkage monitoring and re-ordering to maintain par levels and minimize waste.
  • Produce accurate monthly and daily cost-control reports including food cost, beverage cost, labour cost and gross operating profit (GOP) analyses; recommend and implement corrective actions to meet budgeted KPIs.
  • Collaborate with culinary and bar teams on menu engineering and beverage program optimization, applying menu costing, pricing strategies and seasonal promotions to increase average check and upsell opportunities.
  • Lead procurement and supplier management activities: source and evaluate vendors, negotiate contracts and pricing, ensure on-time delivery of quality goods and maintain approved vendor list.
  • Prepare event sheets, banquet BEOs (Banquet Event Orders) and pre-function briefings; coordinate with events, kitchen and service teams to ensure flawless execution of weddings, conferences and catered functions.
  • Develop staff rosters and shift schedules that align labour productivity targets with forecasted business volumes, managing overtime, payroll adherence and temporary staffing needs.
  • Train, coach and mentor front-of-house staff on service techniques, product knowledge, upselling, POS operation and guest interaction standards; conduct regular performance feedback and training sessions.
  • Manage guest relations proactively: handle complaints, resolve service recovery situations, record feedback and implement improvements to enhance guest satisfaction and loyalty.
  • Implement and maintain POS, PMS and inventory management systems; ensure accurate daily sales reconciliation, cash handling procedures and timely submission of revenue reports to finance.
  • Monitor and manage beverage stock rotation, cellar management and responsible alcohol service; enforce portion control, recipe adherence and bar cost controls to protect margins.
  • Assist with menu development by analyzing sales mix, contribution margins and guest preferences; recommend menu tweaks, seasonal items and limited-time offers to drive revenue.
  • Coordinate cross-departmentally with sales, marketing and finance to support F&B promotions, group bookings, corporate catering and on-site events that align with business objectives and yield projections.
  • Execute monthly and quarterly procurement plans, track supplier performance KPIs (quality, lead time, cost variance) and maintain up-to-date product specifications and par lists.
  • Maintain detailed incident and maintenance logs for kitchen and service equipment; liaise with engineering and external contractors to schedule preventive maintenance and urgent repairs.
  • Drive sustainability and waste-reduction initiatives (portion control, recycling, food-donation programs, inventory rotation best practices) to reduce costs and improve corporate responsibility metrics.
  • Produce regular operational dashboards and KPI summaries (cover count, average spend, table turnover, revenue per available seat, food/beverage cost %) to inform management decisions.
  • Support F&B marketing activities by providing product and operational input for social media, email campaigns, in-house promotions and seasonal offers designed to increase covers and revenue.
  • Uphold brand standards by performing regular outlet inspections (cleanliness, ambiance, uniforms, service sequence) and implementing corrective action plans where gaps are identified.
  • Coordinate onboarding workflow for new hires, maintain training records and ensure completion of mandatory certifications (food safety, alcohol service, hygiene).
  • Execute emergency response procedures for food safety incidents, poison control, and customer medical events; maintain communication with management and regulatory authorities as required.

Secondary Functions

  • Support special projects such as outlet renovations, POS upgrades or implementation of digital ordering platforms; act as liaison between vendors and operations.
  • Assist in the development and revision of F&B SOP manuals, training curricula and standard recipes to improve consistency and operational efficiency.
  • Participate in cross-functional forecasting and budgeting cycles, providing historical sales insight, promotional lift estimates and expense forecasts.
  • Maintain up-to-date market intelligence on competitor menus, local food trends and pricing to inform strategic menu and promotional decisions.
  • Support local sourcing initiatives by collaborating with procurement and culinary teams to identify seasonal suppliers and farm-to-table opportunities.
  • Assist with allergen and dietary requirement compliance, ensuring menus are labeled appropriately and staff are trained on safe handling practices.
  • Help coordinate off-site and corporate catering logistics, including transport, setup, staffing and on-site management for third-party events.
  • Contribute to loyalty and upsell programs by identifying guest preferences, recommending personalized offers and assisting with CRM data entry.
  • Facilitate internal and external training sessions focused on new product launches, cocktail program rollouts and service refinement.
  • Provide ad hoc operational support to outlets during peak periods, staff shortages, or large events to maintain service quality.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Proven knowledge of food safety systems and certifications (HACCP, ServSafe, local health codes) with ability to conduct basic internal audits and corrective action plans.
  • Strong food and beverage cost-control skills: menu costing, recipe costing, gross margin analysis and variance reporting to maintain target food/beverage cost percentages.
  • Inventory management and procurement skills: stocktaking methodologies, par level setting, FIFO rotation, vendor selection and purchase order management.
  • Proficiency in POS systems (e.g., Toast, Micros, Lightspeed), property management systems (PMS) and inventory/ERP tools; ability to reconcile sales and troubleshoot common issues.
  • Advanced Excel skills for building cost models, pivot tables, charts and simple forecasting; experience generating operational dashboards and KPI reports.
  • Event and banquet management skills: BEO creation, staffing plans, flow-of-service timelines and coordination with culinary and banquet teams.
  • Beverage program knowledge: cocktail and bar operations, wine service, cellar management and beverage cost controls including yield and portion control.
  • Financial literacy: basic budgeting, P&L understanding, labour productivity metrics and experience contributing to departmental budgets.
  • Supplier management and negotiation skills: evaluating quotes, managing contracts, and tracking supplier KPIs.
  • Knowledge of local licensing laws and responsible alcohol service requirements.

Soft Skills

  • Strong leadership and team development capability; able to motivate and coach diverse front-of-house teams in high-volume environments.
  • Excellent guest-facing communication and interpersonal skills with a calm, professional approach to complaint resolution and service recovery.
  • Highly organized with exceptional attention to detail and an ability to prioritize tasks under time pressure.
  • Problem-solving mindset with ability to make quick, data-driven decisions to protect service quality and departmental profitability.
  • Strong collaboration skills for working cross-functionally with kitchen, sales, engineering and finance.
  • Time management and delegation skills to manage concurrent outlet operations and event demands.
  • Adaptability to changing business needs, seasonal demand, and evolving guest preferences.
  • Strong commercial acumen and results orientation with a focus on revenue generation and cost optimization.
  • Coaching and training aptitude to develop frontline skills and build a succession pipeline.
  • Ethical and professional conduct, confidentiality with financial and guest information, and a customer-first attitude.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma or equivalent; vocational certificate in hospitality industry recommended.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management, Hotel Administration, Business Management or Culinary Arts.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Hospitality Management
  • Culinary Arts
  • Hotel & Restaurant Management
  • Business Administration
  • Food Science / Nutrition

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 1–4 years in food & beverage operations, outlet supervision, or banquet coordination.

Preferred:

  • 3–5+ years of progressive experience in hospitality F&B operations with demonstrable experience in inventory control, cost management, events management and team supervision; experience in multi-outlet properties, hotels or food service management is highly advantageous.
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