Food & Beverage Manager

Role: Food & Beverage Manager

Contract: Full Time

Term: Permanent

Hours: Annualised Hours based on average 36hr week 5 days over 7. Working hours - as business requires with seasonal variances.

Salary: £35-40k (depending upon experience)

Location: Plas y Brenin, Capel Curig, Conwy, Wales

Holidays: 28 days per year inclusive of bank holidays. (Closed Christmas Eve – Boxing Day)

Pension: Automatic enrolment onto NEST pension programme

Other: Employee Assistance Programme

Responsible to: Head of Hospitality and Facilities

Responsible for: Kitchen, Catering & Bar Teams

Background

Plas y Brenin is famous for its stunning location and its world class delivery of outdoor adventure skills and professional training courses. We would like to become equally well known for a great food and drink offer, and we need an experienced and ambitious Food and Beverage Manager to help us achieve that goal.

Plas y Brenin is about to undertake a considerable redevelopment and refurbishment programme, with the bar, catering and hotel rooms at the forefront of that work, so this is an exciting time to join us.

Job Purpose

To lead the development and delivery of our food and drink offer at Plas y Brenin, the National Outdoor Centre, for both course participants, general visitors, and hotel guests.

This includes:

Large group catering for course participants, hotel guests and schools, including breakfasts, packed lunches, and a choice of hot plate evening meals

Event catering for private functions

Bar meals and drinks to order by hotel guests, general visitors, and course participants

• A new café menu (tbc in next 12 months)

• Outdoor kitchen catering - Pizzas and BBQ (tbc in next 12 months)

The F&B Manager will be a hands-on management role supporting and leading all aspects of the food and drink provision ay Plas y Brenin. The Manager will also ensure compliance with all food hygiene and safety standards, lead all elements of team management, and take responsibility for cost management and accountability. They will oversee food/drink ordering and stock management and will also help inform and lead the design and installation of a fully electric kitchen (tbc).

Main Responsibilities

Food & Beverage:

Working with the Chefs, develop new hot plate evening menus appropriate for the guest, client and visitor demographic (including vegetarian/vegan options), price and adapt accordingly – ensuring visitors receive high quality food, at good value, using local suppliers whenever possible.

Develop a popular high quality bar food menu and ensure the bar is fully stocked with high quality drinks product (locally sourced whenever possible).

Develop a high quality, healthy and energy filled, packed lunch offering for guests, clients, and schools.

Ensure the highest food hygiene, allergen management and health and safety standards are always maintained and adhered to.

Ensure the team manage stock ordering, control, and wastage, meeting agreed GP targets – ensure accurate monthly stock takes.

With our Chef Managers, work with all our catering suppliers (alongside other areas of our business group) to ensure we get best product quality and value for money, reviewing suppliers on a regular basis. (Possibly work with third party procurement service.)

Manage deliveries ensuring all goods received accurately and entered into any stock control system.

Expand the food and drink offer to match the demand for any events and festivals.

Ensure best practice cellar management and stock control at all times.

Identify strategies to retain and attract customers that essentially makes Plas y Brenin a food/drink destination in its own right.

• Help the CEO propose, design and lead bar/café/dining room developments, renovations, expansion & updates – including the main kitchens.

Develop the offer and deliver all the catering elements for private functions and corporate events on the site – including developing and marketing commercial packages.

• Manage an EPOS system and use it effectively for sales, reporting, and stock management.

Get hands-on in the kitchen, front of house or behind the bar if required.

Team Management & Other Responsibilities:

When necessary, recruit, train, manage and retain a capable and enthusiastic team for all areas of responsibility, and support them in delivering a consistent level of high-quality service – managing both permanent and seasonal team members costs appropriately.

• Support the Team’s CPD ensuring professional pathways for all.

Develop and manage team rotas to ensure a consistent catering & bar delivery across the year always ensuring customer satisfaction.

Be responsible for all people functions relating to your areas of responsibility, including training, safeguarding and wellbeing. This requires a good basic knowledge of employment law.

Be responsible for all Health and Safety compliance across your areas of responsibility, including internal Risk Assessments and any statutory requirements.

Be responsible for any GDPR and any other data protection requirements across your areas of responsibility.

Help set and manage departmental budgets, reporting on the financial performance to the Head of Facilities and Hospitality when required.

• Compile reports on the performance of the F&B department as required.

Manage an and respond positively to any customer complaints relating to areas of responsibility.

Person Specification

Knowledge, Experience and Skills Required

The knowledge, experience and skills required to deliver the above responsibilities and to ‘hit the ground running’:

At least 3 years in a comparable management role in a similar organisation (including café’s, bars, and hotels) with a track record of successful delivery and leading/contributing to business growth

Understanding of and experience of working in a seasonal venue and managing variances in visitor numbers - stock and staff

Experience of managing most of the following: group/hotel catering, bar food and drink, café food and drink and outdoor catering

• Experience of menu development, purchasing and pricing

Understanding of how to ensure high standard customer service and customer experiences

• Understanding and experience of programming, using and analysing EPOS system data

Experience of recruiting, managing, motivating, training and supporting teams, including permanent and seasonal team and a strong track record of team retention

Strong understanding of budget setting, management analysis and reporting - including pricing, GP, team %, wastage etc

• Willingness to work hands-on as well as in a business management capacity

Experience of planning and delivering private functions

Strong understanding of all Environmental Health, Health and Safety and other statutory compliance requirements for running commercial catering and event operations

• A desire to work hard, make a difference and the ability to maintain good humour and enthusiasm at all times

Resides within commutable distance of Plas y Brenin.

Desirable

Experience of being a chef or ability to be hands on in a kitchen

• Ability to make barista quality coffees and train others to do so

Experience of hands-on cellar and bar management

Experience of growing and developing an existing business – including business modelling and managing new developments and refurbishments

Experience of café, bar or kitchen re-design and refurbishment

• Some interest in the outdoors and the purpose of Plas y Brenin

About Us

Plas y Brenin is the UK’s National Outdoor Centre, located in the heart of Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park, surrounded by iconic mountain landscapes including Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and the Llynnau Mymbyr lakes.

Our home in North Wales is a beautiful Grade 1 listed building, which houses over 30 bedrooms, a café bar and dining room, meeting and classrooms, a climbing wall and bunk houses all set in gorgeous grounds.

As well as providing food and accommodation for our course clients we also function as a stand-alone hotel/B&B and cater for our hotel guests.

Plas y Brenin has a rich and distinctive history. Originally built in 1801 as the Capel Curig Inn by Lord Penrhyn, the site became a renowned hotel frequented by notable visitors including Queen Victoria and other members of the Royal Family. In 1955, it was repurposed as a national recreation and training centre and renamed Plas y Brenin, meaning “The King’s Mansion”.

Since then, it has developed into the UK’s leading National Outdoor Centre, widely regarded as the “gold standard” for outdoor leadership training and development. Today it is operated by the Mountain Training Trust on behalf of Sport England, delivering world-class skills and professional qualification courses in climbing, mountaineering, paddling, mountain biking, and leadership development.

We also deliver many outdoor residential experiences for schools and, through our Mountain Adventure Fund, for groups from disadvantaged areas across England and Wales.

We have significant plans for growth and development over the next 5 years and are looking for exciting and ambitious people to join us on that journey.

How To Apply

Role: Food and Beverage Manager

Please send an up-to-date CV (3 pages max) and a cover letter (2 pages max) saying how you meet the criteria in the Person Specification and how you can fulfil the requirements of the Role Profile, giving examples where possible from previous roles.

Please also include a paragraph about why you would like to work at Plas y Brenin and what you could bring to the organisation.

Send CV and Cover Letter to: joinourteam@pyb.co.uk

Closing Date: Please apply as soon as possible as we will close the application process once we have found a suitable candidate.

If you would like to have an informal conversation about the role please contact Dave Owen on 07584 813682