Food and Beverage Director - Washburne Culinary & Hospitality Institute

FOOD AND BEVERAGE DIRECTOR
WASHBURNE CULINARY INSTITUTE

The Washburne Culinary Institute, a leader in providing superior culinary arts training, is headquartered at the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) Kennedy-King campus and offers both certificate and degree programs in Culinary Arts and Baking, and Pastry Arts. The French Pastry School, located at the District Office at Jackson and Franklin, offers advance training in Pastry Arts.

Washburne Culinary Institute is one of CCC’s College to Careers sites, where partnerships with culinary and hospitality industry leaders are designed to help students gain and apply the skills that are most essential to finding jobs and building successful careers at restaurants, hotels, private clubs, catering companies and other food-related businesses.

Washburne provides students with the latest culinary techniques, along with valuable hands-on experience to ensure they are equipped to succeed in the culinary and hospitality industries. Students receive real world training in the working of a fully-functioning restaurant serving the public, learning front-of-the- house and kitchen skills at the school’s fine dining restaurants and café sites, learn volume food preparation by working on catering events, and have the opportunity to participate in other business enterprise operations. 

JOB SUMMARY

Reporting directly to the Executive Dean of the Washburne Culinary Institute, the Food and Beverage Director is responsible for directing the operations of the Washburne business enterprises. Manages staff and directs operations to ensure the efficient and profitable business performance of the Institute’s revenue sources including its fine dining restaurants and café sites, the leasing of facilities and incubator kitchens, and its event planning and catering services. The Food and Beverage Director also works to create an environment to advance education in real world situations. Performs related duties as required.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

• Provides direction and management oversight to managers/supervisors of operational units including: Executive Chef in charge of culinary education program; Catering Manager over event planning, facilities rental, and catering services; Restaurant Managers over Parrot Cage and Sikia and the Café Manager over the Washburne Café.
• Develops operating budgets for each of the revenue outlets, working collaboratively with the Business Manager and the Operations and Purchasing Manager to budget for food, beverage, personnel, equipment, and capital expenditures.
• Participates in the development of training programs designed to provide hands-on training to students on business and front-of-the-house operations for running a successful and profitable food establishment including customer service, inventory control, revenue and cost control, and food safety and sanitation.
• Develops and implements standard operating procedures to ensure the efficiency of operations and implementation of revenue and cost control measures. 
• Works with Marketing Department to plan external and internal marketing and sales promotion activities.
• Monitors purchasing and receiving procedures for products and supplies to ensure proper quantity, quality and pricing of all purchases. 
• Reviews purchasing and inventory reports to monitor expenditures and works with Operations and Purchasing Manager to ensure proper accounting of all food products, beverages and supplies received for operating units.
• Reviews agreements for catering services and the leasing of facilities, reviewing negotiated charges for services, budgeted costs for food, beverages and labor and profit margins. 
• Monitors restaurant and café operations, inspects facilities and meets with Restaurant and Café Managers to ensure all safety, sanitation, energy management, and other standards are consistently met. 
• Works with managers/ supervisors to address and resolve complaints or problems involving level and quality of services provided at restaurants, café sites, or catering events. 
• Reviews operational and revenue reports for individual operating units and prepares management reports on financial status of units including cost/profit analysis and profitability of operations in partnership with the Business Manager.
• Ensures restaurants, café sites, and other food preparation sites meet state and municipal health and sanitation requirements. 
• Maintains current business licenses required for operations and works with Business Manager to ensure their timely renewal.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS

Report to: Executive Dean - Washburne

Direct Supervision: Executive Chef, Catering Manager, Restaurant Manager, Cafe Manager

QUALIFICATIONS

Education, Training and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Business Administration, Hospitality Management, Culinary Arts or a related field.
• Master’s degree preferred
• Seven years of work experience as a supervisor/manager in the food service industry.
• Demonstrated ability to lead multiple teams in areas of restaurant management and catering services
• Food Service Sanitation certification by the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois is preferred
• A combination of education and experience may be taken into consideration based on the applicant’s credentials, provided that the minimum degree requirement is met.

Knowledge, Skills and Ability

• Knowledge of restaurant and foodservice management
• Knowledge of food and beverage industry
• Knowledge of effective business practices and models for managing food and beverage establishments
• Knowledge of PeopleSoft
• Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent organizational skills
• Excellent customer service skills 
• Ability to create a dynamic and experiential learning environment for students 
• Ability to work with and relate to a culturally diverse student body, faculty and staff 
• Ability to build strategic relationships within the organization 
• Ability to develop operating budgets

Working Conditions

Culinary Institute work environment

• Ability to work weekends as required

Equipment

• Restaurant and food preparation equipment
• Computer point of sale cash system/ register
• Physical Requirements  
• Ability to walk, bend and stand throughout work shift

Worker Characteristics

• Attention to Detail – Requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks
• Initiative – Demonstrate willingness to take on responsibilities and job challenges
• Innovation – Requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems
• Adaptability/Flexibility – Be open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace

Salary Range: $80,717-$90,000 
Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as other factors such as internal equity.
Benefits information is found at https://www.ccc.edu/departments/Benefits/

Chicago residency is required for all full-time employees within 6 months of hire.
We are an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. 
Thank you for your interest in City Colleges of Chicago.