Food and Beverage (F&B) Manager

Food and Beverage Manager qualifications to look for

A Food and Beverage Manager specializes in forecasting, planning and controlling the ordering of food and beverages for a hospitality establishment like a bar, restaurant, or hotel. They manage the finances related to purchasing food and beverages, which includes sourcing, ordering and transporting.

Keep an eye out for candidates who have:

• Strong leadership skills
• Customer-service mindset
• Excellent attention to detail
• The ability to work under pressure
• Drive to increase sales and meet goals 
  

Top tip: Diversity is key to a thriving workplace. Keep an eye out for management and exec-level candidates from varying backgrounds and aim to eliminate bias from your hiring process.

Behavioral interview questions

• Have you ever participated in the opening of a new restaurant? What was your role and how long did it take?
• Have you designed a menu that generated a lot of positive feedback? If so, describe it to me. 
• Describe a situation where you had to deal with a restaurant emergency. How did you handle it and what was the outcome?
• How do you handle employee terminations? 
• Recall a time a customer was dissatisfied with your restaurant’s service. How did you handle their complaints? What did you offer them? Do you recall if they came back? 
  

Problem-solving interview questions

• What do you know about our establishment? What do you like about it and what would you change? 
• How would you design a new menu for us? 
• What are the signatures of high-quality food service?
• What innovations would you bring forward to make our customer’s dining experience even better? 
• What cost-reducing methods have you found effective in the past?
• Walk me through standard health and safety regulations. How often do you inspect their implementation?
• How do you support customers with specific dietary needs? 
• How do you balance cost and quality when sourcing ingredients?
• What qualifications do you look for in new team members? 
• What methods do you find effective for performance appraisal methods? 
• How do you train your team? What are your mentorship guidelines?