Food and Beverage Director - Westgate Resorts

About Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa:
Adjacent to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most-visited national park in the country, Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, provides an amazing work environment with refreshing mountain breezes and spectacular views of the beautiful Great Smoky Mountains. As a member of the Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort team, you will meet and engage with guests who have arrived to enjoy all the Great Smoky Mountains have to offer and help them experience our world-class amenities such as the state-of-the-art Wild Bear Falls water park.

Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Waterpark is seeking an inspirational Food & Beverage Director to lead, coach, and develop the F&B team. The Director will oversee the iconic Southern Comfort Kitchen, where innovative Southern classics come to life in a historic setting of Southern charm. This unique concept is the result of a successful partnership with Sazerac, the makers of Southern Comfort Whiskey. 

In addition to Southern Comfort Kitchen, the F&B Director will manage other venues, including the Southern Comfort Lobby Bar, Roaring Forks Snack Bar (located within the indoor waterpark), The Marketplace (offering lunch specials, a coffee bar, deli, and market), Wild Bear Tavern (featuring authentic German cuisine at Wild Bear Inn), and banquet services.

The Director of F&B must embody Westgate Resorts' core values of Passion, Integrity, and a strong Work Ethic. Our company’s success is driven by our commitment to these values and align with our culture statement: "Love What We Do, Love Who We Do It With, Love Who We Do It For!”  Join a company that is committed to the satisfaction, engagement and happiness of our team members, owners and guests.

Job Responsibilities: What will you do as a Food & Beverage Director?

• Effectively lead a team of 70+ F&B team members and contract workers.
• Inspire and motivate team to achieve high performance while promoting a positive work environment that enhances team member engagement and satisfaction, driving a culture of continuous improvement.
• Create strong partnerships with leadership peers across the property to ensure seamless communication, alignment of goals, and a unified approach to achieving operational excellence.
• Direct and oversee all F&B operations at Smoky Mountain Resort & Waterpark, River Terrace Resort and Conference Center (including banquets and events), and Wild Bear Inn.
• Work collaboratively with stakeholders to enhance F&B concepts and identify potential revenue streams for the Gatlinburg properties.
• Develop strategies to increase organic growth and same-store sales.
• Create and implement menus for each food venue. Cost out working recipes to meet targeted menu COS, utilizing menu engineering to maximize profits.
• Ensure healthy sanitation and food safety practices that meet or exceed local health code regulations.
• Partner with F&B department leaders to meet or exceed established F&B budgeted guidelines for the resort, including establishing sound pricing practices for menus and services.
• Develop and implement strategies to enhance profitability and revenue generation.
• Review and approve operating expenses.
• Utilize forecasting tools and historical data to assist in ordering products, scheduling staff, and managing overall operating expenses.
• Work actively with F&B leaders in conducting food inventories and developing strategies to reduce waste.
• Conduct weekly F&B meetings with managers to communicate upcoming events, discuss business levels, evaluate staffing, set specials, and review BEOs.
• Select, supervise, train, develop, and counsel staff.
• Provide timely formal assessments of individual team members in alignment with performance review policies and procedures.
• Engage with Westgate marketing, the resort, and the local community to continually promote Gatlinburg F&B venues.
• Plan, organize, and execute special events for the resort and sales team.
• Collaborate with clients, the Executive Chef, F&B managers, and the sales team to outline and contribute to BEOs.
• Other duties as assigned.

What are we looking for in a Food & Beverage Director?

• High school diploma or general education degree (GED).
• At least 5 years of progressive leadership experience at the director level in Food & Beverage
• Working knowledge of all applicable laws, codes, and F&B regulations.
• Proven experience demonstrating our core values; Passion, Integrity, and a strong Work Ethic.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to read, write and speak English fluently, Spanish is a plus.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from team members, managers, clients, owners/guests, and the public.
• Strong general management skills, including time management, information analysis, planning and organizing, decision making, problem solving and delivery of results.
• Strong financial management skills, including budget management, expense control, forecasting, inventory management, ordering and analysis of financial statements.
• Strong people management skills, including coaching, motivating, delegating, scheduling and relationship building.
• Must be able to lift and move up to 50 lbs. while performing the duties of this job.
• Must be flexible in working when needed and when business demands, including weekends, evenings, and holidays.

Why Westgate?

• Comprehensive health benefits – medical, dental and vision
• Paid Time Off (PTO) – vacation, sick, and personal
• Paid Holidays
• 401K with generous company match
• Get access to your pay as you need it with our Daily Pay benefit
• Family benefits including pregnancy, and parental leave and adoption assistance
• Wellness Programs
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Tuition Assistance
• Military Leave
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Life, Disability, Accident, Critical Illness & Hospital Insurance
• Pet Insurance
• Exclusive discounts for Team Member (i.e., hotels, cruise, resorts, restaurants, entertainment, etc.) 
• Advancement & development opportunities
• Community Involvement Programs

Westgate Resorts is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status or any other protected status under federal, state or local law. If you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation in order to complete your application or any part of the recruiting process, please email WGAccommodations@wgresorts.com with the job title and the location of the position for which you are applying.