Director of Food And Beverage
Wild Adventures Theme Park, Valdosta, GA, United States
Wild Adventures Theme Park, located in Valdosta, Georgia, combines a theme park, water park, and animal park across 170 acres. It boasts one of the largest ride collections in the South, over 500 animals, Splash Island Water Park, and a variety of shows, festivals, and concerts. Owned by Herschend Family Entertainment (HFE), a leading family entertainment company with a half-century history, Wild Adventures focuses on creating fun-filled, memory-making experiences for all guests. The park is committed to providing a welcoming environment and ensuring guests leave with smiles and deeper connections to one another.
Role Description This is a full-time, on-site role based in Valdosta, GA for the Director of Food and Beverage at Wild Adventures Theme Park. The Director of Food and Beverage is responsible for all Food and Beverage business strategies and operations at Wild Adventures Theme Park. This leader identifies trends and makes business decisions that position the food and beverage experience as a brand pillar and achieve all property objectives. These include profitability, Guest experience, and a caring culture for our Hosts, all done in a manner consistent with the mission, values, operating philosophies and standards of Wild Adventures.
Reasonable Accommodations Statement To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable Accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Essential Functions Statement(s)
Responsible for advancing the passion and enthusiasm for food & beverage, culinary knowledge, foodie culture, leadership and technical skills and ability of the team and the overall guest food and dining experience.
Provides Food & Beverage Team with big-picture vision, guidance, high level subject matter expertise, and clear standards.
Delivers daily and long-term excellence in areas including financial results, operational execution, guest experience, Leading with Love, brand management, product delivery, and safety.
Develops, establishes and implements plans and strategies to support both short and long-range growth and profitability of the Food & Beverage Division.
Ensures department-specific operating competencies and standards are in place and effectively executed. Examples of such competencies include, but are not limited to, Food Safety and Sanitation, General Safety, Loss Prevention, Staffing, Cleanliness, Training, Speed of Service, Guest Service etc.
Ensures department-specific product related competencies and standards are in place and effectively executed. Examples of such competencies include, but are not limited to, menu and recipe adherence, product quality, procurement, inventory management, pricing strategy, packaging and presentation, appropriate brand integration, etc.
Maintains clear standards and holds team accountable.
Provides General Manager with information, feedback and recommendations relating to F&B and its impact on the property-wide business.
Effectively collaborates and coordinates with all resources and stakeholders within Wild Adventures, Property Support Center, other HFE properties, vendors, sponsors, industry leaders and third-party partners.
Periodically evaluate and evolves organizational structure(s), and roles within the division as appropriate, to best support the achievement of the division’s full potential on an on-going basis, and to ensure that the division remains flexible and capable of absorbing growth and evolution of concept as new opportunities arise.
Provides Food and Beverage team with effective and impactful leadership, coaching and development, guidance, accountability, and support.
Provides Food and Beverage team with an environment of team learning, growth, development, accountability, and enrichment.
Promotes an overall environment of respect, teamwork, collaboration, transparency, team development, empowerment, learning, and embracing of growth.
Complies with, support and ensure division compliance with all department and park policies, standards, procedures, and initiatives.
Required Skills
Genuinely friendly, outgoing and caring…takes pride in work.
Able to consistently make a friendly, positive impression when greeting guests, vendors and other employees.
Must be self-motivated and disciplined, able to deal with fast-paced, highly interactive work environment
Must be positive and courteous while making decisions
Must be able to prioritize and complete work assignments on a timely basis.
Have a balanced perspective when dealing with guests; represent the company in a positive light at all times while exceeding guest expectations
Must have a professional appearance with good personal hygiene.
Must promote and support a “team” work environment by cooperating and helping co-workers.
Must adapt to changes easily.
Must be sensitive to the needs of our Guests and feel empowered to take action to meet their needs within company guidelines.
Able to display and live out Servant Leadership qualities by being: patient, kind, humble, respectful, unselfish, forgiving, truthful, trusting, and dedicated.
Must willingly show appreciation to others.
Able to hear, see and speak.
Able to speak, read and write in English.
Must have manual dexterity necessary to complete all job duties.
Able to sit and/or stand for long/short periods.
Able to get along with other employees to work out problems and resolve conflicts. (Able to work cooperatively with others.)
Able to comprehend instructions and retain information.
Able to maintain dependable work attendance and flexibility with assigned work schedules including any required overtime, evenings, weekends and holidays.
Able to tolerate a fast-paced, hectic environment.
Able to be flexible to handle frequent changes in priorities.
Requires thorough knowledge of accounts payable.
Must have high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
Education College degree required. Degree in Culinary, Food Service Management, or Hospitality preferred. Extensive practical experience would be considered in lieu of educational degrees.
Experience
Minimum 6 years Food & Beverage Management experience with no less than $6M in annual gross sales required. Experience in the theme park, attraction, concession, tourism, hospitality or entertainment industry preferred.
Proven track record of business acumen with strategic ability and customer centric thinking.
Proven track record of successfully developing teams and individuals.
ServSafe Food, Allertrain Allergen and TiPS Alcohol Certified or the ability to obtain certification.
Computer Skills Working knowledge of common office software such as word processing, presentation design, and spreadsheet software required.
Other Requirements
Must be able to work days, evenings, weekdays, weekends and holidays as needed
Must handle confidential information strictly and responsibly
Must be proactive in continuously seekingand developing ways to be more effective
Must have and maintain a valid Driver’s License and insurance
Qualifications
Strong expertise in Culinary Skills, Food Service, and Food & Beverage operations
Proven ability in Customer Satisfaction, with a focus on creating positive guest experiences
Experience with Budgeting, financial planning, and cost management in a food and beverage environment
Ability to lead and manage teams effectively with strong organizational and communication skills
Knowledge of food safety regulations and compliance standards
Experience in hospitality, theme park operations, or high-volume foodservice settings is preferred
Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management, Culinary Arts, or a related field is a plus
Compensation Package Includes
Bonus Eligible position
Vacation, Sick, Personal and Holiday hours
Profit Sharing and 401K eligible after 90 days
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Role Description This is a full-time, on-site role based in Valdosta, GA for the Director of Food and Beverage at Wild Adventures Theme Park. The Director of Food and Beverage is responsible for all Food and Beverage business strategies and operations at Wild Adventures Theme Park. This leader identifies trends and makes business decisions that position the food and beverage experience as a brand pillar and achieve all property objectives. These include profitability, Guest experience, and a caring culture for our Hosts, all done in a manner consistent with the mission, values, operating philosophies and standards of Wild Adventures.
Reasonable Accommodations Statement To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable Accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Essential Functions Statement(s)
Responsible for advancing the passion and enthusiasm for food & beverage, culinary knowledge, foodie culture, leadership and technical skills and ability of the team and the overall guest food and dining experience.
Provides Food & Beverage Team with big-picture vision, guidance, high level subject matter expertise, and clear standards.
Delivers daily and long-term excellence in areas including financial results, operational execution, guest experience, Leading with Love, brand management, product delivery, and safety.
Develops, establishes and implements plans and strategies to support both short and long-range growth and profitability of the Food & Beverage Division.
Ensures department-specific operating competencies and standards are in place and effectively executed. Examples of such competencies include, but are not limited to, Food Safety and Sanitation, General Safety, Loss Prevention, Staffing, Cleanliness, Training, Speed of Service, Guest Service etc.
Ensures department-specific product related competencies and standards are in place and effectively executed. Examples of such competencies include, but are not limited to, menu and recipe adherence, product quality, procurement, inventory management, pricing strategy, packaging and presentation, appropriate brand integration, etc.
Maintains clear standards and holds team accountable.
Provides General Manager with information, feedback and recommendations relating to F&B and its impact on the property-wide business.
Effectively collaborates and coordinates with all resources and stakeholders within Wild Adventures, Property Support Center, other HFE properties, vendors, sponsors, industry leaders and third-party partners.
Periodically evaluate and evolves organizational structure(s), and roles within the division as appropriate, to best support the achievement of the division’s full potential on an on-going basis, and to ensure that the division remains flexible and capable of absorbing growth and evolution of concept as new opportunities arise.
Provides Food and Beverage team with effective and impactful leadership, coaching and development, guidance, accountability, and support.
Provides Food and Beverage team with an environment of team learning, growth, development, accountability, and enrichment.
Promotes an overall environment of respect, teamwork, collaboration, transparency, team development, empowerment, learning, and embracing of growth.
Complies with, support and ensure division compliance with all department and park policies, standards, procedures, and initiatives.
Required Skills
Genuinely friendly, outgoing and caring…takes pride in work.
Able to consistently make a friendly, positive impression when greeting guests, vendors and other employees.
Must be self-motivated and disciplined, able to deal with fast-paced, highly interactive work environment
Must be positive and courteous while making decisions
Must be able to prioritize and complete work assignments on a timely basis.
Have a balanced perspective when dealing with guests; represent the company in a positive light at all times while exceeding guest expectations
Must have a professional appearance with good personal hygiene.
Must promote and support a “team” work environment by cooperating and helping co-workers.
Must adapt to changes easily.
Must be sensitive to the needs of our Guests and feel empowered to take action to meet their needs within company guidelines.
Able to display and live out Servant Leadership qualities by being: patient, kind, humble, respectful, unselfish, forgiving, truthful, trusting, and dedicated.
Must willingly show appreciation to others.
Able to hear, see and speak.
Able to speak, read and write in English.
Must have manual dexterity necessary to complete all job duties.
Able to sit and/or stand for long/short periods.
Able to get along with other employees to work out problems and resolve conflicts. (Able to work cooperatively with others.)
Able to comprehend instructions and retain information.
Able to maintain dependable work attendance and flexibility with assigned work schedules including any required overtime, evenings, weekends and holidays.
Able to tolerate a fast-paced, hectic environment.
Able to be flexible to handle frequent changes in priorities.
Requires thorough knowledge of accounts payable.
Must have high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
Education College degree required. Degree in Culinary, Food Service Management, or Hospitality preferred. Extensive practical experience would be considered in lieu of educational degrees.
Experience
Minimum 6 years Food & Beverage Management experience with no less than $6M in annual gross sales required. Experience in the theme park, attraction, concession, tourism, hospitality or entertainment industry preferred.
Proven track record of business acumen with strategic ability and customer centric thinking.
Proven track record of successfully developing teams and individuals.
ServSafe Food, Allertrain Allergen and TiPS Alcohol Certified or the ability to obtain certification.
Computer Skills Working knowledge of common office software such as word processing, presentation design, and spreadsheet software required.
Other Requirements
Must be able to work days, evenings, weekdays, weekends and holidays as needed
Must handle confidential information strictly and responsibly
Must be proactive in continuously seekingand developing ways to be more effective
Must have and maintain a valid Driver’s License and insurance
Qualifications
Strong expertise in Culinary Skills, Food Service, and Food & Beverage operations
Proven ability in Customer Satisfaction, with a focus on creating positive guest experiences
Experience with Budgeting, financial planning, and cost management in a food and beverage environment
Ability to lead and manage teams effectively with strong organizational and communication skills
Knowledge of food safety regulations and compliance standards
Experience in hospitality, theme park operations, or high-volume foodservice settings is preferred
Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management, Culinary Arts, or a related field is a plus
Compensation Package Includes
Bonus Eligible position
Vacation, Sick, Personal and Holiday hours
Profit Sharing and 401K eligible after 90 days
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