Hiring Strategy
How to Hire a Food & Beverage Director
What a great F&B director owns, where to find one, what to pay, and how to test candidates before you hire.
· 3 min readRead article
Direct-hire recruiting
Food & Beverage Director Recruiters
The food and beverage director is responsible for some of the biggest revenue lines at a hotel, resort or club, and the one that's hardest to make profitable. Outlets, in-room dining, banquets and bars all compete for the same labor, kitchen and attention.
We recruit F&B directors who can lead chefs and outlet managers, build menus that sell and keep the department's profit where ownership expects it. Many are experienced F&B directors; others are strong outlet or banquet leaders ready for the next step.
What to look for
What a great food and beverage director brings
Revenue thinking
They price menus, plan promotions and grow covers and average check across outlets.
Cost control
They manage food, beverage and labor costs across several outlets at once.
Leadership of leaders
They manage chefs, outlet managers and banquet teams, and get them working together.
Guest and member focus
They read reviews and comment cards and act on what they see.
Brand and owner reporting
They forecast accurately and explain results clearly to the GM and ownership.
For employers
Hire a food and beverage director
To hire a food and beverage director, match the candidate to your outlet mix. Running a resort with a restaurant, a pool bar and banquets is a different job from running one hotel restaurant.
What a food and beverage director owns
- Every F&B outlet, plus in-room dining and banquets where they exist
- F&B revenue, cost of goods and labor
- Menus and pricing, with the executive chef
- Hiring and leading the outlet managers
- Beverage programs, licensing and health compliance
What to screen for
- Comparable scope: an outlet count and F&B revenue similar to yours
- Cost results: cost of goods and labor, in percentages
- Chef partnership: a working relationship with an executive chef
- Events: banquet and catering experience if your property hosts groups or weddings
- Bench strength: outlet managers they've developed
How our search works
We recruit employed managers at comparable properties through direct outreach, screen each one against your brief, and send you a short list of vetted candidates. You pay nothing until you hire. Our fee is 18% of first-year base salary, with a $9,000 minimum, and every placement carries a six-month (180-day) replacement guarantee. See how much hospitality recruiters charge to compare.
Related reading: How to hire a food and beverage director · How much do hospitality recruiters charge? · 2026 hospitality manager salary guide
Submit a searchWhere we recruit
We recruit nationwide, in all 50 states. Browse our market pages:
Compensation
Food and beverage director salary in 2026
- Base pay range (10th–90th percentile)
- $54k – $124k
- Average base
- $82,113
- Annual bonus
- $2k–$22k
See every role in our salary guide.
Our process
How we recruit food and beverage directors
We review your outlets, banquet mix, revenue goals and how F&B fits with the rest of the leadership team. That tells us whether you need a builder, a fixer or a steady hand.
We recruit sitting F&B directors and outlet or banquet leaders from comparable properties, check their results and leadership references, and confirm their reasons for moving. You meet a short list and we stay involved through the offer and the first six months.
Every placement is a permanent, direct hire on your payroll. You pay a contingency fee only if you hire our candidate, and every placement carries our six-month replacement guarantee.
Open now
Food and beverage director jobs open now
No openings right now — submit a search or send us your resume.
FAQ
Food and beverage director recruiting FAQs
Yes. Clubs are one of the four venue types we serve.
Yes. We'll screen specifically for catering and banquet revenue if that's a priority.
No. We focus on property-level and multi-unit management, not corporate C-suite.
Contingency: you pay 18% of first-year base only if you hire our candidate, with a six-month guarantee.
Related roles and industries
Ready to hire?
Tell us about the role. A recruiter will call you within one business day.
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