Director of Food And Beverage

Director of Food & Beverage

Location: Starkville, Mississippi

Salary: $90,000 USD bonus

Opening: Mid-summer 2027

Property: New full-service hotel

Position Overview

An exciting opportunity is available for an experienced Director of Food & Beverage to lead all food and beverage operations at a new full-service hotel development in Starkville, Mississippi.

The property will feature a full-service restaurant, an indoor/outdoor rooftop bar, a café and creamery, and an exterior event plaza. The Director of Food & Beverage will play a key role in establishing the property's dining concepts, developing the team and delivering a strong food and beverage offering ahead of its opening in mid-summer 2027.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee all food and beverage outlets, ensuring consistent service standards, quality and operational efficiency.
• Lead the development and pre-opening preparation of restaurant, rooftop bar, café and event plaza operations.
• Recruit, train and develop food and beverage managers and team members.
• Establish operating procedures, service standards, staffing plans and departmental budgets.
• Manage financial performance, including revenue generation, labour costs, inventory and profitability.
• Collaborate with the Executive Chef on menus, dining concepts, pricing and overall guest experience.
• Develop beverage programmes, events and promotions that attract hotel guests and the local community.
• Ensure compliance with food safety, sanitation, licensing and responsible alcohol service requirements.
• Work closely with hotel leadership, sales and marketing teams to support events, group business and overall property performance.
• Build a strong service culture and position the hotel's food and beverage outlets as key attractions within the surrounding development.

Candidate Profile

• Previous experience as a Director of Food & Beverage or in a comparable senior hospitality leadership position.
• Experience overseeing multiple outlets within a full-service hotel, resort or high-volume hospitality environment.
• Strong financial management skills, including budgeting, forecasting and cost control.
• Experience with restaurant, bar and event operations, ideally within a lifestyle or upscale hotel environment.
• Demonstrated ability to recruit, develop and lead high-performing teams.
• Strong commercial awareness and a track record of driving revenue and guest satisfaction.
• Experience with hotel pre-openings or new concept development is highly desirable.