Food and Beverage Manager/Food Service Manager

Success in this role requires balancing people leadership, operational excellence, and flexibility to deliver a consistently high-quality guest experience in a dynamic farm environment.  

This position may be a strong fit if you:

• Thrive overseeing food operations for peak fall high-volume season and non-peak planning seasons.
• Want to provide great service to guests and help them have a great day on the farm.
• Enjoy coaching and teaching food skills to people without a food service background, including high school–aged employees and supervisors.
• Believe in servant leadership - at Tuttles everyone helps with whatever needs to be done including washing dishes and cleaning restrooms.
• Are strong at building systems for scheduling, inventory, forecasting, and kitchen flow.
• Stay calm and flexible when weather, crowds, or staffing change quickly.
• Care deeply about culture and creating a healthy, supportive team.
• Prefer a collaborative leadership environment.

If you are energized by leadership, mentoring, and building strong operations in a dynamic farm setting, this may be exactly what you’re looking for.

The Food Service Manager leads all food service operations at Tuttle Orchards.  The role changes by season:

Non-Peak Season: focused on planning for special events and peak season, running day to day operations for cafe, overseeing food service team.  

Peak Season: focused on overseeing the fall operations in Grill, Sweet Shop, Donuts and other food areas including managing leads and staff, ordering, forecasting, training, and customer service. 

Leadership at Tuttle Orchards is about Teaching first. Building structure. Adaptability.  Choosing “farm first”.  Leading with character. 

Operations & Planning

• Oversee all food service areas. 
• Ensure consistent quality production of core items such as donuts, caramel apples, cider slushies, and grill meals.  
• Build and refine systems for forecasting, purchasing, labor, and kitchen efficiency.
• Improve guest and staff flow during peak days.

Guest Experience & Continuous Improvement

• Ensure great customer service through systems, staff training, and continuous improvement.
• Monitor guest feedback and collaborate with other farm teams to improve food offerings and service.
• Support marketing efforts by communicating seasonal offerings, specials, and menu updates.

Leadership & Staff Development

• Train and coach staff and supervisors.  Provide clear expectations, feedback, and accountability.  
• Collaborate with your peers and lead together with other area managers.

Systems Management

• Manage purchasing budgets and production forecasts.
• Monitor food cost, labor, and inventory.
• Maintain food safety compliance and inspection readiness.
• Oversee sanitation, labeling, and allergen systems.

Qualifications

Required

• Strong leadership skills and experience managing a team including supervisors.  
• Demonstrated ability to teach and coach staff, including supervisors and high school-aged employees.
• Experience in customer service and ability to receive feedback and make adjustments.
• Ability to lead a team in an environment with multiple areas, supervisors, and systems running concurrently.  
• Strong understanding of kitchen systems, kitchen flow and operations, menu creation and food preparation (not a full-time chef role).  Proven ability to build, implement, and refine operational systems in a food service environment.
• Ability to set up and run an efficient expo food line in a high volume setting.    
• Strong skills in managing menus, purchasing, forecasting, and inventory, staff schedules - and the ability to adapt to changes in real time.
• Strong adaptability and flexibility skills.  
• Strong organizational skills.
• Strong communication skills.  
• Strong commitment to food quality, sanitation, and guest experience.
• Proficiency with standard operational software (Google Apps, Excel, POS, inventory systems).
• Strong alignment with Tuttle Orchards’ values and leadership culture.

Preferred

• Experience in seasonal or outdoor food service operations.
• Culinary degree or trade certification.
• Experience working with food service vendors and ordering.
• Experience developing food and menu items for a high volume environment.
• Forklift operation experience.
• ServSafe certification (or equivalent). 

Compensation & Benefits

• Full-time, year round leadership position
• Compensation based on experience
• Health insurance benefits available
• No late-evening hours (closing at 7:00 pm)
• No Sunday hours

Working Conditions

• Full-time; average 40 hours per week, with additional hours during peak fall season (Aug - Oct).
• Operate forklift to move product (training could be provided).
• Saturdays required during fall and select event days.  Two Saturdays a month typically year round.
• Work in all weather conditions and temperatures, including walk-in freezers.
• Exposure to farm, kitchen., and food service environments, including allergens and sanitizing chemicals.
• Physical requirements include standing for long periods, repetitive movements, lifting up to 50 lbs., bending, kneeling, climbing ladders, and operating kitchen and farm equipment.