Ever watched an episode of "Kitchen Nightmares,"and thought you could do a better job of running that restaurant? As a Food and Beverage manager, that's what you'd be doing. Restaurants, Hotels, Resorts, Catering, and more need people to manage their operations, and it's a career that puts you in charge of delivering the best possible experience to the people you're feeding. Here's a little more about what a career in Food and Beverage Management really means:
What is Food and Beverage Management about?
Food and Beverage Manager jobs could involve planning the menu, running the kitchen, serving customers, or managing the business, among other things. But there's more to the career than just that. As Alexander SenGupta, instructor at our School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts puts it in this video interview, it's not just about the food, it's about the ambiance, service, and presentation, and sometimes has more to do with show business than cooking.
"The Hospitality Industry is about anticipating a guest's needs, and then delivering a memorable experience," he says. "It's as much about the personal connection as it is about the product."
Where could I work in Food and Beverage Management?
In Food and Beverage Management, you can find yourself working anywhere from large corporate settings, to small, independent operations. You might not even work as a hotel or restaurant manager, but instead cater to professional or social events, such as a wedding dinner, or a corporate event.
What type of person enjoys this career?
As Hospitality Worldwide puts it, to succeed in this career field, you need to be someone who's interested in creating memorable experiences for diners and guests. Since you're managing things, you need to have the drive to work hard and get results. That intensified customer service, that's the key to success, and that's what you're promoting in a manager role, on top of the business part of things.
You'll need good communication skills, the culinary skills to help start up the food, an understanding of culinary arts, and business skills. You need to be a triple threat, able to work with customers, work with food, and work with business. And that's where we come in.
How can Centennial College help me get ready for this career?
Our Food and Beverage Management Program is designed to prepare you with the practical industry skills you need, along with the leadership skills to get into the management part of the job. We make sure you understand all levels of the business.
At our Progress Campus, you gain experience by working in our college restaurant, The Local, along with its quick service café. A few floors up is our Event Centre, where you'll also take part in real-life learning. The important part is that both locations are real institutions that serve the public, not simulations. And beyond that, you get to travel outside the campus, in a 14-week industry work-integrated learning experience with one of the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts' food and beverage partners. Finally, your degree comes with essential industry certifications (Smart Serve, Safe Food Handlers and CPR) that will make you even more employable in the restaurant industry.
If you've got a passion not just for food, but for the experience around it, and want to be the one running the show when it's time to eat, then we've got the right ingredients for your next career.
By Anthony Geremia