SUMMARY

The Sous Chef works closely with Executive Chef, supervising and coordinating activities of food preparation, kitchen, pantry, and storeroom personnel. Purchase and requisition ingredients, kitchen supplies and equipment. Participates in planning menus, preparing and portioning and controlling costs. Supervises Stewarding to ensure cleanliness of kitchen and equipment. Supervises Cooks to ensure quality and observe preparation and appearance standards. Supervises workers engaged in inventory, storage, and distribution of food and supplies.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Read, write and speak and understand English.
• Ability to understand financial goals and accomplish them.
• Minimum 2 years Banquet Chef experience preferred.
• Minimum 5 years cooking experience.
• Food/Beverage Service Worker Permit, where applicable.
• Ability to communicate effectively with the public and other employees.
• Meet minimum age requirement of jurisdiction.
• Minimum 2 years kitchen management experience.
• College degree or certification in culinary field/hospitality field preferred.
• No employee will pose a direct threat to the health/safety of self or others.

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

• CUSTOMER SERVICE: Maintain customer satisfaction as the driving philosophy of the Beverage department. Personally demonstrate a commitment to customer service by inquiring about service quality and responding promptly to guest needs. Promptly handle guest complaints. Fill in for staff when necessary to ensure customer satisfaction. Ensure your staff, including all new hires, are trained to meet standards. Empower Beverage staff to deliver customer service by encouraging and rewarding responsive guest assistance. Level of service provided to guests in meetings, private parties, lounge and restaurant meets or exceeds customer expectations. Ensure that consistency of service and standards are met in restaurants and lounge.
• FINANCIAL: Manage department within budget. Accurately forecast revenues/expenses. Prepare annual departmental budget that accurately reflects the department’s operations plan. Anticipate revenue/cost problems and report discrepancies to F&B Director. Assist hotel staff with accounting related issues. Analyze financial and operating information on an ongoing basis to adjust labor, supplies, materials and other costs to achieve budget. Ensure department staff is trained in control procedures as outlined by Internal Audit, and that these procedures are consistently followed. Follow controls for food purchasing, receiving, storage, preparation, etc. Keep waste to a minimum by planning actions and strategies that reduce spoilage, waste or other factors that cause beverage costs to rise.
• PEOPLE: Manage people according to Margaritaville’s values. Manage human resources functions including recruiting, selection, orientation, training, performance reviews, pay and recognition programs to maintain a skilled and motivated workforce. Maintain a positive, cooperative work environment between staff and management. Emphasize training and development as a way of doing business to empower employees to successfully perform their jobs. Help develop management talent by acting as a mentor for direct reports. Resolve employee grievances fairly and timely. Ensure employees fully understand performance standards, review processes, and reward successes. Manage safety programs to protect guests and employees and which meets OSHA requirements. Use ongoing safety plan to minimize workers’ compensation claims. Train staff to increase level of customer sales, service and safety skills on an ongoing basis. Ensure employees are appropriately certified for their job as required by federal, state or local regulations. Monitor and maintain acceptable turnover levels.
• QUALITY: Know the general operations of department and how all hotel departments work together to achieve business objectives and to meet customer expectations. Know the commonly occurring challenges of the F&B business and how to overcome them. Know restaurant standards and hold employees accountable for consistently meeting these standards. Maintain favorable health department scores. Manage a preventive maintenance program for all equipment. Control food-borne illnesses. Meet safety and sanitation standards such as Emergency Plan, CPR/Heimlich training for all employees, proper storage of food, storing chemicals away from food, etc. Inform employees of new food and beverage issues such as drinking laws, trends in dining, demographics, etc.
• MANAGING THE BUSINESS: Assist in the preparation of the F&B budget and maximize department resources to contribute to the successful achievement of the budget. Identify major revenue and expense opportunities and possible problems. Assist with the identification and selection of vendors that provide quality service and competitive prices and monitor to ensure quality of goods and service is met. Adjust inventory, department labor schedules, staff assignment and supplies based upon demand without loss in quality service. Keep kitchen repair costs down by maintaining equipment. Work with local vendors to keep costs down.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Assist in obtaining financial goals.

• Assist in directing and correcting the presentation and portioning of food according to brand standards.

• Assist in the responsibility to select, train, supervise, develop, discipline and counsel employees in accordance with hotel policies and procedures.

• Communicate daily with the Executive Chef for an update regarding planning, staffing, and internal procedures.

• Communicate directly with banquet manager or captain for guest count, special request and timing of food functions to attain highest guest satisfaction.

• Complete all assigned paperwork accurately and timely.

• Complete daily food requisition and oversee specials, utilizing overstock.

• Keep in contact with all outlets to ensure quality and consistency.

• Maintain work areas clean and organized.

• Order food quantities and other expense items and oversee production for banquet food operations with purchasing, banquet management and Executive Chef.

• Participate in banquet functions from planning to preparation to dish up of function.

• Report unsafe conditions immediately.

• Assist in directing staff in sanitation and sanitary food handling.

• Assist in scheduling staff according to business levels.

• Conduct daily walk-through of all walk-in refrigerators, storage rooms, and food lines to ensure rotation, usage, cleanliness and proper sanitation.

• Perform in the capacity of any position supervised.

• Prepare and train staff in use of working menus, recipe cards and photo standards.

• Assist in conducting performance appraisals.

• Attend all required meetings.

• Maintain and monitor overtime, labor and food costs.

• Complete other duties as assigned by supervisor to include cross training.