Catering & Hospitality Manager

Historic Tennessee Theatre Foundation•Knoxville, TN

10d•$49,072 - $58,656•Onsite

About The Position

The Catering & Hospitality Manager oversees all food, catering, and hospitality operations for the Historic Tennessee Theatre Foundation, which operates the Tennessee Theatre and adjoining facility at 612 S. Gay Street. The program includes food for public events, catering for private rentals and Theatre functions, premium lounge and add-on experiences, and artist and crew hospitality required by touring contract riders. The role reports to the Senior Director of Programming & Production and works in tandem with Touring and Non-Touring Event Managers and with Event Services, Audience Services, Development, Facilities, and the bar and beverage team. Bar operations and alcoholic beverage service are managed separately. The manager independently leads the food and hospitality program, including operational and financial decisions, vendor selection, purchasing, inventory, food safety, and hospitality staffing. Since the Theatre does not have a full commercial kitchen, the manager sources and oversees external caterers and food vendors and manages delivery, setup, presentation, service, and breakdown. The position also supports revenue-generating premium hospitality offerings and maintains a welcoming experience for audience members, donors, clients, artists, and crews. The position is full-time and exempt, based on-site in Knoxville, Tennessee. It has variable, part-time supervisory staffing responsibilities. The Theatre is a renovated 1,600-seat historic performing arts venue with more than 220 booked days and over 175 events annually. Its connected, recently acquired seven-level building expands programming, hospitality, rehearsal, educational, and rental spaces.

Requirements

At least five years of experience in catering, banquet, or food service operations; high-volume, fast-paced settings are preferred in the posting, including hotels, catering companies, convention centers, or performing arts and entertainment venues.
At least three years of experience supervising hospitality staff, maintaining exceptional customer service, and fostering a low-turnover workforce.
At least three years of direct catering, event, or restaurant management experience, including budgeting, cost control, inventory, vendor management, and detailed reporting.
Valid Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) or ServSafe Manager certification, or ability to obtain certification within 60 days of hire.
Ability to make independent decisions affecting operations, financial outcomes, and guest experience.
Ability to design menus for event themes, audience preferences, dietary needs, seasonal trends, and budgets.
Ability to plan and execute catered events from initial client discussions through service and cleanup, with attention to presentation and timing.
Ability to understand touring riders and artist, tour manager, and crew hospitality expectations.
Ability to select, negotiate with, and manage external caterers and food vendors against clear standards.
Ability to manage food and supply levels, pricing, and margins to minimize waste and improve efficiency.
Knowledge and ability to maintain food safety, allergen management, sanitation, and regulatory compliance through inspection and staff training.
Ability to recruit, train, and supervise hospitality staff and maintain high-quality service.
Ability to handle guest and client concerns, resolve complaints, and improve offerings based on feedback.
Exceptional computer literacy and proficiency with Microsoft Office, event management and work-order systems, and POS reporting.
Strong teamwork, communication, organization, planning, and ability to work under pressure using creative problem-solving and adaptability.
Sufficient mobility for constant and repetitive reaching, bending, stooping, wiping, pushing, and pulling for extended periods.
Ability to stand and walk for extended periods, including using stairs between multiple floors and buildings.
Ability to lift, carry, and move items such as food deliveries, chafing equipment, and tables weighing up to 50 pounds.
Ability to safely handle hot food and equipment and work around refrigerated storage.
Ability to communicate clearly verbally and in writing, in person, and by phone; ability to hear and distinguish speech and other sounds in different environments.
Ability to see clearly at approximately 20 inches or less, including when using computers, and to enter text or data using a keyboard.
Ability to work extended hours, nights, weekends, and holidays.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s or Associate’s degree in Hospitality Management, Culinary Arts, Food Business Management, or a related field (preferred).
Experience with touring artist hospitality and rider fulfillment (preferred).
Allergen awareness training (a plus).

Responsibilities

Review touring contract riders and advance artist and crew hospitality requirements, including meals, dressing-room and green-room hospitality, dietary restrictions, and allergies.
Book and oversee external caterers for touring shows, coordinating room preparation, arrival, setup, meal service, strike, and cleanup.
Coordinate catering for crew and stagehand meals and snacks during daytime breaks or late-night and overnight load-outs when required by union rules.
Prepare meal buyouts, deliveries, bus stock, snack trays, and dressing-room setups for handoff to the Event Services team.
Track hospitality costs against rider allowances and buyouts and provide accurate documentation for show settlement.
Lead catering for private rentals, donor and patron events, education and community programs, internal functions, receptions, meals, board lunches, and staff meetings.
Consult with clients and internal partners about menus, service style, guest counts, dietary needs, and budgets, and prepare catering line items for client estimates.
Develop and maintain a preferred caterer list and venue catering policies, including outside-caterer approval, insurance and health permit requirements, load-in procedures, and cleanup standards.
Select, oversee, and evaluate external caterers, ensuring quality, presentation, and compliance with health and safety regulations.
Plan room layouts, buffet and station designs, rentals, and service timelines with Event and Facility departments.
Use a work-order system and/or Theatre calendar to centralize and share catering information with other departments.
Design and manage food programs for premium hospitality, including the donor lounge, VIP and early-access experiences, and intermission lounges.
Source prepared food and oversee its delivery, holding, replenishment, and presentation during events.
Help develop revenue-generating opportunities, including add-on ticket packages and special hospitality events, through concept development, menu planning, pricing, and cost modeling.
Make independent decisions about caterer and vendor selection, purchasing, food inventory, and cost-control strategies.
Develop and manage inventory for food, disposables, smallwares, serviceware, and hospitality supplies, maintaining organization, freshness, and security in limited storage.
Build relationships with local caterers, restaurants, food distributors, and rental companies, keeping offerings high-value and current with industry trends and the Knoxville culinary community.
Support the annual food and hospitality budget, monitor expenses, and maximize revenue and margins.
Process caterer and vendor payments and reconcile food, catering, and hospitality costs for events and settlement.
Keep food-related permits, inspections, and certifications current and compliant, and obtain temporary or special-event permits as needed.
Maintain food safety standards, including safe holding temperatures, allergen labeling, and sanitation.
Monitor food-related equipment and coordinate maintenance, repair, and replacement with Facilities.
Recruit, train, schedule, and supervise part-time hospitality staff, including servers, attendants, runners, and lead staff.
Make recommendations regarding hiring, discipline, scheduling changes, and advancement of hospitality staff.
Communicate and enforce venue policies for external caterers and food vendors.
Provide outstanding hospitality and address guest, client, vendor, and partner inquiries or complaints promptly and professionally.
Complete payroll documentation by deadlines set by the payment processing system and HR Director.