Director of Food & Beverage

Horseshoe Bay Resort•Denver, CO

13d•$110,000 - $120,000

About The Position

Populus Denver is seeking an accomplished, engaged, commercially driven Director of Food & Beverage to lead the hotel's comprehensive food and beverage operations. This executive leadership role is accountable for financial performance, operational excellence, guest experience, culinary collaboration, and strategic development across the property's dining and beverage concepts. The Director oversees Pasque, the rooftop dining and beverage experience at Stellar Jay, private dining, banquets, catering, and other food and beverage activations. The role combines hotel executive operating discipline with the creativity, entrepreneurial mindset, and commercial awareness of an independent restaurant operator. The Director is responsible for building a cohesive, high-performing division while preserving each venue's identity, positioning, and guest experience. This is a hands-on position requiring strong financial acumen, consistent operational presence, exceptional people management, and demonstrated success in profitable revenue growth. The Director provides strategic direction, manages budgets and forecasts, leads venue and event operations, develops talent, partners with culinary and hotel leadership, and ensures compliance with food safety, licensing, workplace safety, and operational controls. The position requires a flexible schedule that includes evenings, weekends, holidays, and major events.

Requirements

Minimum 7–10 years of progressive Food & Beverage management experience, including at least 3–5 years in a senior leadership or director-level role.
Experience managing multiple restaurant and beverage concepts, preferably in an upscale lifestyle, boutique, luxury, or full-service hotel environment.
Demonstrated responsibility for significant Food & Beverage revenue and departmental profitability.
Strong working knowledge of restaurant operations, beverage programs, banquets, catering, and event execution.
Proven ability to manage complex operating budgets, forecasts, financial statements, and labor productivity.
Experience developing managers, leading diverse teams, and establishing measurable performance standards.
Strong understanding of food safety, alcohol service regulations, and hospitality operating procedures.
Experience with hotel property management systems, point-of-sale platforms, labor management tools, and financial reporting systems.
Excellent communication, organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends, holidays, and major events.
Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management, Business Administration, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant leadership experience is considered.

Nice To Haves

Experience in an upscale lifestyle, boutique, luxury, or full-service hotel environment.
Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management, Business Administration, or a related field.
Commercial and financial acumen to translate operating data into strategies that drive revenue, control expenses, and improve profitability.
Executive leadership ability to establish expectations, develop leadership talent, make difficult decisions, and hold teams accountable.
Strong understanding of independent restaurant dynamics, beverage profitability, culinary trends, and competitive positioning.
Visible, engaged, guest-centric leadership that inspires authentic service and anticipates guest needs.
Entrepreneurial and strategic thinking, including the ability to develop revenue streams, adapt to changing conditions, and maximize each venue's commercial potential.

Responsibilities

Provide executive oversight and strategic direction for all Food & Beverage operations, aligned with the hotel's positioning, brand standards, ownership objectives, and annual business plan.
Develop and execute a Food & Beverage strategy balancing revenue, profitability, guest satisfaction, and market relevance, with distinct strategies for each venue.
Identify ways to increase local market penetration, non-hotel guest traffic, and the property's reputation as a dining and entertainment destination.
Collaborate with the General Manager, Director of Sales & Marketing, Revenue Management, and Executive Chef on business development initiatives.
Lead seasonal programming, culinary partnerships, special events, holiday activations, and other revenue-generating experiences.
Monitor the Denver restaurant, rooftop, bar, and hospitality landscape and participate in annual operating budget, business plan, and long-term positioning development.
Develop and manage annual operating budgets, monthly forecasts, and departmental business plans; take ownership of revenue, expenses, labor productivity, and operating profit.
Monitor financial performance against budget, forecast, and prior-year results; establish cost controls and conduct profit-and-loss reviews with corrective action plans.
Partner with the Executive Chef on menu engineering, food costs, purchasing, waste reduction, and production efficiency; develop profitable beverage pricing, product mix, inventory, and purchasing strategies.
Align labor scheduling with business volumes, productivity standards, and service requirements; monitor financial indicators such as average check, covers, revenue per available seat, outlet contribution, and banquet profitability.
Ensure compliance with purchasing procedures, invoice approvals, inventory controls, and financial reporting requirements; work with Finance on vendors, accounts payable priorities, and purchasing decisions.
Provide visible, hands-on leadership across venues while maintaining operational consistency and protecting each concept's character.
Oversee applicable meal-period operations at Pasque, including service execution, guest engagement, table management, dining-room efficiency, staffing, and profitability.
Position Stellar Jay as a destination for hotel guests and local customers; oversee rooftop beverage programming, service, reservations, guest flow, seasonal operations, pricing, events, and use of space.
Oversee private dining, in-room dining, event spaces, and other assigned food and beverage services, establishing revenue goals, expense controls, staffing expectations, and service standards.
Oversee the operational execution and profitability of banquet, catering, private dining, and special event business in collaboration with Sales and Catering.
Ensure event planning, staffing, setup, service delivery, and post-event reconciliation; review event orders, profitability, labor allocation, and operational requirements.
Develop event concepts, improve beverage attachment and event check averages, and ensure clear communication among Sales, Culinary, Banquets, and Operations.
Establish elevated service standards and maintain an operational presence during peak dining periods, major events, weekends, and holidays.
Lead service training in hospitality, product knowledge, personalization, anticipating guest needs, and service recovery; review guest feedback and implement measurable improvements.
Engage with guests, resolve escalated concerns, ensure follow-through, and maintain venue presentation, cleanliness, ambiance, and readiness.
Lead, mentor, and develop managers, supervisors, and service teams; establish responsibilities, performance expectations, and accountability.
Conduct leadership meetings, operational reviews, and performance discussions; recruit and retain employees, develop succession opportunities, and establish onboarding, training, and certification programs.
Address performance deficiencies through coaching and appropriate corrective action; ensure staffing supports financial and service objectives and maintain compliance with employment regulations, applicable collective bargaining agreements, and company policies.
Maintain a collaborative relationship with the Executive Chef and culinary leadership on menus, seasonal concepts, tastings, pricing, promotions, quality, margins, sourcing, waste reduction, and sustainability initiatives.
Partner with Sales and Marketing on targeted campaigns, build community and industry relationships, develop promotional calendars, evaluate promotional effectiveness, and strengthen venues' digital presence and market visibility.
Ensure compliance with food safety, sanitation, liquor licensing, health, and workplace safety requirements.
Maintain inventory, receiving, storage, loss prevention, inspection, opening and closing, cash-handling, and point-of-sale controls.
Partner with Engineering on preventive maintenance, equipment replacement, furniture, and repairs; participate in capital planning and maintain appropriate operating supply and equipment par levels.