The Crown and Garter is situated in Inkpen near Hungerford. Its location is rural and it benefits from a picturesque setting. The premises date back to the 1640s when it operated as a coaching inn. The hotel rooms are later additions but are well presented from the outside and look out over a pretty courtyard garden. They are designed and decorated to a high specification as it is the whole of the pub. The premises sit in the centre of the village, which is one of the largest in the country. The current owner bought it in 2013 and after an extensive refurbishment and rebuild it opened its doors in its current guise in September 2014. What provides some of the charm of the business, its remote location, also adds to the challenge with regard to its operation, in that to a large degree it is a destination spot. The locals do use the restaurant and the bar and there is much scope to build on their patronage. It is considered to be a valued part of the community.
The challenge of the task is not to turn the business around, as to say so would imply that there is not much positive about the business, and this would do it an injustice. The challenge is really to make the most out of this beautiful asset and make it a place that sets it apart from other rural country inns.
This is an exciting job for anyone passionate about the food and beverage industry mainly because the right candidate will have autonomy to achieve what is required and you will have the full support of the Honesty management team. The only proviso is that Honesty’s philosophy and ethos, and these run through the whole business continue to do so. Otherwise everything is up for grabs and there are no ideas and suggestions that are off the table.
General Purpose
To manage the day-to-day running of the bar, restaurant, coffee shop and hotel, and in doing so achieve food, drink and accommodation revenue in keeping with the existing budgets, whilst also providing excellent levels of service to customers.
There is a full team currently in place, from Coffee shop supervisor, to Housekeeping team. To support you we have a full Front of house team fully trained and really passionate, an Assistant Manager who has been with us for many years.
Full handover and training to be provided, current General Manager is only leaving in September, to pursue his Masters degree.
MAIN AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY
To effectively plan the establishment’s operation (planning the FoH Shifts (restaurant, bar, hotel and coffee shop):
Based on bookings and reservations
General forecasting
Availability of staff
To manage the organisation of the bar resources:
Purchases and deliveries (suppliers)
Stock control (purchases) ensuring that orders in are always checked as to quantity and quality
To manage the FoH team, including:
Rotas and shift patterns;
Holiday management;
Disciplinary and grievance procedures;
Continuous training and development.
To contribute to the monthly report and establish an accepted range of KPIs, analyse food and beverage costs, analyse budget variances and take corrective action. Inform senior management at monthly management meetings as to the performance of the business, in person and to be supported by monthly reports.
To liaise with the Head Chef and the Kitchen team, ensuring:
New menu production;
Management of Events and Large bookings;
FoH training and development.
To implement and maintain H&S and Fire Evacuation procedures, keeping proper records as legally required and as required by good practice.
To manage the hotel reservations, bookings, and group reservations including:
Check ins and Checkouts
Invoicing and payments
Housekeeping (rotas, room checks and procedures)
To manage the coffee shop team on a day-to-day basis:
Liaise with Coffee shop supervisor
Ensuring stock and staff levels are adequate, if the supervisor is not present or on annual leave
To ensure preventative maintenance is carried on in the establishment, and that all the issues (breakages, repairs, etc) are fixed in due time. To report this to our current Maintenance Manager who works through out the company.
To set operating goals and objectives for your team, assess the effectiveness of these and take action accordingly.
To prioritise training of staff in all areas of the business operation to maximise revenues and customer satisfaction
To plan, organise and manage the running of events that will increase the revenue to the business.
To assess staff requirements and recruit staff when needed.
To deal with customer queries and complaints in a timely fashion.
Ensure cash management procedures are completed accurately.
To organise and supervise marketing and promotional activities.
Keep up to date with trends in the restaurant and pub industry.
SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
Previous experience in food and beverage management.
An in-depth working knowledge of beverages and an interest in food preparation and presentation.
Experience of staff management and development
A knowledge and understanding of how to train staff in order to get the best out of them.
A knowledge of basic accounting principles and practices.
Experience of analysing financial data.
Knowledge of planning and forecasting.
A track record of managing inventory and cost control
A knowledge of administrative procedures to ensure efficient processes are in place
Ability to use relevant computer applications.
KEY COMPETENCIES
A drive to succeed
A desire to problem solve
Being well organised and enjoy planning
Computer literate (experience on EXCEL, WORD, Email and Internet)
Various Hospitality Programmes, EPOS NOW
Strong communication skills
An enjoyment of working with the public and with people
INDFOH