Careers in Lodging and Food and Beverage Industries - Essay Example

?Careers in Lodging and Food and Beverage Industries Introduction The hospitality industry covers a wide range of field categories including event planning, lodging, restaurant, hotel, transportation, and tourism. The hospitality industry earns the U.S. economy several billion dollars per year and provides employment to many nationals. Restaurants, lodges, and hotels are key components of the hospitality industry each of them offering vital services to customers who have leisure time to spend or who need food or accommodation away from their usual residence. This paper is dedicated to discussing the careers available in the food, beverage and lodging industries with special focus on restaurants, hotels, and lodges. The National Restaurant Association notes that there are a variety of positions that exist in the food industry. Some of the job titles in this respect include baker, bartender, beverage manager, banquet manager, general manager, pastry chef, wine steward, president, and human resource manager among others. Generally, restaurants employ people to work in the kitchen, front-of-house, back-of-house, and as servers. Restaurants always employ people to work as managers in different capacities. Some of the management positions in the restaurant industry include banquet manager, general manager (quick service), beverage manager, catering manager, dining room manager, general manager (fullservice), human resources manager, kitchen manager, public relations manager, and president/CEO. The banquet manager is charged with the responsibility of planning and overseeing parties, conventions, and banquets among other special events that the restaurant hosts or caters for (National Restaurant Association, 2013). More specifically, the banquet manager solicits business, supervises and coordinates banquet functions, and ensures that customers are satisfied with the products and services they receive during the events. In order for one to qualify as a banquet manager, they have to be knowledgeable in food production and service. Furthermore, they should be able to perform all duties related to banquet operations, and lead, train and supervise banquet staff. The beverage manager is charged with the responsibility of managing lounges and bars among other outlets that deal with beverages and ensuring that they are profitably run (National Restaurant Association, 2013). On the other hand, the catering manager has the responsibility of overseeing all catered functions. The catering manager delegates duties to catering staff, works hand in hand with the sales team to ensure that the restaurant gets and maintains clients, and listens to and addresses customer complaints. Other functions of the catering manager are organizing decorations, photographs, and flowers; booking entertainment bands and facilities, and planning the rent of facilities that may be needed for functions such as linen and tables. The dining room manager oversees the operations of the dining room and ensures that food service activities are properly coordinated (National Restaurant Association, 2013). The manager also directs staff to plan menus and perform related activities; budgets for supplies; and supervises and trains employees. The dining room manager also ensures that budget limitations are respected in addition to maintaining bookkeeping and payroll records. The food and beverage manager generally manages the operations of the food service outlet, kitchen and catering services. The manager also liaises with the sales team to ensure that the restaurant maximizes its profits. The human resources manager is in charge of maintaining a qualified and well motivated staff to work in the restaurant. In particular the manager hires workers, develops in-house training programs, and solves any other issues related to employees and their careers (National Restaurant Association, 2013). The public relations manager has the duty of ensuring that the restaurant has a positive image. They are also concerned with such activities as fund raisers, newsworthy events, and parties. On their part, the CEO or president is charged with the responsibility of managing all the activities of the restaurant profitably and successfully. The kitchen manager oversees and coordinates the activities of the storeroom and kitchen. The manager is more specifically concerned with the back-of-the-house activities of the restaurant such as the preparation of food. The kitchen manager organizes the buying of equipment, supplies and food items, engages in food production, menu planning, cost control, and supervises workers in charge of food production to ensure that they maintain high cleanliness and quality standards (National Restaurant Association, 2013). The hotel and lodging businesses like restaurants have several job opportunities. Some of the non-management categories in this respect include busser, cashier, cook, entertainer, and security (America Hotel and Lodging Association, 2013). Some of the management positions that exist in hotels and lodges include: hotel manager, restaurant manager, kitchen manager, operations manager, event/destination manager, human resource manager, and rooms director among others. To a great extent, managers in restaurants perform the same duties as their counterparts working in hotels and lodges. The functions of the human resources manager in the hotel and lodging industry, for example, generally are similar to those of the human resources manager in the restaurant. Similarly, the responsibilities of the kitchen manager in restaurants and hotels and lodgings are pretty much the same. There are some management positions that restaurants do not have that hotels and lodges have. For example, while a lodge may have a rooms director, restaurants may ordinarily do not have rooms directors as they do not offer accommodation services. Differences between General Management (GM) Positions in Restaurants and Hotels and Lodgings A restaurant may be full or quick service oriented. The general manager (full service) ensures that the restaurant’s foodservice activities are well coordinated with those of other establishments (National Restaurant Association, 2013). The manager makes budget estimates for requisitions and supplies and works together with staff working in the bar, dining room, and banquet to come up with plan for menus and other activities. The general manager also ensures that all facilities and equipment in the restaurant and clean and well maintained in compliance with safety and health laws. The general manager also directs such human resource related activities as hiring, motivation, training, and termination of workers. The manager also reviews the restaurant’s financial transactions, develops marketing strategies for the organization, and monitors expenditures to ensure that the business is profitably run. The general manager (quickservice) has the duty of managing the foodservice unit (National Restaurant Association, 2013). More specifically, the manager directs, coordinates and takes part in food preparation, service, and packaging. The manager also coordinates record keeping, purchases and supplies and accounts, and recruits, trains and hires workers among other functions. Hotel and Lodging managers on their part have the responsibility of ensuring that guests have a memorable experience even as they do what it takes to run the business efficiently and profitably (Bureau of labor Statistics, 2013). More specifically, the lodging manager inspects guest rooms, grounds and public areas to ensure that they are clean and of good appearance. The lodging manager also ensures that guest service standards, food quality, decor, and housekeeping meet customer expectations (Bureau of labor Statistics, 2013). They also track the business’ income and expenditures, approve budgets, and make allocations for different departments. The manager is also participates in the recruitment, hiring, training of workers in conjunction with the human resources manager. Given that staff performance bears greatly on the performance of a hotel and lodge, the general manager also takes part in monitoring workers performance ensuring that the hotel is properly run and guests are happy with the services that they receive. In larger establishments, the general manager may be in charge of a particular department. Growth in Employment in the Restaurant, Hotel and Lodging Industries According to the National Restaurants Association (2013), the rate of job creation in the restaurant industry outpaces that of many industries. In 2013, it is expected that the rate of job growth in the restaurant industry will be higher than overall employment. The Association further notes that the restaurant industry is expected to employ over 13 million individuals in the U.S. (National Restaurants Association, 2013). Going by recent trends, it is expected that the employment rate in industry will grow at an average rate of 2.4% for the next 10 years. On the flip side, it is projected that between 2010 and 2020, employment for food service managers will decline by about 3% (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2013). The Bureau of Labor Statistics (2013a) estimates that the rate of employment of lodging and hotel managers will be 8% between 2010 and 2020. Recommended Human Resource Practices Like it is in other industries, the human resources of restaurants, lodges, and hotels are very important to their good performance. In order to retain qualified and talented employees/managers, the businesses should consider paying them overtime when appropriate as recommended by Agarwala (2003). Also, the businesses should consider recognizing giving the managers rewards based on their performances to keep the managers motivated (Arthur, 1994). Yet again, organizations that wish to retain their managers may consider offering them remuneration packages that are superior to those offered by other industry players (Clarke, 2001). References Agarwala, T. (2003). Innovative human resource practices and organizational commitment: An empirical investigation. International Journal of Human Resource Management 14(2), 175-197. America Hotel and Lodging Association (2013). Career center: Position Categories. Retrieved July 25, 2013 http://www.hcareers.com/cjb/ahla Arthur, J. (1994). Effects of human resource systems on manufacturing performance and turnover.' Academy of Management Journal, 37, 670-87. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2013). Food Service Managers. Retrieved July 25, 2013 http://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/food-service-managers.htm Bureau of labor Statistics (2013). What Lodging Managers Do. Retrieved July 25, 2013 http://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/lodging-managers.htm#tab-2 Bureau of Labor Statistics (2013a). Lodging Managers. Retrieved July 25, 2013 http://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/lodging-managers.htm Clarke, K.F. (2001). What businesses are doing to attract and retain employee -becoming an employer of choice. Employee Benefits Journal, 3, 34-37. National Restaurant Association (2013). Restaurant careers. Retrieved July 25, 2013 http://www.restaurant.org/Restaurant-Careers/Career-Development/Career-Options/Job-Titles Read More