Director of Food and Beverage
Medinah Country Club
Chicago, IL
The Club
Located 25 miles west of Chicago in a suburb bearing its name, Medinah Country Club (Medinah) is home to three world-class golf courses, and a robust community of health and wellness, casual dining, and engaging social activities.
Members and their guests have a plethora of amenities and activities from which to choose. Golf is available on three world-class golf courses. Players of all ages can improve their games at the Golf Learning Center and practice on the putting greens or at the short game area. Tennis afficionados enjoy racquet sports all year-round on four Har-Tru clay courts in fair weather and four platform tennis courts during the winter. The pool complex features areas for the young and young at heart along with a full snack bar. Members and guests also head to the Cabana Bar area to cool off with a cold drink in the summer heat. And Juniors are kept busy year-round with programs for golf, tennis, swim and dive.
When it comes to enjoying a meal at Medinah, members have their choice of six dining areas to enjoy healthy farm-to-table meals featuring produce grown on property. In the organic garden—tucked away just inside the club’s main gate—over 25 beds have been planted fruits, vegetables, herbs, garnishes and edible flowers. The Club also has its own bee colony to pollinate the garden and provide fresh honey.
Besides providing food for Medinah’s members, the gardens, coops, and other all-natural sources are part of a concerted effort to create a homey, nurturing, comforting, and intimate community.
Another unique eating experience at Medinah is provided by its own food truck serving smoothies, handmade burgers, seasonal street foods and grab-and-go snacks at key stops on the golf courses and at events throughout the year.
For nearly 100 years, Medinah Country Club has served as a consummate host of major tournaments and a private club providing incomparable golf and a legacy of families coming together through the generations to enjoy a lifestyle unlike any other.
Overview
- Members – 1,100
- Initiation Fee – $100,000
- Annual Dues – $13,248; Capital Dues- $2,424
- Gross Volume – $25MM
- Annual Dues – $10MM
- F&B Volume – $6.8MM
- Gross Payroll – $11.4MM
- Employees – 430 for entire Club
- Board Members – 13
- Average age of members – 56
Mission
Medinah Country Club has, since 1924, enjoyed a vast and rich history. Medinah Country Club is truly a special place, and its staff is the cornerstone of its organization. Medinah employs people who are genuinely passionate about hospitality and approach customer service with the purest of attitudes. It is their commitment to excellence that provides an unparalleled experience for members and honored guests each and every day, and it looks forward to building upon this foundation.
The Position
Director of Food and Beverage
The Director of Food & Beverage is ultimately responsible for Clubhouse Food and Beverage Service operations, to include member dining and banquet operations as well as other additional ancillary F&B operations. The Director is the public face of these operations and as such, must exhibit a hands-on approach and understanding that full on-the-floor member and staff engagement is critical to success in this position. The Director consistently provides superb dining and other food and beverage experiences for the Medinah members and guests. A positive and supportive relationship with the Culinary, Catering and Banquet Service teams is very important to this position to ensure a collaborative and harmonious working environment between front and back of house operations.
The Director of Food & Beverage reports to the Assistant General Manager and works alongside the Executive Chef. He/she will also prepare annual department budgets in concert with the General Manager and CFO.
Personnel reporting directly to the Director of Food & Beverage include:
- Food & Beverage Manager(s)
- Banquet Manager and Captains
- Beverage Manager
- Caterings Managers(s)
- Executive Chef
- Lodge & Stands Manager
- All FOH F&B Staff – servers, bartenders, food runners etc.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Daily operational oversight of member dining for Oasis and Fireside restaurants, the club bars, (Casbah, Mecca, Golfers Bar) and halfway houses. Daily oversight also includes the F&B service at The Lodge, Racquet Center and Golf Learning Center, as well as Banquet Service Operations.
- Serve as the primary coordinator of the aforementioned areas for budgeting, hiring, training, orientations, associate supervision and team culture to ensure all is done in accordance with approved Club policies and is compliant with governmental regulations.
- Develop and monitor the required operational budgets and procedures to provide direction and controls for food and beverage operations and costs; implement corrective procedures as necessary to help ensure that budget goals are attained.
Have a strong, highly visible and respectful presence with the membership; be an exceptional communicator with strong interpersonal skills and the maturity to instinctively know how to treat members and guests with a high-level of service. The F&B Director must be able to communicate these expectations to a staff with diverse backgrounds and motivate them positively to understand and execute to those expectations. - Establish and maintain standard operating procedures and processes for all dining areas.
- Oversee all dining areas to ensure a smooth and consistent experience, common within all operations, that delivers high levels of member and guest satisfaction, quality food products and exemplary service.
- Develop and implement marketing programs to increase dining rooms, bars, banquet, and club event participation in F&B related activities.
- Hold weekly staff meetings with direct reports to communicate necessary and relevant activities and expectations at the Club. Assist in planning and be responsible for ensuring special club events are well-conceived and executed.
- Oversee all banquets and social functions, including member and club events as well as events sponsored by members.
- Be responsive to members and strive to find creative ways to accommodate reasonable requests.
- Clearly understand the metrics for successful attainment of financial goals and objectives in F&B operations, and consistently review these expectations with the direct reports to ensure understanding and buy-in from those contributing to their attainment.
- Have a strong sense of urgency and responsiveness, while also maintaining the quality and integrity of each department.
- Ensure adherence to, and compliance with, all health, safety, liquor consumption, and all other food and beverage regulations. Keep current on all matters pertaining to the food and beverage industry.
- Consistently monitor payroll and labor resource allocations to ensure they are in line with financial forecasting and goals.
- Be an active and dynamic recruiter of team members and someone who inherently enjoys developing and building his/her team and leading them to significant, positive membership satisfaction outcomes.
- Be a collaborative team player who is willing to be hands on when necessary but understands when to step back and lead the team.
- Involve associates in the decision-making process of how work gets done and create a work environment people want to come to, and participate in, every day.
- Have a passion and aptitude for teaching, training, and developing educational programs for all food service personnel, working as necessary with the managers directly responsible for those operations.
- Be a focused and consistent evaluator of personnel, ensuring that standards of conduct and delivery are met; this includes oversight of high standards of appearance, hospitality, service, and cleanliness of the clubhouse facilities.
- Establish and consistently enhance operating standards for personnel in areas of responsibility and regularly evaluate knowledge, understanding and execution to these high standards.
- Conduct and/or oversee training programs for food service personnel on various issues including service techniques, knowledge of menu items and daily specials, sanitation, team building and conflict resolution; regularly test and evaluate knowledge and understanding of these expectations.
- Ensure staff participation in an effective orientation and onboarding program for all areas of responsibility, along with consistent professional development and training.
- Work closely with Executive Chef, to facilitate a strong relationship between both front- and back-of-the-house departments.
- Ensure that associates clearly understand performance expectations and that assigned tasks are reasonable, well-conceived and appropriately conveyed. Provide resources necessary to allow employees to perform their jobs effectively and create an exceptional ambience for members and guests.
- Conduct annual performance reviews in accordance with club policy and expectations.
- Establish and uphold expectations for dress, decorum and other service standards and consistently monitor for adherence.
- Take personal ownership of the areas of responsibility, with special attention to the physical plant and overall appearance of the operation and understand the need to be consistently member-ready in both appearance and service.
- Ensure the Assistant General Manager is kept informed of all issues that affect members, guests, and staff.
- Support the Assistant General Manager by leading F&B initiatives as well as future development projects and providing operational expectations, guidance, and leadership.
- Perform other duties as designated by the Assistant General Manager and senior management.
Qualifications/Requirements
- Must have the ability to promote the clubs F&B services and facilities; a practical knowledge of food, beverage, service costs, preparation and pricing is important.
- Possess knowledge of social customs and etiquette is essential; imagination and initiative are great assets.
- Be detail-oriented with a strong ability to multi-task and work under deadlines.
- Be comfortable working with all types of personalities in a diplomatic and pleasant manner.
- Position best suited for candidate with a degree from a hotel or restaurant training school/college and 10-15 years progressive experience in Food & Beverage Management within private club or hotels.
- Multi-unit restaurant experience is a prerequisite.
- Possess strong computer and related technology skills.
- Must be able to sit or stand for long periods of time and lift up to 35 pounds.
- Must have a professional presence, business dress attire, and strong interpersonal skills.
Candidate Qualifications
- Minimum 5 years of progressive leadership and management experience in hotel, resort, private club or hospitality environment.
- Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university, preferably in Hospitality Management or Business preferred.
- Certified Club Manager (CCM) or in active pursuit of designation preferred.
Note: A pre-employment background check will be required. The position is available immediately.
Salary & Benefits
Salary is open and commensurate with qualifications and experience. The Club offers an excellent bonus and benefit package.
Inquiries
IMPORTANT: Interested candidates should submit résumés along with a detailed cover letter which addresses the qualifications and describes your alignment/experience with the prescribed position by Friday, September 16, 2022.
These documents must be saved and emailed in Word or PDF format (save as “Last Name, First Name, Medinah DF&B Cover Letter” and “Last Name, First Name, Medinah DF&B Résumé”) respectively to: execsearchus@ggapartners.com.
All requested information, along with references, should be emailed to the address above.
For more information about Medinah Country Club, please visit www.medinahcc.org.
