Front Of House Supervisor

Position: Front of House supervisor
Salary £27k based on experience
Establishment: College
Location: Oxford
Hours - 36.5 hours (5/7 days) with evening work. The college holds formal dinners Tuesdays and Thursdays as well as other evening events throughout the year so flexibility will be needed in this role.
Responsibilities
Event planning and preparation

• Meet with relevant departments on a weekly basis to go through upcoming events and finalize details.
• Attend relevant meetings to plan College events
• Liaise with the Events Manager to understand key information of upcoming evens ie numbers
• Support the Events Manager in recruiting and rostering permanent and casual Front of house staff
• Set service standards and operating procedures with the Events Manager.
• Ensure the safe-keeping and good condition of all College silver, glassware, cutlery and crockery, including overseeing the cleaning, proper handling, inventory and storage.
• Work with the Events Manager or Head Chef for the enhancement and improvement of the service operations or facilities, particularly to reduce the environmental and social impact.

1. Service

• Lead the Front of House team by example.
• Manage the waiting staff at each event to ensure that good service and standards
• Ensure that all tables are correctly laid and that silver and glassware is clean and in place.
• Ensure that guests are seated for the scheduled start of the meal. Ensuring seating charts are adhered to (if relevant) and allergies are clearly indicated
• Direct the service to ensure that all guests receive the correct food
• Respond to emergencies and unanticipated events, including complaints and concerns from guests during the dinner, liaising with the Lodge and Kitchen as required. Anticipate problems with catering production and service and act to avert them.
• Ensure that the Dining Hall is left clean, tidy and secure at the end of service. Silverware should be returned to safe storage.

2. Conferences and meetings

• Assist with the provision of all food and beverages supplied to conference delegates and support with internal and external functions.
• Set up and prepare meeting rooms for groups, planning ahead for bookings that occur when not in work
• Welcome and support meeting guests when in College.

3. Leadership, management and training of the front-of-house team

• Train and maintain a team of waiting staff sufficient to operate scheduled events.
• Recruit temporary agency staff by agreement with the Events Manager to meet exceptional demands or unanticipated absences.
• Collaborate with zero hours Front of House lead trained staff to properly cover events where you will not be present.
• Ensure accurate timesheets are completed by Front of house staff and safely submitted for payment.
• Monitor front-of-house staff standards and give feedback where praise is due or improvement is needed. Put in place any training needed to meet service standards.
• Ensure that all relevant staff are trained to use the EPOS system.

4. Compliance

• Comply with all College policies and statutory regulations including those relating to health and safety, safe working practices, hygiene, cleanliness, fire and COSHH.
• Review and manage risk assessments relating to front-of-house operations, including COSHH data sheets.
• Promote a strong health and safety culture.
• Ensure that the licensed activities undertaken by the Front of House team are carried out within the requirements of the law.
• Demonstrable current knowledge of guidance and regulations relevant to the role and to keep up-to -date with changes to legislation.

Skills and experience required

• A highly experienced catering or Front of house manager with proven success in managing service delivery in a large organisation.
• Experience in delivering fine dining and banqueting events as well as managing large-scale, high-volume catering areas.
• Experience in building and leading a team, including proficiency in training, managing and motivating a diverse workforce.
• A commitment to a high level of customer service and a keen eye for detail.
• A calm and authoritative personality that can make sensible decisions and give clear instructions under pressure and in stressful situations.
• Strong IT skills and experience in the Microsoft suite of programmes, including the use of databases and email.
• Knowledge of current catering and hospitality developments and best practice.
• Appropriate level of food safety and general health and safety qualifications.
• First Aid at Work certificate or willingness to train to this level.
• Experience in managing and using Event Management Systems and EPOS till systems.