Careers in Lodging and Food and Beverage Industries, SWOT Analysis Example

Angelo & Vladimir (2007) discuss how the hospitality industry consists of various fields of business including the Lodging Industry (hotels) and the Food and Beverage Industry (restaurants). The organization and structure of hotel and restaurant management offers a wide range of career options within both of these industries, particularly in management. Following are various types of management careers in each industry, according to the American Hotel and Lodging Association and the National Restaurant Association websites.

The American Hotel and Lodging Association (2012) website http://www.ahla.com/

Lodging

• General Manager – Responsible for optimizing revenue by managing expenses and overhead and financial progress reports. Also responsible for management and development of hotel staff. Responsible for continuous improvement in hotel operations and staff performance.
• Operations Manager – Oversees all hotel operations to include guest relations, hotel administrative office functions, maintenance and staff.
• Assistant General Manager/Resident Manager – Provides leadership to hotel departments and manages day-to-day hotel operations.
• Hotel Manager – Responsible for the total quality management of hotel marketing and operations departments to create a total quality experience for hotel guests. Responsible liaison for third party vendors and the Food and Beverage department.

Food and Beverage

• Food and Beverage Manager – Oversees operations for hotel restaurants and lounges. Also responsible for the smooth operation of kitchen activities and banquet functions.
• Banquet Manager – Responsible for banquet staff hiring and training. Directs the activities of banquet staff and coordinates banquet activities to ensure repeat business. Must be knowledgeable about food and beverage, service standards and guest relations.

The National Restaurant Association (2012) website http://www.restaurant.org

Food and Beverage

• Restaurant General Manager – Responsible for managing all restaurant-related activities, systems processes and staff. Must be actively involved in engaging guests and giving outstanding customer service. Responsible for restaurant sales growth and cost/overhead management.
• Assistant General Manager – Responsible for managing all Front of House operations, opening/closing of restaurant, staff scheduling, staff training/coaching, daily and weekly reports, resolving guests/staff conflicts and excellent customer service.
• Shift Manager – Responsible for managing restaurant operations on assigned shifts and maintaining positive guest relations and quick, accurate service standards. Also responsible for working in crew stations.
• Kitchen Manager – Responsible for managing Back of House operations, staff, and food and beverage inventory and supplies costs. Responsible for achieving financial targets by efficiently running kitchen operations. Ensures food safety standards are met.

General Management in Lodging vs. Food and Beverage

General Manager (GM) positions in both the Lodging and the Food and Beverage industries share the same core responsibilities such as cost control, staff supervision and training, providing excellent service to customers and resolving issues. The differences lie in the responsibilities are specific to each type of business.

Roles of General Managers

Lodging GMs deal directly with hotel guests and are responsible for ensuring guests are satisfied in everyway. This includes managing activities behind the scenes so that hotel operations run efficiently and smoothly. Food and Beverage GMs may also deal directly with customers to resolve issues or to create a totally satisfactory experience for the customers. The Food and Beverage GM is also responsible for daily accurate financial reporting and cost controls.

Differences between general management positions in the two industries are specific to each industry’s business model. For example, the Lodging GM may handle hotel stay for guests over an extended period of time such as a few days or weeks. However, the Food and Beverage GM only takes care of customers during short time periods of up to one to three hours at a time.

Work Environments

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Handbook (2012), the work environment for the Lodging GM can include working nights, overnights and weekends as well as being on call. This is because hotels are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In contrast, the Handbook repots that the Food Service GM may work up to 15 hours a day, seven days a week and more than 50 hours per week. However, the restaurant does close at the end of the day and Food Service GMs generally do not work overnight shifts.

GMs in both work environments sometimes deal with unhappy customers and must deal with them professionally.

Salary Comparisons

As shown in the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Handbook (2012), salaries for both the Lodging and Food and Beverage General Managers differ, with Lodging managers earning slightly more than Food and Beverage Managers. The Handbook shows median annual salary, as of 2010, for Food Service Managers is $43,130, and the median annual salary for Lodging Managers is $46,880.

Educational and Work Experience Requirements

Entry level educational requirements for both the Lodging and Food and Beverage manager positions is a high school diploma or equivalent, and work experience requirements for both positions is 1 to 5 years in a related occupation. However those with college degrees are offered the best opportunities (Occupational Handbook, 2012).

Growth in the Industries

Overall employment growth outlook for both the Lodging and Food and Beverage industries is relatively slow, according to a 2010 report from Occupational Handbook (2012). However, the Handbook also reports that expected job growth for managers in the Lodging industry is a projected 8 percent from 2010 to 2020. There is much competition.

In contrast, job growth projections for managers in the Food and Beverage industry show a 3 percent decline from 2010 to 2020. Applicants with hospitality, restaurant or food service management degrees will dominate the competition (Occupational Handbook, 2012).

Effective Human Resource Practices

In light of the growing competitiveness for General Manager role-seekers for both the Lodging and Food and Beverage industries, recruiting and retaining top talent is a challenge. Effective human resource practices to utilize for this effort include 1) automating the candidate resume search and screening process, 2) asking interviewees specific questions about their related job skills and experience, 3) developing and implementing job simulations that test a candidate’s skills and abilities for the position.

References

Angelo, R.M. & Vladimir, A. (2007). Hospitality Today: An Introduction. Amer Hotel & Motel Assn; 6th ed.

Food Service Managers (n.d.). Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Handbook. Retrieved November 4, 2012 from http://www.bls.gov

Kennedy Information Inc. (2002). The 4 Hiring Practices of Highly Successful Organizations. Retrieved November 4, 2012 from http://www.inc.com/articles/2002/01/23815.html

Lodging Managers (n.d.). Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Handbook. Retrieved November 4, 2012 from http://www.bls.gov

The American Hotel and Lodging Association (2012). Information retrieved November 4, 2012 from http://www.ahla.com/.

The National Restaurant Association (2012). Information retrieved November 4, 2012 from http://www.restaurant.org.