Catering & Banquet Manager
Location: South New Berlin, New York
Position Type: Full-Time, Year-Round
Peak Weekend Schedule (May-Nov): Must have uncompromising availability for long event shifts during peak season (May – November), including mandatory 12+ hour operational days on Fridays and Saturdays.
Off-Season (November-April) - Traditional Weekly Schedule
Salary Range: $55,000 - $65,000 per year (Salary commensurate with experience)
Position Overview
Gilbertsville Farmhouse is a premier, luxury wedding and private event resort. We are seeking a highly detailed, charismatic, and operational Catering & Banquet Manager to lead our complete Food & Beverage (F&B) experience.
This is a dynamic, high-touch role that spans the entire lifecycle of an event’s culinary journey. You will work directly with our clients to curate custom menus, collaborate with our Kitchen Manager on cost modeling and profitability, lead high-end client tastings, and build comprehensive Banquet Event Orders (BEOs). On event weekends, you step onto the floor as our Maître d'—leading front-of-house banquet staff, overseeing service timing, and acting as the primary host for all guest culinary needs.
Key Responsibilities
1. Client Consultation, Tastings & BEO Architecture
- Menu Selection & Pricing: Guide clients through menu selections, beverage packages, and custom culinary additions, ensuring transparent pricing and an extraordinary client experience.
- Client Tastings: Partner with the Venue Coordinator and Kitchen Manager to design, host, and lead memorable, high-touch tasting experiences for upcoming couples and clients.
- BEO Creation: Author and distribute clear, highly detailed Banquet Event Orders (BEOs) that outline room layouts, service timelines, dietary restrictions, table settings, and bar logistics.
2. Kitchen Collaboration & Financial Analysis
- Recipe & Menu Costing: Collaborate closely with the Kitchen Manager to price menus accurately, analyze food/beverage margins, and maintain profitability targets.
- Post-Event Financial Recaps: Generate detailed post-event catering recaps after every weekend, analyzing actual food costs, labor performance, waste metrics, and final bar usage against estimates.
3. Staffing & Front-of-House Leadership
- Team Engineering: Recruit, schedule, train, and manage our seasonal catering, banquet, and bartending staff.
- Pre-Shift Briefings: Lead mandatory pre-shift service meetings before every event, reviewing the BEO, VIP preferences, allergy protocols, and service timing with servers and bartenders.
4. Live Event Execution & Guest Relations (The Maître d')
- Floor Command: Serve as the active Maître d' / Banquet Manager during live events, commanding the room to ensure meal service, toast timing, and table clears flow seamlessly according to the BEO timeline.
- Guest Liaison: Act as the primary point of contact on the floor for all guest inquiries, dietary emergency adjustments, and food/beverage feedback.
- Bar & Service Quality: Oversee bar setup, liquor control, and service aesthetics, guaranteeing compliance with all safety and alcohol compliance standards.
What Success Looks Like
- Flawless Event Execution: Food service starts on the exact minute listed on the BEO, dishes arrive at the correct temperature, and table service is crisp, attentive, and refined.
- High-Margin Operations: Post-event financial recaps consistently demonstrate accurate food costing, tight labor management, and zero unaccounted beverage waste.
- Rave Client Reviews: Clients and couples routinely highlight their tasting experience, menu planning, and banquet service as highlights of their wedding weekend.
- Seamless Kitchen & FOH Harmony: Communication between the kitchen line and the dining room floor is calm, respectful, and synchronized.
Requirements & Qualifications
- 3–5+ years of experience in catering management, hotel banquet leadership, or high-volume F&B operations (wedding venue experience preferred).
- Financial Acumen: Proven experience reading/writing BEOs, modeling menu costs alongside culinary teams, and conducting post-event financial audits.
- Mastery of Service: Deep knowledge of banquet service styles (plated, family-style, station-based), wine/spirits service, and formal table settings.
- Charismatic Leadership: A polished, warm, and confident floor presence suitable for luxury, high-net-worth event environments.
- Schedule Flexibility: Strong weekend availability (Fridays–Sundays) throughout the peak event season (May–November), balanced by a reduced administrative schedule during the winter off-season.
- Must hold or be willing to obtain local Food Handler and Responsible Alcohol Service certifications.
Work Location: In person (South New Berlin, NY)
Pay: $55,000.00 - $65,000.00 per year
Work Location: In person
