Company description

About HITS
HITS is the leading producer of hunter and jumper horse shows as well as dressage competitions in the United States. HITS produced its first horse show circuit in Gainesville, Florida in 1982 and today holds its marquis annual event in the village of Saugerties, New York. Over 40 years, HITS has grown into a nationwide company with world-class events in Florida, New York, Illinois, Vermont, Virginia, and California. HITS has a full-time professional staff of 35 employees including a complete administrative staff located at the company's headquarters in Kingston, New York. Their level of experience and dedication guarantees superior execution of the details of all HITS horse shows. A crucial part of the HITS offering and customer experience are the food and beverages programs at each location. With new ownership as of 2022, HITS is seeking to improve and expand its food and beverage offerings to meet the expectations of the next generation of horse show participants. For more information about HITS, please visit: https://www.hitsshows.com/

Job description

Who We’re Looking For

HITS is seeking an experienced Director of Food & Beverage to join its existing F&B team. This position will report to the HITS leadership team and oversee F&B operations at every venue. The core mission of the F&B program at all HITS events is to provide a superlative amenity to show and competition participants with high-quality, quickly prepared, and consistent meals and refreshments, meeting their service needs at different times of day and in different venues (e.g. breakfast, lunch, coffee, cocktail bar, snacks, VIP tents, etc.). HITS is looking for someone with significant experience in high-volume, high-tempo, and event-centered food service to help lead the organization in achieving this mission. The ideal candidate will have an entrepreneurial, hands-on, can-do mindset and must be able to wear multiple hats in the course of a week, from helping with service in peak periods to strategy meetings with the executive team. Because of the nation-wide nature of HITS’ venues (Saugerties NY, Ocala FL, Wayne IL, Del Mar CA, Culpeper VA, East Dorset VT), the candidate must be able to travel to the active venues, especially to the Hudson Valley in summer and Florida in winter.

Responsibilities

• Lead the seasonal planning, preparation, and opening of each of HITS’ six national venues, inclusive of remote and on-site processes and needs.
• Ensure the overall excellence of food and beverage offerings at all venues and across all customer touchpoints.
• Manage all aspects of customer experience, presentation, and aesthetics in food and beverage venues in collaboration with other team and department members.
• Lead the HITS team in day-to-day operation of the F&B programs as needed. This may include working alongside line staff during service periods, taking customer orders, setting up front-of-house areas, and observing operations through immersion.
• Develop key performance indicators and budget in collaboration with the executive team, and then track venue and revenue center performance against those metrics.
• Work with the executive team to grow revenue opportunities at all venues while retaining top-level service and food quality.
• Work with the executive team on ongoing brainstorming, evolution, and change implementation of revenue centers, facilities layout, user experience, online, and social presence.
• Lead staff development and team-building processes across all venues, including recruiting, hiring, and training.
• Work with venue managers to build a team culture that empowers staff through consistent, positive, growth-oriented performance evaluations as well as professional development.
• Oversee the team to ensure all relevant administrative processes, financial management, and reporting matters are completed accurately and on time.
• Work with the executive team to ensure that all F&B-related licenses, risk management, and regulatory requirements are in place and up-to-date at each venue.
• Work with the executive and administrative teams to ensure that relevant human resource processes are completed in a timely manner.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of management experience in food and beverage businesses with direct roles managing F&B operations teams, catering/event businesses, and/or multi-unit or multi-vendor operations.
• 10+ years of food service, restaurant, and/or hospitality experience overall.
• Strong preference for candidates with prior experience operating high-volume catering, event, and/or food service programs as well as managing third-party/contracted vendors.
• Proven track record in meeting KPI targets, growing revenue, managing quality standards, and garnering excellent customer feedback.
• Passion for hospitality operations, great food and beverage experiences, and the excitement of events management.
• Adept at communicating with a management team that is a mix of remote and on-site, while working independently.
• Strong preference for candidates with Conversational Spanish language skills.
• Outstanding capabilities in self-motivation, project management, accountability, meeting deadlines, and problem solving.
• Strength in culture building, team development, facilitation, and individual coaching.
• Available to work holidays, weekends and as needed according to the HITS events schedule.
• Available for significant national travel with some extended stays at HITS venues (e.g. 1-2 months)
• Strong technological literacy across all systems relevant to F&B management (POS, reservation platforms, business applications, merchant processing, etc.).
• This position may require the ability to lift up to 40 lbs. and perform 8+ hours standing/walking in environments including kitchens, food service tents, dining rooms, and outdoors.

Compensation & Benefits

This position will have a base salary in the range of $125,000 plus performance bonus and upside potential. Benefits will include the following:

• Health, vision and dental insurance
• 4 weeks of paid time off
• Housing/lodging provided for all required travel and relocation

Compensation

this position is: salaried, more than $100,000

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline