Hospitality · Head of F&B
Head of Food & Beverage recruitment.
Retained Head of F&B and Group F&B Director search for hotel groups and restaurant operators.
What the role is
A short definition.
A Head of F&B or Group F&B Director leads the food-and-beverage function at property or group level — concept development, executive kitchen leadership, service standards, commercial performance and, increasingly, brand and reputation. In luxury hotels and flagship restaurants the role is a genuine commercial and creative differentiator.
Core responsibilities
What we assess candidates against.
- F&B concept and brand direction
- Executive kitchen and service leadership; talent identification and retention across chef and service teams
- Commercial performance — covers, average spend, margin, cost of sales
- Guest experience and reputation — media, awards, guide standings where relevant
- External partnerships — chef collaborations, brand tie-ups, licensing
- Capital projects — refurbishments, new outlets, brand refresh
When to run this search
Typical triggers.
On the departure of an incumbent Head of F&B; on a major refurbishment or concept refresh; when a group is expanding its F&B footprint; when a hotel is repositioning F&B as a strategic differentiator; on a new build or acquisition.
How we search
The specific approach we take.
Retained mandates. Candidate pools include sitting Heads of F&B at comparable operators, restaurant group Operations Directors moving into hotel-adjacent roles, and executive chefs with commercial breadth ready for a Head of F&B step-up. Every mandate is led by a partner with genuine understanding of the F&B market.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do you handle Head of F&B searches for restaurant groups as well as hotels?
Yes. Restaurant group Head of F&B or Operations Director appointments are a growing specialism, particularly for growth-stage multi-brand operators.
Can you support executive chef searches at senior level?
Yes. Executive Chef and Group Executive Chef appointments at senior level (multi-property or brand-defining roles) sit within our F&B practice.
How do you approach discretion for luxury property or reputation-sensitive briefs?
Every mandate is retained and confidential. In luxury hospitality the incumbent is often still in seat during the search; we handle this with the same discretion as our UHNW family office mandates.
How long does a Head of F&B search take?
Twelve to sixteen weeks brief to accepted offer is typical.
How is compensation structured?
Base, cash bonus tied to F&B commercial metrics, and in some cases equity or long-term incentive tied to group performance.
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