Every company within the hospitality industry has a food and beverage director. From collaborating with restaurant automation companies to implementing restaurant marketing strategies, an F&B director has quite the list of core responsibilities.

If you’re interested in learning all about the F&B director role, we've covered everything from the average salary for each state to daily tasks. Read on to learn about it all.  

Food and Beverage Director 

Director of food and beverage jobs are one of the highest positions within the food service hierarchy. They work closely with eateries, catering providers, and other hospitality companies to create a stellar customer experience.

If you’d like to learn all about what it takes to become an F&B director, we’ve got you covered! Keep reading to know everything from day-to-day duties to job qualifications. 

Food and Beverage Director: Duties 

Director of food and beverage jobs consist of many responsibilities. In addition to standard leadership and management qualifications, a food and beverage director must be able to complete numerous duties.

Regardless of which company a food and beverage director works for, expect them to take on the following responsibilities:

• Oversee the entire food and beverage department, from catering and restaurant operations to staffing and budget management. 
• Manage orders, inventory control, and deliveries. 
• Identify ways to cut costs, eliminate inventory shrinkage, and reduce food spoilage. 
• Develop realistic budgets with the team, using historical data to forecast future financial plans. It will also be the F&B director’s responsibility to monitor current spending habits to ensure that they’re staying within the budget. 
• Analyze financial and consumer data reports.
• Nurture relationships with vendors and hospitality software companies. 
• Collaborate with various types of chefs to create delicious and enticing menu types. Then, a pricing strategy must be established before ordering sufficient ingredients. 
• Execute plans to maintain health and safety standards, especially across food and beverage storage spaces. 
• Make final decisions on whether or not to use food tech and restaurant tech solutions.
• Ensure that the team is providing clients with stellar customer service. 
• Review and implement policies across food and beverage sub-departments (restaurants, event management, banquets, catering, etc).

Food and Beverage Director: Salary

As of January 2023, the average annual salary for director of food and beverage jobs is $77,086. However, the average annual salary for food and beverage director jobs can vary depending on the state.

Want to find out what you can earn as a food and beverage director? Here is the average annual salary for each state based on recent data:

• Alabama: $78,419
• Alaska: $64,367
• Arizona: $85,055
• Arkansas: $67,764
• California: $101,895
• Colorado: $75,112
• Connecticut: $103,286
• Delaware: $96,407
• Florida: $74,319
• Georgia: $89,029
• Hawaii: $88,620
• Idaho: $76,698
• Illinois: $91,956
• Indiana: $77,086
• Iowa: $79,996
• Kansas: $67,146
• Kentucky: $74,639
• Louisiana: $83,049
• Maine: $84,125
• Maryland: $97,245
• Massachusetts: $103,499
• Michigan: $76,143
• Minnesota: $80,658
• Mississippi: $89,251
• Missouri: $75,308
• Montana: $80,859
• Nebraska: $67,932
• Nevada: $105,074
• New Hampshire: $98,177
• New Jersey: $96,860
• New Mexico: $76,837
• New York: $102,198
• North Carolina: $95,115
• North Dakota: $75,173
• Ohio: $80,647
• Oklahoma: $69,131
• Oregon: $83,105
• Pennsylvania: $88,668
• Rhode Island: $104,944
• South Carolina: $82,920
• South Dakota: $71,323
• Tennessee: $82,251
• Texas: $73,297
• Utah: $79,421
• Vermont: $88,203
• Virginia: $85,889
• Washington: $92,336
• West Virginia: $91,151
• Wisconsin: $77,140
• Wyoming: $76,839

Keep in mind that states with a significantly higher national average contain major cities like New York, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. When a geographical area is densely populated, more hospitality businesses are necessary. Therefore, more food and beverage director opportunities will exist. 

Food and Beverage Director: Requirements

Food and beverage director positions span the entire hospitality industry. Necessary requirements to be successful in this role range from lessons taught in school to skills that can only be obtained in the real world. 

Here are some of the hard and soft skills one must acquire prior to becoming a food and beverage director, from education to niche-specific qualities: 

• A bachelor’s degree in business or a related field. An MBA is preferred in many cases. 
• Five to ten years of experience in restaurant and/or hospitality management is a must-have.
• A passion for the hospitality industry as a whole. 
• An understanding of statistics and mathematical equations to accurately calculate forecasts and reports. 
• The desire to constantly improve the customer experience. 
• Strong written and verbal communication skills. 
• The ability to remain calm and professional in high-stress situations. 
• A familiarity with Microsoft and Google applications, as you’ll be spending a lot of time managing documents, sharing files, and creating presentations.
• An interest and willingness to travel, as there may be on-site appointments with vendors.

The requirements for food and beverage director jobs can vary based on the company’s needs and expectations; however, the ones mentioned above should serve as a solid foundation for high-level hospitality roles. 

Food and Beverage Director Jobs

Food and beverage director jobs are most common in densely populated states and cities. It’s also important to note that these positions reside in places where there are numerous tourist destinations. 

Not only are there food and beverage director jobs in restaurants, but in other areas of the hospitality industry, too. To name a few sectors, hotels, country clubs, casinos, and cruise ships all require this role.

It can be more or less competitive to get a high-level role within a food and beverage department depending on where you live. According to recent data, here are the states with the most and least number of food and beverage directors:

As of 2023, the three states with the most food and beverage director jobs are:

1. California 
2. Texas 
3. Florida 

As of 2023, the three states with the least number of food and beverage director jobs are:

1. Vermont 
2. Hawaii
3. Wyoming 

Frequently Asked Questions About a Food and Beverage Director 

It takes years of education and professional experience to become the director of a food and beverage department. There are multiple areas of expertise that you must learn before you can excel in this role. With this in mind, we decided to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about the topic! Read on to learn more.

What Are the Responsibilities of a Food and Beverage Director? 

The primary responsibilities of a food and beverage director consist of the following duties:

• Inventory order management
• Menu creation and design
• Financial and marketing strategy development
• Leading the entire food and beverage department
• Maintaining good customer service

Who Is the Highest Position In a Food and Beverage Department?

The highest position in a food and beverage department is the director. They’re the position within a food and beverage department that monitors all strategic initiatives, makes important business decisions, and oversees all relevant operations. 

How Do I Become a Successful Food and Beverage Director?

To become a successful food and beverage director, one must understand the hospitality industry from all angles, how to strategize for the long-term, and how to maintain solid relationships. These professionals use their skill sets to improve various business models by supplying the right food items, beverages, and overall experience. 

What Are the Functions of a Food  and Beverage Department? 

The function of a food and beverage department are as follows:

• Purchasing food and beverages for the establishment
• Daily restaurant inventory management
• Planning and designing menus 
• Executing food safety measures 
• Budgeting and cost forecasting

What Is the Highest Paying Food Service Job?

Here are several of the highest paying food service jobs:

• Food business owner
• Food and Beverage Director
• Food Service Manager
• Executive Chef
• Private Chef
• Culinary Operations Director 

In Conclusion 

Director of food and beverage jobs are lucrative and rewarding careers. If you find that your resume isn’t up to par with current industry standards, work on your professional development journey to become a qualified applicant. If you review the most recent version of your resume and realize that you have what it takes, start preparing a solid cover letter template, practice your interview skills, keep networking with industry experts, and frequent your favorite job boards.