Our philosophy is “to be great you need to have great people”.Accordingly, we are always searching for “great people”. If you thrive in a dynamic, entrepreneurial workplace we would be very interested in hearing from you.
A Day in YOUR Life as a Banquet Captain
Every person that enters a hotel should be greeted and feel like a guest! This is YOU on your first day of work and every work day after that. You walk in with a smile, say hello to passing guests and acknowledge your colleagues perhaps with a smile, nod or salutation. You already have a feel for how your day is going to unfold based on the set-up of the event space, and you aren’t even in uniform yet! You make your way to the employee change room and transform into your sharp, sophisticated look with your professional uniform, punch in at the time clock and energetically join your teammates in the banquet room.
You may be preparing to set up a reunion of local university alumni or a cocktail party that is scheduled for the evening. Regardless of the time of day or length of shift, you are ready to meet every guest with exceptional service and care!
Your day may start early in the morning or late in the afternoon as it depends on an event schedule. As the day begins, you will go through the Banquet Event Orders (BEOs) and input the timeline. If there are any changes, such as the number of guests or food menu, you make sure to update the BEOs, so there are no surprises for your team. You confirm that all of your team members have shown up on time and have a quick meeting to assign tasks and duties for the night. Overseeing the table set up, you check that sufficient supplies and equipment are available for the function. You will work collaboratively with the Catering and Kitchen team to verify the details of the menu, food preparation, service times and standards. After inspecting all tables’ cleanliness and making sure all of your team members are on the same page, you are confident that you are ready to welcome your guests. You take the initiative to greet guests in a cheerful and friendly manner. During the event, you interact with the host and respond to any special requests or last-minute adjustments. You may notice one table’s main course is a little behind, so you follow up with the guests, fill up their drinks, let them know you are personally going to check on their meal and communicate with the kitchen team. You monitor your team’s activities throughout the event and assist them whenever they need it. Training new team members on service levels and up-selling is so important to a productive Banquet team. You really enjoy seeing your team members suggesting a nice bottle of wine to our guests. As the event progresses, you find the time to complete the inventory check, inspect the front and back of the house cleanliness and make sure all the equipment is functioning properly. Even though things get busy, don’t forget to ensure that guests are not over-served for their drinks, no one wants to see an event tarnished by one person having too much to drink!. You continue to supervise your team and ensure they are engaging their tables and guests are enjoying their meals and drinks, while scanning the room for any opportunities to assist.
By the time you leave, you are more than satisfied that your guests were taken care of and the event was a great success.
Who you are and why is this important…
- Enthusiastic, Attentive and Approachable
- Ensuring our guests and team mates feel comfortable.
- Organized & Communicative
- Clear, concise communication between team members and guests alike creates a smooth operation.
- Effective Multi-Tasker
- Personal interactions, phones, emails and on-going projects are always in play.
What happens behind the scenes of all those interactions…
- You follow company policies such as checking IDs, ensuring no one is over-served and any other requirements for the processes as outlined by your department leaders;
- Stay one step ahead of guest’s needs including and not limited to recording and acting on their preferences, handling their orders, requests, questions and concerns;
- Train, resolve issues/problems, coach and counsel the team members to ensure a quality operation;
- Maintain a calm and welcoming demeanor while multitasking to handle guest interactions at the same time as your daily cleaning and preparation tasks;
- Listen respectfully when guests have complaints. Empathize and work with the guest in an efficient manner to come to a resolution or loop in a manager if necessary to ensure the guest has a satisfactory resolution to their complaint;
- Follow all company and brand standards to sell the products available including and not limited to using the up selling approach to food and beverage orders;
What are we looking for…
- Minimum of 1 year experience in Food & Beverage and a full-service banquet operation.
- Flexibility to work a variety of shifts.
- Strong organizational and decision-making skills.
- The understanding that SERVICE is the key to any successful business.
- Smart Serve
Thank you for your interest in our company, we hope you apply today!
