Food and Beverage Operations Management

The programme

Programme overview

Food and beverage is typically a hospitality property’s highest-cost, highest-risk, and highest-opportunity department — the difference between a thriving outlet and a shrinking margin often comes down to a handful of operational disciplines. This Food & Beverage Operations Management course builds those disciplines: menu design that balances guest appeal with cost, inventory and portion control that protects margin, supplier management that holds quality and price in check, and food safety practice that stands up under real service pressure.

You’ll work through practical costing exercises — and where delivered in-house, your own menu and cost data — covering everything from day-to-day portion control to costing a full banqueting function. You’ll leave with menu cost sheets, control systems, and pricing structures you can apply directly to your operation.

Our Instructional Approach

Our diverse instructional approaches ensure effective, hands-on learning:

• Lectures & Case Studies: Learn from practitioners applying real F&B costing and control disciplines in live operating environments.
• Course Material: Access structured frameworks, templates, and reference guides you can apply immediately back at the outlet.
• Group Work: Work through real costing and procurement scenarios alongside peers from other properties.
• Hands-On Workshops: Build real deliverables — menu cost sheets, portion control systems, event costing plans — using practical costing exercises; when delivered in-house, your own menu and cost data can be used.
• Practical Application: Every module closes with an exercise that converts theory into a ready-to-use operational output.
• Post-Training Support: Receive continued guidance as you apply these controls across your F&B operation.

Who should attend

Who is this programme for?

This Food & Beverage Operations Management course is designed for:

• Restaurant, Bar, and Banqueting Managers and Supervisors
• F&B Cost Controllers and Procurement Staff
• Executive Chefs and Kitchen Managers Moving into Broader Operational Roles
• Hospitality Owners Overseeing an F&B Outlet
• F&B Directors
• Catering and Events Managers
• Beverage and Bar Operations Managers

Learning outcomes

What you will learn

This Food & Beverage Operations Management course equips you to design, control, and improve F&B operations that protect margin, maintain compliance, and deliver a consistently strong guest experience.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:

• Design menus that balance guest appeal with cost and operational feasibility
• Apply inventory and portion control systems that reduce waste and shrinkage
• Manage supplier relationships and procurement costs effectively
• Maintain food safety and hygiene standards under real operational pressure
• Plan and cost banquet and event food service for group functions
• Calculate cost of sales, gross profit percentage, and other core F&B financial metrics
• Build pricing structures that protect margin without undermining guest value perception
• Design a departmental control framework that catches margin leakage before it compounds

Participant Outcomes (what delegates will leave with)

• Protected Margins: Apply inventory, portion, and cost controls that stop shrinkage and waste before they erode profit.
• Confident Menu Economics: Design menus that guests love and that hold up against real food cost and kitchen capacity constraints.
• Stronger Supplier Leverage: Negotiate procurement terms and manage quality control with a structured, repeatable approach.
• Audit-Ready Food Safety: Maintain hygiene and compliance standards that hold up even under peak service pressure.
• Profitable Event Service: Cost and plan banqueting and group functions with pricing that protects margin at scale.

Explore the programme

Detailed programme outline

Module 1: Foundations of F&B Operations Management

• Why F&B is a property’s highest-cost, highest-risk, and highest-opportunity department
• Core F&B departments and how they interrelate operationally
• Key F&B performance indicators and what they signal
• Linking front-of-house, kitchen, and financial control into one operating system

Practical Exercise: Map your F&B outlet’s cost and risk exposure points.

Module 2: Menu Planning and Design

• Balancing guest demand, cost, and kitchen capability
• Menu engineering: profitability and popularity analysis
• Structuring menus for operational efficiency during peak service
• Seasonal and local sourcing considerations in menu design

Practical Exercise: Build a menu engineering matrix for a sample menu.

Module 3: Inventory, Portion Control, and Waste Management

• Inventory systems that protect margin without over-ordering
• Standardised portion control and recipe costing
• Identifying and closing common sources of shrinkage
• Waste tracking and reduction practices at outlet level

Practical Exercise: Design a portion control and waste-tracking system for one menu category.

Module 4: Procurement and Supplier Management

• Costing principles for F&B procurement
• Supplier negotiation techniques that protect quality and price
• Quality control checkpoints for incoming goods
• Managing supplier relationships for consistency and reliability

Practical Exercise: Draft a supplier scorecard and negotiation checklist.

Module 5: Food Safety and Hygiene Under Operational Pressure

• Practical compliance requirements during live service
• HACCP principles applied to real kitchen workflows
• Managing hygiene standards across shift changes and peak periods
• Building a culture of food safety accountability

Practical Exercise: Conduct a food safety walkthrough checklist for a live service period.

Module 6: Banqueting and Event Food Service

• Costing and planning food service for group functions
• Menu design considerations for banqueting and events
• Managing service logistics at scale
• Pricing structures for events that protect margin

Practical Exercise: Cost and plan a sample banqueting function from brief to service.

Module 7: F&B Financial Control and Profitability

• Calculating cost of sales and gross profit percentage
• Reading and acting on F&B financial reports
• Setting pricing structures that hold guest value and margin in balance
• Building a monthly control cycle to catch margin leakage early

Practical Exercise: Build a monthly F&B financial control checklist for your outlet.

Learning approach

How you will learn

Our diverse instructional approaches ensure effective learning:

– Lectures & Presentations: Engage with expert-driven, stimulating content.– Course Material: Access well-crafted supporting resources.– Group Work: Collaborate on discussions and case studies for practical insights.– Workshops & Role-Play: Participate in immersive, scenario-based activities.– Practical Application: Focus on applying theoretical knowledge in real situations.– Post-Training Support: Receive extensive support after training for skill implementation.

Discuss your requirements

Dates, duration & arrangements

Contact Ratomac to confirm dates, duration, delivery format, entry requirements and any applicable assessment or certification before booking.