Food & Beverage Manager

Role Overview

Unity Homes delivers its restaurant and catering operation through an appointed third-party operator, but the brand, the standards and the till stay firmly in our hands. This role is the client-side owner of that relationship: you shape what guests and residents are served, approve who supplies it, verify that kitchens and service meet the written standard, and reconcile the money that comes through the point of sale every day. It matters because an outsourced model only protects quality when somebody with genuine food and beverage judgement is on site, holding the contract to account rather than simply reading the reports.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the operator relationship: act as the primary point of contact for the catering Operator, administer the Catering & Restaurant Management Agreement, monitor performance against contracted service levels, and escalate or enforce remedies when standards fall short.
• Own the brand standards: develop, maintain and update the Brand Standards Manual covering menus, recipes, plating, service style, hygiene and the overall guest experience — and personally sign off on any changes the Operator proposes.
• Control the supply chain: own the Approved Supplier List, select and approve suppliers and product specifications, negotiate and monitor pricing and quality, and ensure the Operator buys only from approved sources.
• Run the quality programme: execute the quarterly assessment cycle — mystery-shopper visits, hygiene and food-safety audits, and guest and resident feedback — then translate the findings into the Operator's performance-linked fee adjustment and into documented corrective actions.
• Approve staffing structures: review and approve headcount and role establishment for each restaurant, and require the Operator to retrain, redeploy or remove staff who are not meeting the standard.
• Oversee revenue and POS: supervise point-of-sale operation, daily revenue reconciliation and banking, given that Unity Homes — not the Operator — controls the till.
• Keep compliance and risk current: monitor the Operator's public health and food hygiene licensing, fire safety and food-handler certification, and maintain Unity Homes' own risk position in relation to the operation.
• Report and resolve escalations: deliver monthly reporting to the Operations/Estates Director on covers, spend, wastage, incidents and Operator KPI performance, and handle escalated guest complaints while approving refunds and goodwill gestures within an agreed authority limit.

Requirements & Qualifications

• F&B or hospitality management experience gained in Kenya or a comparable market, ideally with exposure to contract catering, multi-outlet oversight, or managing an outsourced operator.
• Hands-on supplier and procurement experience, including food cost control and running quality or compliance audits. You should be comfortable walking the floor, checking the kitchen and verifying things yourself rather than relying solely on submitted reports.
• Working knowledge of Kenyan food safety and public health licensing requirements.
• Financial literacy: the ability to read and interrogate a restaurant P&L, manage a budget, and reconcile till and POS data.
• Contract-management confidence: the ability to hold an external contractor to a written standard firmly and constructively, without stepping in to run their staff yourself.
• A real bias toward guest experience and quality over extracting the last shilling of margin — this is the single most important attribute we are looking for.
• Education: a diploma or degree in hospitality management, culinary arts or a related discipline is an advantage; a strong operational track record can stand in place of a formal qualification.

Why Join

• Real ownership: you set the standards, control the approved supply base and run the till — this is a client-side mandate with genuine authority, not an advisory one.
• A role built to grow: the position is designed to expand as Unity Homes' food and beverage footprint grows, making it a strong fit for someone with the ambition to grow alongside the business.