Director of Food & Beverage

 

The Grand Rapids Downtown Market is a vibrant destination where food, culture, and community come together year-round. From unforgettable private events and public programming to one of the Midwest's premier holiday traditions, the Christkindl Markt, the Downtown Market welcomes hundreds of thousands of guests each year for experiences that celebrate connection, hospitality, and community.

The Downtown Market is seeking an experienced, strategic, and hospitality-driven Director of Food and Beverage to join our team! As the Director of Food and Beverage, you will play a vital leadership role in creating memorable experiences for guests by overseeing all food and beverage operations across the Downtown Market, including the Christkindl Markt, private events, public programs, and internal initiatives.

You'll work closely with organizational leadership, event teams, vendors, distributors, caterers, and staff to develop exceptional food and beverage experiences while driving operational efficiency, financial performance, and outstanding hospitality standards. From building strong systems and leading teams to creating innovative offerings and ensuring seamless event execution, this role is instrumental in bringing the Downtown Market experience to life.

At the Downtown Market, we value individuals who bring energy, collaboration, resourcefulness, and a positive attitude. We strive to provide exceptional experiences while ensuring our guests, clients, vendors, staff, and community partners feel welcomed, supported, and cared for.

We embrace a high-level, passionate, fun, and engaging set of service standards that creates memorable experiences for every person who walks through our doors. Behind every successful event is a dedicated team committed to delivering exceptional hospitality, and we're looking for someone who shares that passion.

Everything we do is guided by our core values:

As the Downtown Market continues to grow, we're excited to add a Director of Food and Beverage to our team. This role will lead the continued development of our food and beverage operations while supporting some of our most exciting experiences throughout the year.

We value leaders who take ownership of their work, inspire their teams, embrace challenges, and continuously look for opportunities to improve. If you're passionate about hospitality, developing people, building efficient systems, and creating exceptional guest experiences, this could be the perfect opportunity for you.

You could be the right person for this important seat if you:
Are inspired by our mission, our core values, and the opportunity to create exceptional hospitality experiences. You understand that food and beverage is more than a transaction, it is an important part of creating meaningful moments that guests remember. You are excited by the opportunity to contribute to experiences that bring people together and positively impact our community.

Bring extensive food and beverage leadership experience. You have 8+ years of progressive leadership experience in food and beverage operations, hospitality, restaurants, catering, festivals, event venues, or a related industry. You understand what it takes to lead high-volume operations while balancing guest experience, team development, and financial performance.

Think like both an operator and a business leader. You naturally balance exceptional hospitality with strong business results, identifying opportunities to increase revenue, improve efficiency, control costs, and strengthen long-term operational success.

Are exceptionally organized. You enjoy creating systems that bring order to complex operations. Whether managing inventory, purchasing, staffing, vendor relationships, or event logistics, you keep priorities moving forward and ensure important details are handled.

Have strong financial and operational instincts. You understand inventory management, beverage costing, purchasing strategies, pricing, forecasting, and profitability. You enjoy analyzing performance and using data to make thoughtful decisions that improve operations.

Are confident leading teams and building relationships. You communicate with professionalism, warmth, and clarity while coaching staff, partnering with vendors, collaborating with clients, and supporting internal teams. You understand that exceptional hospitality begins with strong relationships.

Enjoy being both strategic and hands-on. One moment you may be reviewing financial reports, developing beverage programs, or negotiating vendor pricing; the next, you're supporting service, solving problems, or guiding your team during a busy event. You lead by example and are willing to jump in when needed.

Thrive in a fast-paced environment. You remain calm under pressure, adapt to changing priorities, solve problems in real time, and confidently lead teams through high-volume events and seasonal operations.

Think several steps ahead. You are proactive, resourceful, and always looking for ways to improve processes, anticipate challenges, and create better experiences for guests and team members.

Appreciate the rhythm of hospitality and events. You understand that evenings, weekends, holidays, and seasonal commitments are part of creating memorable experiences and are excited to be present during the moments when your leadership matters most.

Take ownership of your work and contribute to a positive team culture. You lead with integrity, communicate openly, support your teammates, and continuously look for ways to improve both operations and the guest experience.

Physical Capacity

Why You'll LOVE Working Here
This is more than a food and beverage management role. It's an opportunity to shape the experiences that define one of West Michigan's premier destinations. You'll lead the programs, teams, and systems that allow guests to create meaningful memories through exceptional hospitality.

You'll work alongside a passionate, collaborative team that values creativity, community, and operational excellence. Your leadership will directly impact thousands of guests each year while helping grow and evolve the Downtown Market's food and beverage experiences.

If you're looking for a career where your work creates memorable moments, develops people, and contributes to one of West Michigan's most unique destinations, we'd love to hear from you.