F&B manager

What does a F&B manager do?

An F&B manager runs the daily operations of a restaurant, café, bar or other food outlet.

The job covers service, staff, stock, cost control and food safety. In the Singapore Standard Occupational Classification (SSOC), the work sits under restaurant manager.

You usually report to an owner, general manager, area manager or operations head. Employers include restaurant groups, hotels, caterers, food courts and retail chains. Small outlets may have one manager. Larger ones have assistant managers and supervisors under that role.

An F&B manager works with chefs, service crew, suppliers and delivery platforms. You also deal with landlords, finance staff and Singapore Food Agency (SFA) officers during inspections.

What the work involves

• Open and close the outlet, check the till and read the previous day's sales.
• Build the weekly roster and brief the team on bookings, specials and targets.
• Count stock, place orders with suppliers and check deliveries against invoices.
• Walk the dining area and kitchen to check hygiene, safety and service standards.
• Handle customer feedback and complaints on the floor and in online reviews.
• Review sales, labour and food costs, then adjust the menu, roster or ordering.

Pay in Singapore

Back to top

Skills a F&B manager needs

Back to top

F&B manager job description

A Singapore F&B operator is hiring a manager to run an outlet from day to day.

You will lead the service and kitchen teams, control costs and stock, meet food safety rules and reach sales targets. The role involves shift work, including weekends and public holidays.

Responsibilities

• Plan and direct daily outlet operations, from opening to closing.
• Recruit, train, schedule and supervise service and kitchen staff.
• Set and review the roster against forecast demand and labour budget.
• Order, receive and store stock, and run regular stock counts.
• Cost menu items and track food, beverage and labour costs against budget.
• Keep the outlet compliant with SFA licence conditions and hygiene standards.
• Manage cashing up, till closing and reports from the POS system.
• Respond to customer feedback and resolve complaints on the spot.
• Work with the chef on menu changes, promotions and wastage control.
• Report sales and cost results to the owner or head office, and suggest ways to improve them.

Requirements

• A diploma or degree in hospitality, food and beverage or business is common. Employers may accept strong experience instead.
• About 3 to 5 years in F&B, including time as a supervisor or assistant manager.
• Food safety certification recognised by SFA, or willingness to obtain it.
• Working knowledge of POS and F&B systems, and Excel for sales and cost reports.
• Ability to work shifts, weekends and public holidays, and to lead a mixed team.

Back to top

F&B manager career path

Most F&B managers start on the service floor and move up through supervisor roles.

Titles vary by employer, so treat the steps below as a general guide.

1. Service crew or captain

   Entry

   You serve guests, handle orders and payments, and learn outlet routines and food safety basics.

2. Supervisor

   Mid

   You lead a shift, guide junior staff, handle stock checks and resolve simple guest issues.

3. Assistant F&B manager

   Senior

   You help run the outlet, prepare rosters, order stock and cover for the manager.

4. F&B manager or outlet manager

   Lead

   You own the outlet's sales, costs, team and compliance, and report to the owner or head office.

5. Area manager or director of F&B

   Head

   You oversee several outlets or a hotel's F&B division, set budgets and standards, and manage other managers.

The titles are ones commonly used in Singapore; employers may name the levels differently.

Related jobs and their pay

Back to top

F&B manager interview questions

We wrote these questions from the skills this job needs. They are not an official question bank.

1. How do you cost a new menu item and decide its selling price?

   What a good answer covers

   • Break the recipe into ingredients, quantities and yield, including trim and cooking loss.
   • Add up the plate cost and compare it with the target food cost percentage.
   • Allow for GST and service charge when setting the menu price.
   • Check competitor prices and what guests will pay in that location.
   • Review the item's cost again after a few weeks of real sales.

2. How do you set par levels and reorder points for a busy outlet?

   What a good answer covers

   • Use past sales and booking data to estimate usage by item.
   • Set par levels by shelf life, supplier lead time and storage space.
   • Order fast-moving items and slow ones on different schedules.
   • Check deliveries against orders and record shortages the same day.
   • Adjust par levels for public holidays, events and menu changes.

3. Your monthly stock count shows a gap between expected and actual usage. How do you find the cause?

   What a good answer covers

   • Compare theoretical usage from POS sales with the actual count by item.
   • Check recipes and portion sizes against what the kitchen really serves.
   • Look at wastage, staff meals, spillage, comps and unrecorded transfers.
   • Check receiving records and supplier invoices for short deliveries.
   • Fix the cause, retrain the team and track the gap the next month.

4. What daily food safety checks do you run in your outlet, and how do you record them?

   What a good answer covers

   • Check chiller, freezer and hot-holding temperatures at set times.
   • Keep raw and cooked foods apart, and label and date stored items.
   • Check staff hygiene, handwashing and illness reporting.
   • Keep cleaning schedules and pest control records ready for SFA inspection.
   • Act on any breach at once and note the corrective step.

5. How do you build a weekly roster that controls labour cost but still covers peak hours?

   What a good answer covers

   • Start from forecast sales and bookings by day and hour.
   • Match headcount to peaks, such as lunch, dinner and weekends.
   • Mix full-time and part-time staff and cross-train for flexibility.
   • Respect rest days, break times and working hour rules.
   • Check labour cost against budget and adjust before publishing.

6. How do you use Excel to track daily sales, labour and food cost?

   What a good answer covers

   • Import or paste POS sales data into a standard template.
   • Use formulas and lookups to link sales, purchases and payroll hours.
   • Build a pivot table to compare days, shifts and menu categories.
   • Show costs as a percentage of sales and flag items that drift.
   • Keep the file simple enough for an assistant to update.

7. Which POS reports do you check each day, and what do they tell you?

   What a good answer covers

   • Sales by item and category to see what sells and what doesn't.
   • Voids, discounts and refunds to spot errors or misuse.
   • Sales by hour to match staffing to demand.
   • Payment type totals to reconcile the till and settlement.
   • Delivery platform orders compared with the kitchen's records.

1. It is Saturday dinner. Two service staff call in sick and the restaurant is fully booked. What do you do?

   What a good answer covers

   • Check the booking list and decide which sections to staff first.
   • Call part-timers and off-duty staff, and cover a section yourself if needed.
   • Brief the team on a simplified service plan and station changes.
   • Tell guests honestly if waits will be longer, and manage walk-ins.
   • Review the cause afterwards and set up a standby list.

2. A guest says they became unwell after eating at your outlet last night. What steps do you take?

   What a good answer covers

   • Listen, record the guest's details and what they ate, and show concern.
   • Tell the owner or head office and check the kitchen's records for that service.
   • Keep food samples and records where possible, and avoid blaming the guest.
   • Cooperate with SFA if it contacts the outlet.
   • Review procedures and retrain staff if a gap is found.

3. Food cost has risen for three months, but sales are steady. How do you investigate?

   What a good answer covers

   • Compare actual and theoretical usage by category.
   • Check supplier price changes against the costing sheets.
   • Look at portioning, wastage and prep yields in the kitchen.
   • Review menu mix to see whether lower-margin dishes are selling more.
   • Set actions with the chef, such as repricing or recipe changes, and track the result.

1. Tell us about a time you turned around a team member who was underperforming.

   What a good answer covers

   • Describe the specific problem, such as lateness or poor service.
   • Explain how you gave clear feedback and listened to their side.
   • Set small goals and followed up regularly.
   • Share the result, even if the person left the team.
   • Say what you learnt about coaching.

2. Describe a disagreement between your kitchen and service teams and how you handled it.

   What a good answer covers

   • Name the cause, such as late dishes, order errors or 86'd items.
   • Hear both sides before taking action.
   • Agree a simple process, such as clearer order calls or a pre-service briefing.
   • Follow up to check that the change held.
   • Show you kept the guest experience in view.

1. How do you handle guest data from reservations and loyalty sign-ups under the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA)?

   What a good answer covers

   • Collect only the data you need and tell guests why you collect it.
   • Get consent for marketing messages and honour opt-outs.
   • Limit who can see booking and loyalty records, and secure them.
   • Secure paper records and keep guest details out of open chat groups.
   • Know who in the organisation handles PDPA questions and data requests.

2. How do you plan your team mix in Singapore, given local hiring and work pass rules from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM)?

   What a good answer covers

   • Know that MOM sets rules on foreign worker hiring, and check current rules before hiring.
   • Recruit and train local staff and use schemes the employer is eligible for.
   • Plan for staff leave, CPF contributions and wage rules in labour cost.
   • Keep staff records and contracts in order.
   • Ask HR or the owner when a rule is unclear.

Common questions about a F&B manager job

Sources