New order in the kitchen

Most chefs feel there are not enough hours in the day, so few would relish increased responsibility in the food and beverage (F&B) department. But two leading chefs, recently presented with this proposal, put their anxieties aside and faced new challenges head-on.

Executive chef Michael Coaker of the May Fair Inter-Continental, London, was told earlier this year that Martin Rinck, the hotel's F&B manager, would be leaving to become resident manager at the Mandarin Oriental in Jakarta.

The management team saw an opportunity to simplify the hotel's management structure by not replacing the post of F&B manager, saving on the salary, and giving four existing members of staff, one of whom was Coaker, increased responsibilities.

Increase in workload

Naturally, Coaker's first worry when faced with these new F&B responsibilities was the increase in his workload. The number of staff reporting to him doubled from 40 to 80, and he was concerned the departments now reporting to him would not get the attention he gives to his brigade.

A well-staffed kitchen, and being able to use casual staff or pay overtime when necessary, has given Coaker more time than he expected for his new tasks. He has also reduced the kitchen's workload by buying in ready-prepared vegetables. In addition, Coaker does not have to worry about recruiting staff or ordering equipment and supplies, as the outlet managers now perform these tasks. In practice, though, Coaker's new F&B duties mean more meetings and paperwork. However, he has become more aware of costs and profitability as a result.

Although he had a good working relationship with his F&B manager, Coaker says there would be benefits to spreading responsibility for F&B in establishments where there is animosity between the F&B manager and the chef.

"F&B managers often use their position as a stepping-stone to senior management, often passing through the post in two to three years," says Coaker. "A head or executive chef sees his position as a career, and will stay in the job longer." Consequently, one-upmanship can result from these differences in outlook, says Coaker.

"The restructuring at the May Fair is not so revolutionary when you analyse it," he explains. "If you have a chef who has been working in an establishment for up to 15 years and you bring in a new F&B manager to run the place, surely the chef knows the operation far better? But I'm not saying it's open season on all F&B managers!"

The downside of Coaker's increased responsibilities is the impact on his time at the stove. He still cooks during service, but is now unable to do the mise-en-place. "It's hard to be focused on all departments at the same time. Of course, I have a natural draw to the kitchen."

New challenge

Alan Hill, executive chef at Gleneagles in Auchterarder, says he was ready for a new challenge when the hotel's management team set up a food committee a year ago to kick-start a new food strategy for the hotel.

The marketing department identified that the various restaurant outlets were offering similar food, albeit at different prices, so the committee was set up to change this.

Coincidentally, the F&B director resigned at the same time and the committee members agreed to split the F&B role between them.

Hill now has "a greater say" in the running of F&B operations, the exact nature of which is decided at the weekly food committee meetings. He spends less time in the kitchen, but says he is more aware of guests' needs. Having been made a duty manager, he also has more opportunity to meet guests.

"If someone wants to be a craft-orientated chef for the rest of their life, taking on F&B responsibilities would not work for them. But for someone who has been craft-orientated and wants to expand their role, it's an easy progression."

This shift in responsibility for these two chefs could hardly be described as a national trend. But allowing chefs to take on new F&B responsibilities does make sense.

Peter Chapman of specialist chef recruitment consultancy Peter Chapman Appointments believes the idea originated from Switzerland and Germany, where no-one blinks if chefs move on from the kitchen to become F&B managers and even general managers.

"Cooking is a younger man's game. Some chefs get to a point in their career when they don't want to be in the kitchen any longer. But the UK hospitality industry does not consider chefs as managers," explains Chapman. "I don't think the industry recognises the potential of chefs becoming F&B managers."

Former chef Fred Muddiman, F&B manager at the Scandic Crown at Nelson Dock in London, did buck the trend by hanging up his whites and switching to F&B management 18 months ago. When Muddiman joined Scandic Crown as executive chef in 1991 to open the Nelson Dock hotel, he had been cooking for 25 years. But when, two years on, the F&B manager's position became vacant, the general manager suggested Muddiman should consider the job. "It's not something I set out to do, but I was looking for a fresh challenge."

Muddiman says he is able to go into greater detail when discussing customers' food requirements. Another bonus, he explains, is that his roots ensure there is no animosity between his new department and the kitchen. "We have an understanding of each other," says Muddiman, describing his relationship with the hotel's head chef, Simon Fisher. "And yes, I do call him chef!"

Despite the apparent advantages, not all establishments say they could cope without an F&B manager. May Fair Inter-Continental general manager Dagmar Woodward believes that not replacing the post of F&B manager only worked in her hotel because, with 290 rooms and one main restaurant, it is "relatively small. If you have a big hotel with five restaurants you would definitely need someone solely in charge of F&B."

However, some even smaller operations say they could not shift F&B responsibilities to their chef. At the privately owned 68-bedroom Foley Lodge hotel in Newbury, Berkshire, director Sarah Corbett says that although she does not believe her head chef, Ian Webb, would be opposed to the idea of taking on responsibilities outside the kitchen, she would have to increase his seven-staff brigade in order for him to do so. For the foreseeable future, this would not be possible.

The division between chefs and F&B managers is no longer as clear-cut as it once was, as chefs look for more challenges and responsibilities and the industry comes to accept that chefs may have a role outside the kitchen. Whether this will create new management opportunities for chefs remains to be seen.

Do you believe the trend for chefs to take on more F&B responsibilities is a healthy one - or not? We are keen to hear what readers think. Write to: Chef (F&B), Caterer & Hotelkeeper, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS.