Director of Food & Beverage

Position Overview Populus Denver is seeking an accomplished, highly engaged, and commercially driven Director of Food & Beverage to lead the hotel's comprehensive food and beverage operations. This executive leadership position is responsible for the financial performance, operational excellence, guest experience, culinary collaboration, and strategic development of the property's diverse dining and beverage concepts. As a distinctive lifestyle hotel in downtown Denver, Populus requires a Food & Beverage Director who combines the operational discipline of a seasoned hotel executive with the entrepreneurial mindset, creativity, and commercial awareness of an independent restaurant operator. The successful candidate will oversee multiple dining venues, including Pasque, the rooftop dining and beverage experience at Stellar Jay, private dining, banquets, catering, and other food and beverage activations throughout the property. The Director will be accountable for building a cohesive, high-performing Food & Beverage division while preserving the individual identity, positioning, and guest experience of each venue. This is a hands-on executive leadership position requiring strong financial acumen, consistent operational presence, exceptional people management, and demonstrated success in driving profitable revenue growth. Key Responsibilities 1. Strategic Leadership & Business Development Provide executive oversight and strategic direction for all Food & Beverage operations, ensuring alignment with the hotel's positioning, brand standards, ownership objectives, and annual business plan. Develop and execute a comprehensive Food & Beverage strategy that balances revenue generation, profitability, guest satisfaction, and market relevance. Establish distinct operating and commercial strategies for each venue while maintaining consistency in service standards, leadership accountability, and financial discipline. Identify opportunities to expand local market penetration, increase non-hotel guest traffic, and strengthen the property's reputation as a dining and entertainment destination. Collaborate closely with the General Manager, Director of Sales & Marketing, Revenue Management, and Executive Chef on business development initiatives. Lead the development of seasonal programming, culinary partnerships, special events, holiday activations, and other revenue-generating experiences. Monitor Denver's competitive restaurant, rooftop, bar, and hospitality landscape to identify market opportunities and evolving consumer preferences. Take an active role in developing the annual operating budget, business plan, and long-term Food & Beverage positioning. 2. Financial Performance & Profitability The Director of Food & Beverage carries direct accountability for the financial results of the entire division. Develop, manage, and execute annual operating budgets, monthly forecasts, and departmental business plans. Assume full ownership of Food & Beverage revenue, departmental expenses, labor productivity, and operating profit. Monitor daily, weekly, and monthly financial performance against budget, forecast, and prior-year results. Establish disciplined cost controls for food, beverage, labor, operating supplies, and controllable departmental expenses. Partner with the Executive Chef to manage menu engineering, food costs, purchasing, waste reduction, and production efficiency. Develop beverage pricing, product mix, inventory management, and purchasing strategies that optimize profitability. Implement labor scheduling practices aligned with forecasted business volumes, productivity standards, and service requirements. Conduct regular profit and loss reviews, identify performance gaps, and implement measurable corrective action plans. Monitor average check, covers, revenue per available seat, outlet contribution, banquet profitability, and other relevant financial indicators. Ensure compliance with purchasing procedures, invoice approvals, inventory …

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