Description:
About Sítio El Tropicano
Sítio El Tropicano is a vibrant renewal of one of San Antonio's most iconic riverfront landmarks. An urban resort and members' club where hospitality, wellness, dining, and creativity flow together effortlessly, Sítio invites guests to linger, explore, and connect.
About Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group
Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group is an award-winning, chef-driven, multi-concept restaurant group hailing from Austin, Texas. All food and beverage at Sítio El Tropicano is created and operated by Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group, carrying our commitment to local sourcing, seasonality, and genuine hospitality throughout the property. Our concepts at Sitio El Tropicano include Barberry, a seasonally driven all-day restaurant; Flamingo Bar, a cocktail bar celebrating Texas spirits; Prado Provisions, a grab-and-go café; and Bar Nado, serving handrolls, bento boxes, and frozen drinks poolside.
Position Summary
The Director of Banquets provides strategic and operational leadership for all banquet and catering service at Sítio El Tropicano, including meetings, weddings, social events, hotel functions, member events, and other special programs.
This position is accountable for event execution, guest satisfaction, service standards, staffing, labor management, beverage coordination, inventory, departmental financial performance, and the development of the banquet service team. Working closely with the Director of Food & Beverage, Events team, culinary leadership, and hotel departments, the Director of Banquets ensures every event is executed accurately, efficiently, and in accordance with the banquet event order.
The Director of Banquets serves as the primary operational leader for banquet service and maintains a visible presence throughout event setup, service, and breakdown.
Event Execution & Service Leadership
- Lead the planning and execution of all banquet and catering service, including meetings, weddings, social events, hotel functions, member events, and special programs.
- Ensure every event is executed according to the approved banquet event order, floor plan, timeline, menu, beverage package, and guest specifications.
- Review upcoming BEOs for operational feasibility, staffing requirements, equipment needs, timing, and potential service challenges.
- Lead banquet captains, bartenders, servers, housepersons, and other event-service team members through setup, service, and breakdown.
- Maintain a visible leadership presence during events, particularly for weddings, VIP functions, large programs, and complex event days.
- Conduct event briefings to ensure the service team understands the timeline, menu, beverage program, assignments, guest requests, and service expectations.
- Monitor event flow and adjust staffing, timing, and service execution as conditions change.
- Resolve guest concerns promptly and professionally, communicating significant issues to the appropriate hotel leaders.
- Ensure event spaces, pre-function areas, service corridors, and back-of-house staging areas remain organized, clean, safe, and guest-ready.
- Conduct post-event reviews to identify successes, service issues, and opportunities for improvement.
Planning & Interdepartmental Coordination
- Serve as the primary operational liaison between Banquets, Events, Culinary, Stewarding, Engineering, Housekeeping, Security, Audio Visual, Front Office, and other hotel departments.
- Partner with the Events team to review event details, guest expectations, timelines, room sets, guarantees, and special accommodations.
- Participate in BEO meetings, pre-convention meetings, resume reviews, site visits, tastings, and operational planning sessions.
- Partner with culinary leadership to coordinate production schedules, food-service timing, dietary restrictions, station setup, and event execution.
- Ensure late changes and updated event details are communicated accurately to all affected departments.
- Confirm event spaces are set according to approved floor plans and established hotel standards.
- Support site visits and client meetings by providing operational insight into service capabilities, timing, layouts, and event flow.
- Develop contingency plans for weather, equipment failures, schedule changes, and other operational disruptions.
Team Leadership & Development
- Lead the recruiting, interviewing, onboarding, training, scheduling, coaching, and development of the banquet service team.
- Establish clear performance expectations and hold banquet leaders and hourly team members accountable for service, attendance, appearance, safety, and professional conduct.
- Develop captains to lead events independently and consistently.
- Create and maintain training programs covering banquet service standards, setup procedures, BEO execution, menu knowledge, beverage service, safety, and guest interaction.
- Conduct regular departmental meetings and ongoing service training.
- Partner with Human Resources on performance documentation, corrective action, and team-member relations in accordance with ERHG and hotel procedures.
- Build and maintain an appropriate roster of full-time, part-time, and on-call banquet team members based on anticipated business levels.
- Foster a positive, inclusive, professional, and accountable workplace culture.
Beverage & Inventory Management
- Oversee beverage planning and execution for all banquet and catering events.
- Partner with beverage leadership on wine, beer, spirits, cocktail offerings, pricing, ordering, and inventory controls.
- Ensure banquet bars are properly ordered, stocked, set, staffed, and operated according to event specifications.
- Maintain accurate controls for banquet beverage requisitions, transfers, consumption, open bottles, and returns.
- Ensure bartenders follow established recipes, portioning standards, cash-handling procedures, and responsible alcohol-service requirements.
- Oversee banquet equipment, china, glassware, flatware, linen, service supplies, furniture, and other event-related inventory.
- Monitor inventory levels, breakage, loss, storage, and replacement needs.
- Coordinate with Stewarding and Purchasing to ensure adequate supplies are available for all scheduled events.
Financial & Business Operations
- Own the financial and operational performance of the banquet service department, including revenue, labor, operating expenses, beverage costs, and departmental profitability.
- Develop and manage banquet labor budgets, forecasts, schedules, and operating plans in partnership with the Director of Food & Beverage and Finance.
- Create event staffing plans based on guest count, service style, venue, menu, complexity, and approved labor standards.
- Review banquet revenue, labor, service charges, gratuities, beverage consumption, rental fees, and other event-related financial results.
- Monitor daily, weekly, and monthly performance against budget and forecast.
- Identify opportunities to improve productivity, increase revenue, control expenses, and strengthen the guest experience.
- Ensure accurate payroll, timekeeping, gratuity distribution, and service-charge administration.
- Partner with the Events team and Finance to confirm accurate BEO pricing, event checks, billing, consumption charges, and post-event reconciliation.
- Ensure all event additions, changes, overages, and billable items are properly documented.
- Prepare departmental reports and communicate financial results, staffing needs, and operational concerns to the Director of Food & Beverage.
Standards & Conduct
- Develop and maintain banquet service standards, operating procedures, event checklists, and setup guidelines.
- Ensure compliance with ERHG and hotel policies, TABC regulations, health department requirements, food safety standards, fire codes, occupancy requirements, and applicable employment practices.
- Ensure safe handling and movement of tables, chairs, staging, portable bars, service equipment, and other event materials.
- Maintain required certifications, temperature logs, incident reports, alcohol-service records, and departmental documentation.
- Partner with Security and hotel leadership to address guest safety, alcohol-related concerns, emergencies, and event incidents.
- Uphold ERHG and Sítio El Tropicano’s image, values, and professional standards at all times.
- Complete responsibilities accurately, on time, and in accordance with company policies and procedures.
- Perform additional responsibilities as reasonably assigned based on operational needs.
Requirements:
Qualifications
- Five or more years of progressive banquet, catering, hotel, or event-service management experience.
- Prior leadership experience within a full-service hotel, resort, convention property, or high-volume catering operation strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated ability to lead weddings, meetings, social events, and large or complex functions.
- Strong command of BEOs, event timelines, room sets, staffing plans, and service standards.
- Proven ability to lead managers, captains, bartenders, servers, and event-support teams.
- Working knowledge of budgeting, forecasting, scheduling, payroll, labor management, inventory, purchasing, and cost control.
- Strong knowledge of banquet beverage operations and responsible alcohol-service requirements.
- Excellent communication, organization, problem-solving, and guest-recovery skills.
- Ability to remain calm, decisive, and professional in a fast-paced event environment.
- Experience with event-management, POS, scheduling, payroll, and hotel-management systems preferred.
- ServSafe Manager and TABC certifications, or the ability to obtain both within the required timeframe.
- Bachelor’s degree in hospitality management, business, event management, or a related field preferred; equivalent operational experience will be considered.
Physical Requirements
- Ability to stand and walk for extended periods during event setup, service, and breakdown.
- Ability to lift and carry up to 50 pounds when necessary.
- Ability to perform frequent bending, reaching, pushing, pulling, and repetitive movements.
- Ability to safely move through active event spaces, kitchens, service corridors, loading areas, and storage rooms.
- Ability to work a flexible schedule, including early mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, and extended hours based on the event calendar.
Direct Reports: Banquet Captains, Bartenders, Servers, Housepersons, and other assigned banquet service team members.
Reports To: Director of Food & Beverage.
This job description provides a general overview of the position and is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all responsibilities, duties, or qualifications. Responsibilities may evolve based on business and operational needs, and team members may be asked to perform other duties as reasonably assigned.
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