Director of Food & Beverage

Director, Food & Beverage – Surety Hotel, Des Moines

Surety Hotel occupies the landmark Hippee Building in the heart of downtown Des Moines, a 1913 Beaux-Arts tower restored into an independent hotel with rooms, event spaces, and Mulberry Street Tavern, its ground-floor restaurant and bar, at the center of the city's dining scene. Surety is managed by Aparium Hotel Group, founded in 2011 by Chicago hospitality entrepreneur Mario Tricoci on a simple conviction: that c-suite service belongs in distinct, underserved cities, and that the unadulterated character of each place is the point. Aparium has since grown into a different kind of hotel company, one that ventures off the beaten path and pairs the acumen of large operators with the soul of an independent.

The Role

The Director of Food & Beverage is the singular leader of all food and beverage at Surety Hotel. You report directly to the Hotel General Manager and own every F&B and banquet & catering operation end to end: the restaurant, the bar, banquets and events, catering, and in-room dining. The vision, the standards, the numbers, and the teams are yours. You set the strategy, build the leaders, and hold the entire operation to a single elevated standard, whether it is a Tuesday breakfast, a 200-cover Saturday night, or a full-hotel wedding weekend running on top of both. Every Aparium leader is expected to get their hands dirty: to find what needs fixing and fix it. You will spend your time present in service where it matters most, while building the financials, tools, and systems that let a successful hotel F&B operation perform at the top of the game.

What You Will Do

Own all of F&B. Develop and execute the operating plan that delivers every outlet and event space, restaurant, bar, banquets, catering, and in-room dining, at a consistent elevated standard, every daypart, every day.

Own the P&L, the budget, and the forecast. Build the annual F&B operating budget, deliver accurate monthly forecasts, set goals and KPIs by revenue center, lead inventory and cost controls, and manage labor and expense to deliver the financial result the operation is built to produce.

Own banquets and catering performance. Lead/delegate banquet operations from BEO to breakdown, hold execution to the same standard as the dining room, and partner with the Sales team on menu architecture, pricing, and packages that maximize catering revenue and protect margin.

Build and lead the leadership team. Hire, develop, and hold accountable the outlet and banquet leaders beneath you, building the bench strength and succession pipeline a growing operation demands.

Set and protect the service standard. Define the sequence of service for every outlet and event type, train to it, and hold every floor to it through every daypart and every cover.

Lead by example. Be present in service where the stakes are highest, mentoring and coaching the teams and giving them everything you know about food, beverage, and hospitality to build real technical skill.

Own the beverage program. Set the beverage vision across every outlet, curate the wine list and the cocktail and spirits offering, drive banquet beverage strategy, and educate the teams so every member can speak to it with authority.

Build the systems. Establish and maintain the staffing, scheduling, ordering, inventory, BEO, sidework, and shift-log discipline that lets a multi-outlet operation run cleanly every night, and own the tech stack behind it.

Partner with the kitchen. Work with the Executive Chef on menu architecture and item performance across restaurant, banquet, and in-room dining to sharpen the offering and protect margin.

Drive the guest and client experience. Act as the ambassador for F&B across the hotel, engage in every aspect of service so experiences exceed expectations, maximize every room, and keep the restaurant and the events operation at the top of their market and their review channels.

Collaborate across the hotel. Work with the Hotel General Manager and the Sales, Lifestyle, and Rooms teams to plan and execute the events and activations that express Aparium's translocal hospitality, and represent F&B in the hotel's strategic and capital planning.

Master the tools. Demonstrate full command of the POS, inventory, and labor systems, including reporting, cost analysis, and routing, and ensure every team is trained to use them efficiently.

Guard health and safety. Ensure compliance with local health and safety codes, hotel security policy, and Iowa state and local liquor law across every outlet and event.

Position Requirements

Minimum of seven (7) years of progressive food and beverage leadership, with a track record in elevated, full-service hotel or restaurant operations.

Minimum of two (2) years as a Director of Food & Beverage, or equivalent multi-outlet leadership carrying full P&L responsibility inclusive of banquets and catering.

Demonstrated command of budgeting, forecasting, and cost control across multiple revenue centers.

Proven banquet and catering operations experience, including BEO management and large-format execution.

Demonstrated beverage depth; sommelier certification (or equivalent wine credential) strongly preferred. Craft cocktail experience strongly preferred.

Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management or a related field, or equivalent work experience.

Ability to work varied shifts, including mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays.

Ability to obtain and maintain an Iowa liquor license and Food Handler certification.

Adaptable interpersonal skills to communicate with and address every level of the hotel.

Professional proficiency in English across reading, writing, and verbal communication.

How You Lead

Build rapport quickly, reading the room and adapting how you communicate to a wide range of audiences and stakeholders.

Approach discovery as a collaborator, valuing the input and experience of others to surface the deeper issues worth solving.

Make decisions with integrity, holding confidence where it is owed and knowing the difference between transparency and discretion.

Stay analytical without ever needing to be the smartest person in the room; seek the facts and hold a point of view without ego.

Lead with business acumen, ensuring the actions you take support the hotel's operational goals and budget.