REGIONAL CATERING MANAGER

Job Description

Manage the Food and Beverage planning, delivery, quality and cost from selected global catering service providers. Accountable for designing & implementing innovative and pleasing menus that contribute towards Emirates being the world?s leader in innovative inflight and premium class lounge catering. - Plan and implement innovative yet gastronomically pleasing food menus, by analysing and determining requirements of the route/flight to and from the region to ensure a well-balanced and nutritious offering, that also caters to the dietary (Special Meals), religious and cultural needs of a diverse customer profile. - Negotiate and finalise menu and pricing (at each item level, at a minimum of 4 months before menu Implementation) with caterers so that the planned offering is within budget and product is sourced from caterers at least cost. Carry out detailed analysis on cost incurred for Food Product to ensure appropriate cost control action is initiated and value for money delivered. - Plan menus and periodic rotations for on board and lounges by taking into consideration the customers? needs throughout his/her journey with Emirates to ensure that the F&B product complement each other whilst providing variety and choice. - Create recipes and detailed menu specifications (Standard Uplift Charts, Portion Control, Correct Equipment Utilization and ingredients) for the region and suppliers (e.g. frozen meal suppliers) by physical preparation and further development in kitchens to achieve consistency in the dishes across the network. - Build relationships and represent Emirates to caterers within the region. Conduct menu presentations at regular intervals, at contractors locations (On-board and Lounges) by detailing menu requirements to ensure that caterers understand and agree on food product requirements, such as quality, specification, presentation, loading scales/ratios, etc. Responsible for managing the catering contracts for their respective regions to ensure agreed product and service levels are met efficiently. - Work in collaboration with the Service & Product team by developing, trialling and implementing new concepts, F&B promotions and food styles for the region (on-board and lounges) to introduce variety, create an element of surprise and regularly delight our customers. - Design and implement innovative crew meal concepts, with input from Product Research & Dev, (PRD), and Quality Circle Committee to ensure crew are offered well balanced and nutritious meals. - Conduct and record quality checks by carrying out frequent pre-flight and post flight audits on the food product for quality, quantity compliance to agreed food product specifications, menu card contents, analyse residual meal uptake to minimize waste, and initiate corrective action, where required. Record audits/issues in the Performance Management system to monitor and track contractor performance. - Conduct regular supplier evaluation by carrying out hygiene audits at catering contractors (aircraft & lounge) to ensure they comply with international IATA and HACCP standards, and Emirates customers are offered a hygienic and safe food product. - Work closely with Product Research & Development and Training College on new concepts being introduced by carrying out presentations, flight trials etc., to ensure crew are trained appropriately to deliver the food service and changes are reflected correctly in the on-board service routines.

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