F&B Cost Controller

Job Title: F&B Cost Controller

Industry: Hospitality
Location: Nairobi
Reports To: Hotel Accountant / Hotel Manager

Job Overview

Our client, a hospitality establishment, is seeking a detail-oriented, analytical, and commercially minded F&B Cost Controller to oversee food and beverage cost management, inventory controls, menu pricing, and revenue verification across its hotel operations.

The successful candidate will be responsible for monitoring and controlling food and beverage costs, identifying variances, minimizing wastage and pilferage, and ensuring accurate inventory and revenue records. The role will also involve menu costing, recipe management, POS monitoring, stock verification, and preparation of periodic financial and operational reports for management.

The ideal candidate should have experience in F&B cost control within a hotel or hospitality environment, with strong knowledge of accounting systems, POS platforms, inventory management, and food and beverage operations. They should demonstrate excellent analytical skills, attention to detail, and the ability to work closely with the Finance and F&B teams to improve operational efficiency and profitability.

Key Responsibilities

• Monitor and control food and beverage costs across all hotel outlets, ensuring expenditure remains within approved budgets.
• Monitor F&B operations to identify and minimize wastage, pilferage, stock losses, and operational inefficiencies.
• Prepare food and beverage cost variance analyses and communicate findings to relevant departments.
• Update and maintain goods receipts and inventory transactions in the Hotel Plus system.
• Monitor and verify POS transactions, including voids, discounts, happy hour offers, complimentary sales, staff meals, staff discounts, and package meals.
• Verify POS settlements and ensure all sales transactions are accurately transferred to QuickBooks and Hotel Plus.
• Identify and investigate missing or lost sales postings and discrepancies between operational and financial records.
• Monitor cost of sales across all food and beverage outlets and ensure costs remain within budget.
• Verify menu prices loaded into POS systems and ensure they correspond with approved selling prices.
• Review restaurant and bar checks daily and verify that complimentary items have the necessary approvals.
• Reconcile and verify end-of-shift reports generated from all POS tills.
• Review daily F&B revenue reports prepared by the Income Audit team, ensuring the accuracy of covers and average checks.
• Link food and beverage articles, recipes, and inventory items within the Material Control system.
• Prepare and distribute daily and monthly F&B performance and cost reports to management.
• Prepare daily and monthly departmental cost reports, including cost of sales and staff meal costs.
• Conduct surprise spot checks across F&B outlets to identify control weaknesses and ensure compliance with established procedures.
• Review duty drinks and management consumption reports to ensure usage is within approved entitlements.
• Participate in restaurant stocktaking exercises and investigate inventory variances.
• Conduct spot checks within the receiving department to verify weighing scales, product quality, and accuracy of goods received.
• Ensure that no stock or materials are issued from the stores without authorized requisitions or departmental approvals.
• Ensure all food and beverage menu items have approved and updated recipes for accurate costing.
• Review menu costing and pricing information and recommend adjustments to improve cost efficiency and profitability.
• Coordinate with restaurant management, Finance, and other relevant departments to resolve F&B cost and control issues.
• Update selling prices in POS systems as instructed and approved by authorized personnel.
• Maintain the security and confidentiality of departmental financial and operational information.
• Continuously assess existing F&B control procedures, identify weaknesses, and recommend improvements.

Requirements & Qualifications

• CPA Part II, Diploma in Accounting, or an equivalent accounting qualification.
• At least 3 years of relevant experience in an F&B Cost Controller role within a hotel or hospitality environment.
• Strong understanding of food and beverage cost control, menu costing, inventory management, and stock reconciliation.
• Experience using accounting systems, POS platforms, and inventory or material control systems.
• Familiarity with Hotel Plus and QuickBooks is an added advantage.
• Good understanding of food and beverage operations, including restaurant, bar, kitchen, and receiving processes.
• Ability to prepare cost reports, revenue reports, variance analyses, and management reports.
• Strong analytical, numerical, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent attention to detail and ability to identify financial discrepancies and operational control weaknesses.
• Good verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to multitask and work effectively in a fast-paced hospitality environment.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with Finance, F&B, and operational teams.

Added Advantage

• Experience working in a hotel with multiple restaurants, bars, or F&B outlets.
• Familiarity with Hotel Plus, QuickBooks, and integrated POS and inventory management systems.
• Experience in recipe costing, menu engineering, and selling price reviews.
• Knowledge of receiving procedures, stock requisitions, inventory controls, and store management.
• Experience conducting stock audits, surprise outlet checks, and investigating cost variances.
• Exposure to hotel income auditing and revenue reconciliation processes.

Key Competencies

• Strong analytical and financial reporting skills.
• Excellent numerical accuracy and attention to detail.
• Strong understanding of F&B cost control and inventory management.
• High integrity and accountability when handling financial and stock records.
• Ability to identify and investigate discrepancies, wastage, and potential losses.
• Strong planning, organization, and time management skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple reporting deadlines.
• Effective communication and coordination skills across departments.
• Ability to work independently and demonstrate initiative.
• Strong teamwork and stakeholder management skills.
• Continuous improvement mindset with a focus on operational efficiency and profitability.

Application Process

Interested candidates should submit their updated CV.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.