Head of Food & Beverage

Job Description

Find where you belong!

Do you have the commercial and customer-first mindset to develop and deliver a successful F&B business on a national scale? Can you architect a 3-year F&B strategy that drives out-performance , puts our guests first, and translates into a seamless mission for our c230 restaurants and c380 lodges and their teams? If yes, our Head of Food & Beverage position might be the right next move for you.

Your Purpose

We are seeking a visionary leader to scale our multi-million pound F&B operation. Overseeing 230 bar-cafes and our F&B proposition across 370 hotels, you will be responsible for driving revenue, margin and ensuring a consistent brilliant customer experience across the entire estate.

Reporting directly to the Customer Director, you will hold full P&L accountability and lead the 3-year strategic roadmap for our food and drink proposition.

Key Responsibilities:

• Define the 3-year F&B vision, identifying new growth initiatives and pricing strategies that maximize our revenue and optimise margin through a customer-first approach.
• Oversee a c£2m management budget and influence investment.
• Lead the lifecycle of our products from "napkin sketch" conceptualisation to national launch, ensuring every item is both profitable and beloved by guests.
• Act as the bridge between Marketing, Finance, and Ops, ensuring we deliver a consistent, high-quality brand experience.
• Spearhead the use of data dashboards and digital platforms to optimise conversion, the guest journey and commercial performance.

Your Strengths

To lead this division, you must be a heavyweight commercial leader with a proven track record in high-volume F&B or large-scale restaurant retail. We require a candidate who has held full P&L accountability-ideally for portfolios exceeding £50m-and possesses the analytical mindset to transform complex market trends and consumer data into high-growth strategies. Beyond the numbers, you must demonstrate "operational empathy", showing a history of working hand-in-hand with ground-level teams to ensure that national change is implemented seamlessly and sustainably.

You'll need to influence at the ExCo level and negotiate high-value supplier relationships with ease. You should be a collaborative leader known for winning "hearts and minds" across a business, pairing exceptional stakeholder management with the flexibility to travel nationally. We are looking for a rare blend of strategic foresight and technical precision-someone who can navigate board-level presentations one day and dive into the data behind a 1% margin shift the next.

Your Perks

• Up to £120,000 & Annualise Bonus
• Car Allowance payable at £570 per month
• Contributory pension scheme - auto enroll at 5% after 3 months and we contribute 8%
• Hybrid working - a minimum of 60% of your time should be spent in the office and or visiting suppliers
• 50% personal discount for hotel bookings and great friends and family discounts too!
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays, increasing with length of service

Why Travelodge?

We believe in creating an inclusive workplace where everyone can be their true self and belong. We work hard to improve the diversity of our teams and celebrate our differences. And we care about our colleagues' wellbeing, ensuring there are plenty of resources available so everyone can look after their emotional, physical, financial and work wellbeing. We call this "Better Me".