senior hospitality recruitment, done properly.

Finding the right senior hospitality leader takes more than matching a CV to a job description.

At The F&B Project, we offer a bespoke search, screening and selection service for senior hospitality roles. We help businesses find and appoint people with the experience, leadership style and commercial know-how to make a real difference.

We work closely with each client to understand the business, the role and the challenge behind the hire. Then we build a focused search around the people you actually need.

Discuss a search

the role briefing

Every search starts with a detailed role briefing.

We take time to understand:

  • The business, its culture and commercial objectives
  • The scope and expectations of the role
  • The operational challenges the new hire will inherit
  • The experience and leadership style needed
  • Salary, benefits and package
  • What success looks like in the first 6 to 12 months

That lets us build a clear candidate profile and search plan from day one.

search. screen. select.

Search

Step 1

We go out and find the right people, through our hospitality network and the wider market.

We combine targeted search, industry relationships and direct conversations, so we can reach strong operators who aren't actively looking for their next role.

Screening

Step 2

We screen every candidate ourselves before we put them in front of you. And we look at far more than career history.

We look at:

  • Relevant operational experience
  • Commercial understanding
  • Leadership and people management
  • Cultural fit and career motivations
  • Salary expectations and notice period
  • How well they match the agreed role profile

Where it makes sense, we also test candidates with real-world scenarios from the role.

Selection

Step 3

We stay with you from the first introduction through to the final appointment.

That can include:

  • Candidate shortlisting
  • Structured interview guidance and question frameworks
  • Candidate scorecards
  • Second-stage assessment
  • Salary and package discussions
  • Candidate feedback

Our job is to give you a clear, informed view of each candidate, so you can make the right appointment with confidence.

senior hospitality roles

We specialise in senior operational and commercial hospitality roles, including:

  • Chief Operating Officer
  • Operations Directors
  • F&B Directors
  • Restaurant Directors
  • General Managers
  • Area Managers
  • Operations Managers
  • Hotel Operations Managers
  • F&B Managers
  • Executive Chefs
  • Head Chefs
  • Commercial and Development roles
  • Senior multi-site operators
  • Pre-opening leadership teams

We work across restaurants, bars, hotels, resorts, leisure businesses and multi-site hospitality groups.

hospitality experience matters

What sets The F&B Project apart is that our recruitment is grounded in real hospitality operations.

That comes from 30 years in hospitality, working with both branded and independent operators, single site and multi-site, across the UK. Roles have ranged from Executive Chef and food development to Chief Operating Officer.

We know what these roles really involve, the pressures operators face, and the difference between someone who interviews well and someone who can genuinely lead a hospitality business.

That understanding means we ask better questions, assess candidates more effectively and give you a better-informed shortlist.

fewer candidates. better candidates.

We're deliberately selective.

You won't get a stack of CVs and be left to wade through them.

Instead, we aim to give you a focused shortlist of people we've already screened against the brief, and who we believe can succeed in your business.

Search. Screen. Select.

A more considered way to find senior hospitality talent.

Discuss a search