Q: I’m close to graduating with a degree in hotel and restaurant management, and my advisor suggested I should be looking at opportunities in Food and Beverage since I want to be a GM of a large scale property. Do you agree?
A: Any large scale hotel GM generally has a background in foods as a part of their resume. With banquet facilities, convention space, and larger food service units, a strong F+B background is a must in larger hotel firms.
When I was with Disney, I worked my way through two large food service operations in the parks before I moved on to hotels. It provided great experience in the areas of cost control, motivation, managing high volumes, and prepped me for working with conventions.
So yes, you definitely should consider shifting your work interests towards a food and beverage role to expose you to a different area.