Area Manager, Food & Beverage (Catering & In?Park)

Company: Valleyfair
Location: Shakopee
Posted on: March 9, 2026

Job Description:

Overview: Location: Shakopee, MN Job Type: Full-Time, Year-Round Salary Range: $67,000 - $71,000 based on experience Bonus Eligible: Yes Preferred Start Date: April 6 Benefits: Health Insurance: Medical, dental, and vision coverage Retirement Plan: 401(k) with company match Paid Time Off: 15 days of vacation, 11 holidays, and 6 sick days Job Description: The Area Manager, Food & Beverage (Catering & In?Park) leads the daily operation and long?term performance of a portfolio of quick?serve locations, bars, mobile units, and catered venues. This role ensures outstanding food quality, fast and friendly service, and a consistent guest experience while meeting labor and cost targets. The Area Manager develops seasonal leaders, drives execution of menus and catered events, elevates operational standards, and partners cross?functionally (Culinary, Maintenance, HR, Finance, Group Sales, Events) to deliver high?impact programs and results. Success is measured through guest satisfaction, speed?of?service, food safety and cleanliness scores, revenue growth, cost control, team engagement, and flawless event delivery. Responsibilities: Own day?to?day operations for assigned in?park outlets and catered events, ensuring locations are guest?ready, staffed, and well?stocked. Deliver consistent food quality, order accuracy, speed?of?service, and hospitality standards across all locations and events. Lead, coach, and develop seasonal leaders and supervisors; build strong bench strength and a positive, performance?based culture. Plan and execute catered functions, festivals, promotions, and seasonal programs in partnership with Culinary, Events, and Group Sales. Forecast demand; build and manage schedules and deployment to meet service targets and labor plans. Manage cost performance—inventory integrity, waste/writedown controls, portioning/recipe adherence. Ensure compliance with local/state health codes, ServSafe standards, and company food safety and sanitation procedures. Champion equipment and facility readiness; coordinate with Maintenance on preventive care and rapid issue resolution. Implement training and SOPs for product builds, guest service, food safety, and event execution; verify through spot checks and coaching. Analyze KPIs (throughput, guest satisfaction, labor %, COGS, waste) and lead continuous improvement initiatives. Support menu rollouts, price changes, and product tests; ensure accurate POS setup and crew adoption. Respond to guest feedback and service recoveries professionally; turn insights into actionable fixes. Flex to operational priorities—including weekends, evenings, holidays, and peak event periods. Qualifications: 2 years of leadership experience in high?volume food service (quick?serve, multi?unit, catering/banquets, stadiums, or attractions); multi?unit experience preferred. Proven success managing labor, and inventory while lifting guest satisfaction and speed metrics. Strong event planning/execution background (BEOs, timelines, service standards, vendor coordination, onsite problem?solving). Working knowledge of health department regulations and food safety; ServSafe Food Manager and ServSafe Alcohol (or ability to obtain). Comfortable with POS and back?office tools (scheduling, forecasting, inventory); data?driven decision?making. Excellent communication and cross?functional collaboration skills; calm and decisive under pressure. Ability to stand/walk for extended periods and lift/move products as needed; valid driver’s license. Education: High school diploma or equivalent required; Hospitality/Restaurant Management or related education preferred. Equivalent combinations of education, experience, and competencies will be considered.

Keywords: Valleyfair, Eden Prairie , Area Manager, Food & Beverage (Catering & In?Park), Hospitality & Tourism , Shakopee, Minnesota