About Us
At The Fowke Group Inc., we provide hospitality and food service management with consistency, safety, and care. From school cafeterias and commissary kitchens to commercial sites and catering programs, we are a trusted partner for clients and communities across Manitoba.
As a family business, teamwork and collaboration are at the heart of everything we do. Our philosophy is simple: when we win, we win together.
The Role
We are looking for an experienced Senior Food Service Operations Manager to oversee and support multiple cafeteria and food-service locations while also playing a key role in our catering operations.
This is a hands-on management position. The successful candidate will be comfortable moving between locations, working directly with managers and staff, speaking with clients, solving operational issues, reviewing food costs, and stepping in when needed to keep operations running smoothly.
The ideal candidate has strong food-service experience and understands what it takes to manage successful cafeteria operations—not just from an administrative perspective, but from the floor, kitchen, and day-to-day operational level.
Key Responsibilities
Multi-Site Food Service Operations
- Oversee and support the day-to-day operations of multiple cafeterias and food-service locations.
- Work closely with site managers to ensure consistent service, food quality, cleanliness, and operational standards.
- Visit locations regularly and provide hands-on support when operational needs arise.
- Identify operational issues and work with managers and staff to develop practical solutions.
- Support staffing, scheduling, training, and performance management as required.
- Help ensure company food safety, workplace safety, and operational procedures are followed consistently.
Food Costing & Operations
- Monitor food costs, labour costs, inventory, waste, and overall profitability.
- Review menus, recipes, portioning, and pricing to support appropriate food margins.
- Work with managers and the commissary/production team to improve efficiency and control costs.
- Assist with ordering, inventory management, production planning, and operational forecasting as needed.
- Identify opportunities to improve processes, reduce waste, and strengthen profitability.
Client & Account Relationships
- Develop and maintain positive working relationships with clients and site contacts.
- Communicate directly with clients regarding operations, service expectations, concerns, and opportunities.
- Respond professionally and promptly to operational issues and client feedback.
- Participate in client meetings and help ensure agreed-upon service standards are consistently delivered.
- Support the onboarding and operational transition of new cafeteria and food-service accounts.
Catering & Events
- Oversee and support catering programs from planning through execution.
- Work with clients to understand catering requirements, menus, budgets, timelines, and service expectations.
- Coordinate with kitchen, production, delivery, and service teams to ensure successful events.
- Assist with catering costing, menu planning, staffing, purchasing, and logistics.
- Be hands-on during larger catering events when required.
Leadership
- Coach, mentor, and support site managers and food-service teams.
- Lead by example and maintain a professional, respectful, and team-oriented work environment.
- Work closely with ownership and management on operational improvements and business growth.
- Help develop consistent standards and best practices across locations.
Qualifications
Required
- 5+ years of progressive experience in food service, cafeteria, restaurant, catering, or hospitality operations.
- Experience managing multiple food-service locations, cafeterias, or accounts.
- Strong understanding of food costing, labour costs, inventory, and profitability.
- Experience planning and managing catering and events.
- Strong client communication and relationship-management skills.
- Experience supervising, coaching, and supporting managers and frontline employees.
- Strong organizational and problem-solving skills.
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment and handling multiple priorities.
- Willingness to be hands-on and actively involved in day-to-day operations.
- Valid driver's licence and ability to travel between locations as required.
Assets
- Experience in school cafeteria or institutional food service.
- Experience with new-site openings or operational transitions.
- Culinary or food-service training.
- Experience with catering for larger groups or corporate/community events.
- Experience with budgeting, menu development, recipe costing, and purchasing.
Schedule
- This is a management position requiring flexibility based on operational needs, seasonal demands, catering events, and client requirements. Typical hours may range from 36–50 hours per week, with additional flexibility during particularly busy periods.
- The role involves a combination of site visits, office/administrative work, client meetings, kitchen/production support, and catering events. This is not a fully remote position.
What We Offer
- Competitive Salary (semi-monthly, 24 periods)
- Discretionary Bonus Program - based on leadership of profit centres and overall corporate performance.
- Management Benefits Plan: health, dental, life, disability, and wellness initiatives.
- Company Vehicle & Fuel Card (for always-on-call roles).
- Remote work flexibility & self-managed hours.
- Opportunities for growth in a dynamic leadership model.
Apply today on Indeed and step into a leadership role where you can grow with a team that values integrity, service, and collective success.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: From $48,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental care
- Extended health care
- Life insurance
- On-site parking
- Paid time off
- Vision care
Experience:
- Food industry at a Management capacity: 3 years (required)
Work Location: In person
