Return to blog home

There’s nothing nicer than walking into your local cafe, a restaurant, or your next stay at a hotel, and being greeted by a friendly face – and even better if they know you by name.  

Imagine being to be able to say you contribute to delivering that service every day. In fact, jobs in hospitality have to be one of the most fulfilling types: There’s every opportunity to meet new people, meaning no two days are the same; plus, you’re constantly surrounded by food and beverages, and who doesn’t like that?

And the best news is the demand for hospitality staff is only growing, due to the weaker Australian dollar, according to Hospitality Magazine. An increase of international visitors to Australia bumped the number of hospitality and tourism related job ads up by 11 percent at the end of last year. 

So, there’s almost no better time to consider a role within hospitality – even if you’re already in the industry and are just looking for a change.

We have compiled a list of 10 fulfilling hospitality jobs you could potentially find yourself doing, along with a brief description explaining what each role is about:

1.    Catering operations manager

Sometimes also referred to as food service managers, catering operations managers work with the kitchen to help make sure the catering service goes as planned from ordering ingredients to ensuring when the food is cooked, it is of a high quality standard.

Plus, it requires a bit of knowledge in numbers for handling budgets. 

2.    Café or restaurant manager

In this role, you more or less run the restaurant on behalf of the business owners. So a typical day may include consulting with the chefs to plan the day’s menu, making sure the kitchen is well-stocked with the right ingredients, and keeping in check the dining area is clean.  

And – the best bit – greeting guests and chatting with customers to make sure they’re satisfied with their experience.

3.    Motel manager

Similar to a café or restaurant manager, a motel manager organises and controls operations of a motel.

This includes overseeing everything from reception and room service through to housekeeping, security, the on-site restaurant and bar, and even making sure the property’s lawns are trimmed neatly. 

4.    Food and beverage manager

Unlike the above roles, a food and beverage manager is all about working with the chefs inside the kitchen to decide what food and drinks need to be ordered, how it’s going to be get delivered, and making sure it actually does get delivered on time and within budget.

5.    Licensed restaurant manager

Working as a manager in a licensed restaurant or bar requires just that extra bit of knowledge compared to the average restaurant manager.

This means not only will be you licensed to serve alcohol, you’ll have knowledge to advise customers about food and beverage matching, especially Australian wines. This will be in addition to being responsible for overseeing the overall operations of the restaurant (see above for café or restaurant manager).

6.    Small business manager

The joy of being part of a small business is not only the fact that you’re contributing to a third of Australia’s total economy, but it means you’ll get to intimately know your customers.

At the same time, a small business manager means will have a hand in a variety of things in making sure the business runs smoothly including sales, marketing, legal, and finance. 

7.    Concierge

In the movie The Grand Budapest Hotel, Mr Gustave, played by Ralph Fiennes, is a concierge that goes above and beyond to helping sure his guests’ stays are as comfortable as possible, and in reality that’s essentially what the role entails.

This means allocating duties to housekeepers and luggage porters, as well as overseeing rosters, assisting guests with travel arrangements, enforcing safety regulations, and sometimes carrying out hotel receptionist duties.

8.    Front office manager

It’s not hard for things turn to chaotic in hospitality, but as a front office manager, that’s where you step in to keep the peace between staff members and ensure there’s a fun, yet professional work environment.

You’ll also have your hands at possibly managing finances through to simpler tasks of of purchasing office supplies to make sure the business is equipped with basic needs.

9.    Front of house manager

In the world of hospitality, when you’re working front of house that usually means you’re working in the dining room, the hotel lobby, or bar. The main goal is – much like a concierge in a hotel setting – to ensure your guests are seated and served.

As a front of house manager, you'll be working with a team of waiters, hosts, and bartenders to ensure they’re servicing customers to the hotel's standards. That typically means training them up on menu items, making sure there are minimal breakages, and also arranging any maintenance repairs, too.

10.    Reservations manager 

The great thing about work in hospitality is that there's so much variety, and particularly with this role as reservations manager you can traverse between working at a hotel, motel, bar, restaurant, or even café.

But no matter where, you’ll be responsible for receiving reservation requests, recording that info, and advising others on the team about it.

Ready to discover more about a career path in Tourism, Travel or Hospitality? Research your course options here.