OLIVER COLES
High Street, Hamble,Hampshire
Summary
Professional, hands on manager, with the drive to produce exceptional customer service. Experienced at working to tight deadlines, and under considerable pressure. Able to manage, and prioritise own workload, whilst managing multiple projects, and works well within any team. Friendly and approachable, with excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Excellent people management and coaching skills. Experienced at negotiating with national suppliers, and creating, and managing multi million pound budgets.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work history
F&B Operations Manager
Village Hotel
Portsmouth, Hampshire
09.2019 - Current
- Selected for the Company's Rising Stars programme, completing training to become a future Hotel Manager.
- Pub & Grill Manager of the Year for 2024 & 2025.
- Responsible for managing the Pub & Grill, ensuring KPIs are met, staff are working effectively and efficiently, guests are happy, and Health & Safety and Food Safety Guidelines are being adhered to.
- Responsible for the operational management of the Conferencing sector of the hotel: managing multiple meeting rooms, and a large conference space for up to 300 delegates.
- Responsible for the full management of Functions & Events within the hotel: coordinating and hosting weddings, private parties and banquets for up to 200 guests, ensuring the venue is dressed, food and drink are delivered, and Guest Experrience is exceptional.
- Responsible for inducting new F&B Ops Managers within the company, and mentoring them through their first 3 months.
- Worked with the Central Finance Team, to coach and mentor Junior F&B Ops Managers in Stock and Finance controls.
- Guest focussed role, ensuring that the guest's experience is at the heart of everything that the venue does.
- Responsible for maintaining brand standards, and a high level of guest satisfaction.
- Responsible for stock management, ensuring that the correct product is in place, and resolving any issues that arise
- Maintained relationships with other departments within the hotel, and working with the Sales and Leisure Managers to drive sales in the hotel, increasing YOY Revenue by 9% between 2003 and 2004, and 4% between 2004 and 2005.
- Created processes to ensure that the department is performing at a consistantly high level.
- Responsible for staff management, including: recruitment, training, and performance management working with team members to develop their skills and allow them to thrive.
- Analysed sales trends based on previous year's sales, local events, and national events, to ensure that the staffing team is fully prepped to offer the best guest experience for each shift.
- Worked as a Hotel Duty Manager during shift, ensuring all guests are happy, and any complaints are dealt with in a timely manner.
Bars Manager
University of Southampton Students' Union
Southamtpon
02.2017 - 08.2019
- Managed all licensed spaces within the Union, including The Stag's: a 350 capacity sports bar, The Bridge: a 250 capacity coffee bar, restaurant and cocktail bar with full food menu, The Cube: a 1200 capacity multi-purpose space capable of hosting club nights, live gigs conferences, and fine dining banquets, as well as a number of temporary pop up bars to suit the Union's needs.
- Understood the needs of the customers through research, sales analysis, and the understanding of current trends in the licensing trade.
- Negotiated stock deals and prices with suppliers, and presented a proposed product range and pricing structure to be approved by the Trustee Board.
- Created, monitored, and managed each venues budget, as well as the £1.5 million departmental budget.
- Risk managed the bar service operations, including monitoring the performance of sales against targets, to realise maximum revenue and realise savings in operational costs.
- Responsible for the leadership and management of all 150 staff within the bars department, ensuring a clear focus on customer service.
- Responsible for the Events Booking Procedure within the venues, ensuring that the right event is in the most suitable venue, and liaise with other departments, including Catering, Tech and •Marketing, to ensure the client has all the resources they need.
- Developed and maintained an effective network across the Southampton community, and nationally, throughout maintaining partnerships, and creating new ones.
- Highlights include: •Increased overall profit across all venues by 25% across the two years •Posted the top 10 single day's trading figures of all time •Increased takings on our Premier Thursday Night, from an average of £5k to £10k across a two year period •Created, and streamlined, a new Events Booking Process for our venues to encourage more bookings •Streamlined the Invoicing Process for multiple departments, to half the time it took to invoice sales •Project Managed a new Ethical Product Range, from concept to end, and evaluation •Created, and designed bespoke cocktail menus for each venue, which saw cocktail sales increase by 60% •Increased Food Hygiene Rating in The Stag's from 4 to 5, whilst maintaining a 5 in The Bridge.
Holding General Manager
The White Swan, Mitchells and Butlers
Southampton
09.2016 - 02.2017
- Responsible for all aspects of the business in the absence of the General Manager.
- Lead and managed the FOH and Kitchen team, ensuring both worked together effectively, and efficiently, and had a clear focus on increasing sales, and delivering exceptional customer service.
- Responsible for managing the P+L each month, ensuring that sales targets set by the Area Manager were met, and ensuring costs were kept to a minimum.
- Highlights include: •Delivered the highest sales across the Festive Period.
Assistant Manager
The White Swan, Mitchells and Butlers
Southampton
06.2015 - 09.2016
- Assisted the General Manager with the day-to-day running of the business, and deputised in his absence.
- Responsible for ensuring that the FOH and Kitchen teams work effectively together.
- First point of contact for all customers entering the business, greeting them at the door, and sitting them at their tables.
- Responsible for securing the venue at the end of the day, ensuring all cash was secured correctly.
- Responsible for staff recruitment and training.
- Responsible for booking in large parties and events, and monitoring the booking throughout the booking process.
- Controlled the stock management of the venue, ensuring all storage areas were maintained, cleaned, and adhered to Food Hygiene laws.
- Highlights include: •Streamlined the festive booking process, increasing the communication with the kitchen team •Created a handover system between Team Leaders and Managers, to pass on information from day to day.
Duty Manager
University of Southampton Students' Union
Southampton
09.2012 - 06.2015
- Ensured all venues are fit to serve, that stock has been rotated and conditioned in the right way so that stock levels are high enough that we won’t run out, but low enough so that there won’t be a high stock holding.
- Ensured any wastage and ullage is recorded accurately, and that the venue’s license is not being breached at any point, as well as responsible for opening the venues, and locking up at the end of the night, as well as providing floats, and cashing up each day.
- Managed a team of 15-20 staff each day, ensuring that the venue is ready for service, the staff are fully trained, and that they are giving the highest possible customer service they can.
- Was the highest authority in the venue during shifts and dealing with any issues that occur, whether they are small operational problems involving stock or cash, or larger issues involving security and licensing issues in a calm and assured manner.
- Trained all new staff in operational issues, cellar management, food hygiene and ensuring all up to date with COSHH and HACCP procedures.
Residence Services Intern
University of Southampton
Southampton
07.2014 - 09.2014
- Responsible for managing own projects, independent research and bench-marking against other organisations in the same sector.
- Worked with the Occupancy Management team to allocate over 6000 students into rooms with a variety of different and complex parameters.
- Displayed excellent customer service skills through written and verbal communication to current and prospective students.
- Highlights include: •Created a process to streamline the transfer of students into rooms.
Vice President Student Communities
University of Southampton Students' Union, SUSU
Southampton
07.2013 - 07.2014
- I was a peer-elected student officer responsible for supporting activities and students at satellite campuses, representing, supporting and amplifying the voices of international and postgraduate students and leading, supporting and developing the Halls' Rep Committees and students living in Private Rented accommodation.
- Responsibilities included: •Developing and maintaining a community and cohesion between different groups of students.
- Creating, and managing a net budget of £250,000 as well as an organisational budget of £7 million.
- Training and managing a range of volunteers.
- Managing and evaluating own projects and representing the Students' Union to External Partners and stakeholders.
- Member of The Union Trustee Board, including the financial and commercial sub-committees.
Monte Bar Manager
University of Southampton Students' Union
Southampton
09.2011 - 08.2013
- Manager of one of the satellite bars in the University Halls, with a potential customer base of 1500.
- Responsible for recruiting and training new staff, as well as creating a weekly rota, and cleaning schedule.
- Responsible for stock management and ensuring that the products were stored in the ideal manner and ready to serve.
- Responsible for leading a team of 10 staff, ensuring that there was a high level of customer service.
- Responsible for creating, and managing Freshers' Week, an intense week of events, with a high turnover.
- Highlights include: •Created a training manual that was used by all the Satellite Bars.
Bars Assistant
University of Southampton Students' Union
Southampton
10.2009 - 09.2011
- Customer service focused role, serving all customers in the Union Bars.
- Responsible for ensuring the venue is suitable for service, including cleaning and stock rotation.
Duty Manager
Blue Leisure
Frimley, Surrey
09.2007 - 09.2010
- Responsible for opening and closing the sports centre.
- Operationally managed each shift, and responsible for a team of 5-10 staff.
- Ensured centre was kept clean, and in a ready state for the following shift.
- Responsible for the Reception Desk, and was the first contact for new, and returning members.
- Responsible for selling memberships, both in person and over the phone.
- Arranged club bookings, and responsible for invoicing of all regular bookings.
- Highlights include: •Created an invoice system that was then successfully implemented across multiple sites.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Sports Studies
University of Southampton
Southampton2013
GCSE - undefined
Tomlinscote School and 6th Form College
Frimley, Surrey2009
Skills
- Excellent IT Skills, and quick learner on any platform
- Highly proficient across all Microsoft Office and G-Suite applications
- Excellent Excel skills, with an ability to create macros and spreadsheets from scratch
- Experience of using multiple EPOS systems, including Orbis, Zonal, Tevalis and TC-POS
- Staff scheduling
- Passion for customer satisfaction
- Proven cost-control expert
- Strong work ethic
Certification
- APLH Personal Licence Level 2
- Level 3 Food Hygiene
- 3 Day First Aid at Work
- BllAB Level 2 Beer and Cellar Quality
- SIA Level 2 Award in Door Supervision
Hobbies and Interests
I have a keen interest in sport. I used to be a competitive swimmer, swimming for Rushmoor Royals, based in Hampshire. I was Club Captain for two years, during which, the club reached its then highest profile within the County. Since injury curtailed my competitive career, I still enjoy recreational swimming.
In my spare time, I like to volunteer, and did so throughout University, as I was elected the President of my University Halls. In 2012, I volunteered at the London Olympics, looking after the athletes in the Water Polo Area. Most recently, I volunteer in my spare time as a Swimming Official, and in January I passed my Starter Qualification, with the next step being Referee. My long term goal is to officiate at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
I enjoy reading and socialising with friends.
Timeline
F&B Operations Manager
Village Hotel
09.2019 - Current
Bars Manager
University of Southampton Students' Union
02.2017 - 08.2019
Holding General Manager
The White Swan, Mitchells and Butlers
09.2016 - 02.2017
Assistant Manager
The White Swan, Mitchells and Butlers
06.2015 - 09.2016
Residence Services Intern
University of Southampton
07.2014 - 09.2014
Vice President Student Communities
University of Southampton Students' Union, SUSU
07.2013 - 07.2014
Duty Manager
University of Southampton Students' Union
09.2012 - 06.2015
Monte Bar Manager
University of Southampton Students' Union
09.2011 - 08.2013
Bars Assistant
University of Southampton Students' Union
10.2009 - 09.2011
Duty Manager
Blue Leisure
09.2007 - 09.2010
Bachelor of Science - Sports Studies
University of Southampton
GCSE - undefined
Tomlinscote School and 6th Form College