Director of Food & Beverage

West Dennis, MA | Confidential Search | Gecko Hospitality

The Opportunity

An iconic, $30 million retail and hospitality destination on Cape Cod - designed with Disney-level thematic architecture and welcoming roughly 500,000 visitors each summer is expanding its food and beverage operations, and we're searching for the leader to build it from the ground up.

This isn't a role where you're stepping into an established system. You're building one. The property has the volume, the infrastructure, and the vision. What it needs now is an operator who can walk in, own the food and beverage program, and turn a half-dozen

emerging concepts into a well-run, profitable operation — without disrupting the retail business that built this brand.

What You'll Be Running

• A bakery counter with two outdoor service windows: lobster rolls (hot and cold), sandwiches, croissants, muffins, signature gourmet cookies, espresso and drip coffee
• On-site confectionery production: fudge, roasted nuts, dipped apples and strawberries, flavored popcorn, cotton candy
• Up to five boardwalk carts, including a themed lobster roll cart with its own small kitchen, a popcorn and hot dog wagon, dipped ice cream bars, coffee and pastry, and grab-and-go seafood dips
• A soon-to-launch Victorian-style ice cream parlor, part of an upcoming 7,000-square-foot expansion
• A small commissary model, with receiving and prep handled at an off-site warehouse and daily replenishment to the store

What You'll Own

• Lead day-to-day operations across all food service locations with confidence, efficiency, and attention to detail
• Build and execute standardized recipes, vendor relationships, and a reliable supply chain
• Manage purchasing, inventory, and reporting across multiple quick-service stations
• Recruit, train, and cross-train a seasonal, high-performing team — and keep them engaged through a short, intense peak season
• Deliver consistent product quality and service standards that match the property's premium guest experience
• Identify opportunities to grow revenue while actively managing cost and waste
• Protect the health, safety, and wellbeing of every guest and team member
• Operate as a true partner to ownership, executing the food and beverage vision without pulling focus from the core retail business

What We're Looking For

This is a hands-on leadership role, not a desk job. We're looking for operators who've run multiple food service points under real volume and real seasonal pressure - people who know how to build systems, not just follow them.

Strong candidates typically come from backgrounds such as:

• Multi-Unit Manager
• Food Hall Operator
• Multi-Unit Kitchen Manager
• Quick-Service or Fast-Casual Operations Leader

You should bring:

• Proven experience managing multiple food service locations or concepts simultaneously
• A track record of building vendor relationships, controlling purchasing, and managing inventory with discipline
• Strong team-building skills, with the ability to recruit, train, and retain staff in a highly seasonal environment
• Commercial awareness and a sharp eye for both guest experience and the bottom line
• The composure to manage a 100-day to 6-month peak season without losing standards

The Details

• Location: West Dennis, MA (Cape Cod)
• Compensation: $100,000–$130,000, commensurate with experience
• Start Date: January 2027, ahead of the seasonal ramp-up

This search is being conducted confidentially on behalf of our client. If you're ready to build a food and beverage program from the ground up, at a property few guests ever forget, we want to hear from you.

Apply today through Gecko Hospitality.