Name: Naji AlloucheCompany: Waterfront Hilton at Huntington...
Name: Naji Allouche
Company: Waterfront Hilton at Huntington Beach
Thumbs up: “The job is such a challenge because each wedding or convention or each casino night or other function is always different. We take an empty banquet room and transform it into something different every night. We also try to meet or exceed expectations.”
Thumbs down: “The funny hours. We have no steady, set hours. You work whenever there’s a holiday or special occasion.”
Next step: “My long-term goal is to become a food and beverage director and then, hopefully, a general manager.”
Advice: “You need some business skills. Be very organized and very patient. Be at least one step ahead of your guests or catering companies and always plan ahead of time.”
Salary range: Banquet and catering service managers average between $6.25 per hour and $18.50 per hour.
Fringe benefits: Most employers offer paid vacations, medical, life and dental insurance and paid sick leave.
Hours: The average workweek is 50 hours.
Job description: Banquet managers plan, organize, direct, control and coordinate activities of an organization or department that serves food and plans receptions.
Educational and training requirements: Qualifications include the ability to read and follow instructions and to manage activities or a department. Managers should have the ability to work under pressure and have good oral communication, customer service and problem-solving skills, and knowledge of food preparation. They also should be able to maintain financial records, organize the work of others and hire and assign personnel.
Size of work force: Small. There are about 500 banquet managers in Orange County.
Expected demand: Stable. Most employers expect the size of their employment in this occupation to remain the same over the next three years and many expect it to grow.
Major employing industries: Most jobs are found in restaurants, hotels and contract institutional food service companies. A few jobs are found in educational institutions, hospitals, department stores and civic, social and fraternal organizations.
Advancement: Some promotional opportunities seem to be available. Promotion can be to larger establishments or regional management positions. Some banquet managers become owners or franchise operators of their own establishments.
For more information: Call Donna Felkner, president of the Orange County chapter of the National Assn. of Catering Executives, at (714) 563-4161.
Researched by MIMI KO / For The Times
