Business Head - Centaur Foods

Position Details

Designation: Business Head

Department: Food & Beverage / Food Court

Reporting To: COO

Location: Trivandrum

Employment Type: Full-time

Role Purpose The Business Head - Food Court will be responsible for the overall business performance, profitability, growth and operational excellence of the food court business.

The role will own the complete P&L;, including revenue growth, margins, cost optimisation, customer experience, food quality, operational standards, people productivity and business expansion. The incumbent will work closely with operations, supply chain, finance, HR, marketing and other functional teams to drive sustainable business performance.

Key Responsibilities

1. Business & P&L; Management

- Own the overall P&L; of the food court business and deliver agreed revenue and profitability targets.
- Develop annual business plans, budgets and operating targets.
- Drive sales growth through menu strategy, pricing, promotions, customer acquisition and improved service.
- Monitor key business metrics including revenue, gross margin, EBITDA, average transaction value, footfall, conversion and outlet productivity.
- Identify revenue leakages and implement corrective actions.
- Review business performance on a daily, weekly and monthly basis and drive accountability across the team.

2. Operations Management

- Ensure consistent and efficient operations across all food court outlets.
- Establish and monitor SOPs covering food preparation, service, hygiene, safety, inventory and customer handling.
- Ensure optimum utilisation of manpower, equipment and infrastructure.
- Drive operational productivity and minimise wastage, pilferage and avoidable costs.
- Ensure compliance with statutory requirements, food safety regulations and company policies.
- Conduct regular outlet visits and operational audits.

3. Food Quality & Customer Experience

- Ensure consistent food quality, taste, presentation and hygiene standards across outlets.
- Develop systems for monitoring customer feedback and service quality.
- Track customer complaints and ensure timely resolution.
- Drive initiatives to improve customer satisfaction, repeat visits and overall experience.
- Ensure adherence to food safety and hygiene standards at all levels.

4. Menu & Commercial Management

- Develop and periodically review the menu based on customer preferences, sales trends and profitability.




- Analyse item-wise contribution margins and optimise the product mix.
- Work with culinary teams to introduce new products and seasonal offerings.
- Review pricing in line with market conditions, food costs and competitive positioning.
- Develop promotional and combo strategies to improve sales and profitability.

5. Procurement & Supply Chain

- Work closely with procurement and supply chain teams to ensure uninterrupted availability of raw materials.
- Establish appropriate inventory norms and monitor stock levels.
- Drive vendor performance, cost negotiations and sourcing efficiency.
- Monitor food cost, wastage, expiry and stock variance.
- Ensure standardisation of raw materials and specifications across outlets.

6. People Management

- Build and lead a strong operations and F&B; management team.
- Define manpower requirements and productivity norms for each outlet.
- Work with HR on recruitment, training, succession planning and retention.
- Establish performance metrics and accountability for business and outlet teams.
- Develop frontline leadership capability through structured training and coaching.
- Drive employee engagement and maintain discipline across operations.

7. Business Expansion

- Identify opportunities for new food court outlets, formats and locations.
- Evaluate commercial viability of proposed locations and business models.
- Prepare business cases for new outlets, including revenue projections, investment requirements, operating costs and expected returns.
- Lead the launch and stabilisation of new outlets.
- Identify opportunities for partnerships, franchise arrangements or new F&B; concepts where applicable.

8. Finance & Cost Control

- Prepare and manage the annual operating budget.
- Monitor food cost, manpower cost, rent, utilities and other operating expenses.
- Establish cost-control measures without compromising customer experience or product quality.
- Review outlet-wise profitability and take corrective action for underperforming locations.




- Ensure proper controls over cash, billing, inventory and other revenue-sensitive processes.

9. Marketing & Business Development

- Work with the marketing team to develop local and central marketing initiatives.
- Drive campaigns to increase footfall, sales and customer engagement.
- Explore corporate tie-ups, events and institutional business opportunities.
- Analyse market trends and competitor activity to identify new business opportunities.

10. Governance & Reporting

- Establish a robust MIS and performance dashboard for the food court business.
- Present periodic business reviews to the senior management.
- Track KPIs and ensure timely corrective actions.
- Maintain solid internal controls and ensure compliance with company policies and statutory requirements.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- Revenue growth
- EBITDA / operating profit
- Outlet-wise profitability
- Food cost %
- Gross margin %
- Manpower cost %
- Average transaction value
- Customer footfall and conversion
- Same-store sales growth
- Inventory variance and wastage %
- Customer satisfaction / complaint resolution
- Employee productivity
- Outlet launch timelines and ROI
- Hygiene and food safety audit scores

Candidate Profile

Education:

- Graduate/Postgraduate in Hotel Management, Business Management, Retail Management or a related discipline.

Experience:

- 12-18 years of experience in F&B;, food courts, QSR, restaurants, hospitality or retail food operations.
- Should have handled multi-unit operations and P&L; responsibility.
- Experience in managing large teams and multiple outlets is preferred.
- Strong exposure to food cost, menu engineering, procurement, manpower planning and operational controls.

Key Competencies
- P&L; and commercial acumen
- Strong F&B; operations expertise
- Business strategy and execution
- Customer-centric mindset
- Cost and productivity management
- Leadership and people management
- Negotiation and vendor management
- Analytical and financial skills
- Problem-solving and decision-making
- Strong execution orientation
- Ability to build and scale new businesses

Role Expectation The Business Head is expected to operate as the entrepreneurial owner of the food court business, balancing revenue growth, profitability, customer experience and operational excellence while building a scalable and sustainable F&B; business.

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