Recent Work

Client: Backal Hospitality Group, New York City

Work Scope: Primarily focused on the Backal’s elevated sports bar concept, Versa, François managed the venue assets with overall objectives to increase sales, boost awareness, elevate the team and create a Versa corporate culture. Snapshot of responsibilities include:

  • Development and training of new team

  • HR policies updating

  • F&B inventory auditing

  • New beverage program implementation inclusive of cost-effective changes

  • Toast POS system F&B programing

Client: Southold Social, Southold New York

Work Scope: For the highly anticipated opening of this North Fork cafe & restaurant, François spearheaded the design of the beverage menu, drafted all menu item descriptions, and played a key role in pre-opening set up from programming the dining room and bar lighting to advising on purchasing and service. As a member of the restaurant’s board of consultants, François’ role included:

  • Design of the opening beverage menu (wine and beer list) based on the restaurant concept from partner-chef François Payard.

  • Compose and design all F&B menus (food, wine, and beer) with clear and effective public-facing descriptions

  • Purchase of first stock of alcohol, beer, and wine and set up bar with specialty liqueurs, wines by the glass, beer, cocktail ingredients, bar tools, and more

  • Set up wine cellar & restaurant wine par

  • Organize of all F&B purchasing

  • Consult on restaurant layout and flow for optimal customer seating & POS stations set up

  • Program dining room lighting

  • Remain on retainer for the first three months of business to advise on service, amend beverage menus based on evolution of restaurant concept, and provide key insights to improve revenue, including Instagram food verbiage for Chef Francois Payard creations

Client: The Shoals, Southold New York

Work Scope: The North Fork boutique hotel retained François to advise on key business strategies and management in advance of its summertime opening in order to properly ready the space and meet on-time deadlines. Role included:

  • Collaborate with owners, general manager, and partner-chef François Payard to implement systems and set up space in order to make opening deadlines

  • Advise on setup of private events space and kitchen, onsite food truck, POS programming, menu development, staff training, and more

  • Assist in developing awareness-building strategies particularly targeting local market, including advertising, PR, and social media.

  • Plan and execute hotel opening party in tandem with partner-chef François Payard.

  • Set up curated in-house and in-suite culinary offerings showcasing all NY-based brands, in keeping with local-centric hotel narrative

  • Cultivate key relationships with local wineries and breweries, and designed beverage program to showcase primarily local talent

  • Research and organize weekly F&B events highlighting both established and emerging local talent

  • Oversee all purchasing for store and food truck F&B

  • Draft all staff job descriptions and outlined key roles and responsibilities

  • Implement key business programming including an invoice filing system, vendor & purchase order organization, and a QR2 code system to track pricing and consistently improve the F&B store display