Contract Caterer Jobs in Minnesota (NOW HIRING)

Job Summary

Grand View Lodge is looking for a strategic, relationship-driven Director of Catering to lead and grow our catering and events operation. You'll develop and execute comprehensive sales and marketing strategies, manage a talented catering team, and serve as the critical link between clients and our operational departments; ensuring every event is planned with care and executed flawlessly. This is a role for someone who loves the business of events: you're as comfortable closing a contract as you are collaborating with the Executive Chef on a custom menu or coordinating the final details of a high-profile conference.

You'll own the catering revenue line, build and mentor your team, and help shape what elevated hospitality looks like at Grand View Lodge.

About Grand View Lodge & Cote Hospitality

For over 100 years, Cote Hospitality has crafted transformative guest experiences across world-class resorts and camps. At Grand View Lodge, that means exceptional wellness woven into a full resort lifestyle, golf, dining, events, and more, all grounded in our CoteCares culture of belonging, respect, and shared purpose. We're invested in your growth here: this role comes with real opportunity to advance and expand your skills within our Sales department.

Duties & Responsibilities: 

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Develop and execute catering sales strategies that maximize revenue on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis; managing inventory through selective selling, optimizing meeting space ratios, package rates, and F&B minimums.
• Prospect and acquire new catering accounts while managing and growing existing client relationships through proactive, reliable, and professional communication.
• Handle inquiry calls, conduct site inspections, negotiate business, develop proposals, and book and contract catering events within established selling guidelines.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for clients from first inquiry through post-event follow-up — coordinating all event details including room setup, staging, lighting, AV, menus, décor, entertainment, group room blocks, and VIP services.
• Partner closely with the Executive Chef on menu design, concept development, and pricing for catering events.
• Assist clients with menu planning, F&B coordination, table arrangements, decoration options, and all logistics for conventions and catering events.
• Manage group room blocks, ensuring contract requirements are met, rates are quoted per revenue management guidelines, rooms are released appropriately, and attrition charges are applied as needed.
• Review daily charges, resolve discrepancies promptly, and follow up to ensure guest satisfaction.
• Hire, mentor, and develop catering team members; set clear performance expectations and support their growth.
• Assist in preparation of the annual departmental operating budget; complete forecasts, plans, and sales production reports.
• Represent Grand View Lodge at trade shows, industry events, sales meetings, and seminars; staying current on trends and bringing back actionable insights.
• Identify operational challenges impacting catering performance and collaborate with relevant departments on solutions.
• This is a resort hospitality role; a flexible schedule including weekends, holidays, and extended hours based on business levels is required.
• Other duties as assigned.

What you bring:

• Minimum 5 years of hotel or resort catering, conference services, or related sales experience; required.
• Prior direct supervisory experience over a sales or catering team; required.
• A bachelor’s degree in Hospitality, Tourism, Sales, Marketing, or equivalent experience.
• Proven ability to drive revenue, negotiate contracts, and manage complex event logistics simultaneously.
• Strong organizational and decision-making skills, you manage competing priorities without dropping details.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; your proposals and client correspondence reflect the caliber of the property you represent.
• A collaborative, team-oriented leadership style; you build bridges across departments and lead by example.
• Proficiency in Delphi, Opera, and Canary strongly preferred; comfort with additional property management and sales systems and the ability to learn new platforms quickly is expected.
• A genuine passion for hospitality and events; you understand that every event is someone's most important day, and you treat it that way.

Why join us:

You'll be part of a team that genuinely invests in its people. CoteCares isn't a tagline, it's how we show up for each other every day. You'll have the tools, support, and team culture to do your best work, with real opportunity to grow your career across the entire Cote Hospitality organization.