Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Timeline
BusinessDevelopmentManager

Michael Giapitzoglou

Palos Hills,IL

Summary

Adaptable Food and Beverage Director with over 15 years of expertise in hotel operations, fine dining, and banquet management. Expertise in leading teams, enhancing guest satisfaction scores, and driving revenue growth. Skilled in managing large-scale operations, developing service-minded cultures and upholding compliance with food safety standards. Holder of food safety and BASSET certifications. Language skills include fluency in Greek and intermediate Spanish

Overview

18
18
years of professional experience

Work History

Director of Food & Beverage

LAKHANI HOSPITALITY
01.2015 - Current
  • Managed operations for 2 Holiday Inn Hotels, 2 banquet halls (including Chicago Northshore's largest convention venue) and 2 Bar Louie restaurants by leading teams and supervising over 100 hourly employees and 6 salaried managers, enabling seamless workflows
  • Improved breakfast service and quality by developing new concepts and workflows, increasing guest satisfaction scores and enhancing the overall dining experience
  • Cultivated a service-minded culture by hiring, training, and mentoring outlet managers and staff, fostering loyalty and improving employee retention
  • Organized and executed 1,000's of social and corporate events with Expertise in Convention planning and management
  • PNL preparation and accountability
  • Experience opening new restaurant concepts (Bar Louie, Tap House)
  • Experience opening a new hotel (Holiday Inn Express, Hotel Avid)
  • Expert knowledge of classic American, South East Asian, Italian and Greek cuisines
  • Expert in organizing and servicing concerts
  • Experience working in a Unionized workplace
  • BASSET, Safe Serve Foodservice Manager and City of Chicago Foodservice Manager certified

Banquet Manager

Holiday Inn Chicago O'Hare
12.2010 - 02.2015
  • Planned and executed menus for banquets, ensuring a seamless dining experience for guests
  • Managed a team of 25 culinary professionals in the preparation and presentation of high-quality dishes
  • Maintained cleanliness and organization of the banquet kitchen area according to sanitation standards
  • Trained new culinary staff members on banquet procedures, menu items, and proper food handling techniques
  • Ensured compliance with health and safety regulations during food preparation, cooking, and serving at banquets
  • Maintained inventory levels and ordered supplies to meet banquet requirements while minimizing waste

Kitchen Manager/Cook

Giordano's Pizza
01.2007 - 12.2010
  • Oversaw daily operations of a high-volume kitchen, ensuring efficient workflow and timely preparation of food
  • Monitored inventory levels regularly to optimize ingredient ordering and reduce costs by 10%
  • Created weekly schedules for kitchen staff based on projected business volume while optimizing labor costs
  • Collaborated closely with front-of-house staff to ensure smooth communication between the kitchen and dining areas during service hours

Education

Associate of Applied Science - Accounting And Finance

Moraine Valley Community College
Palos Hills, IL

Associate of Science - Certified Residential Appraiser

Appraisal Institute
Chicago

Skills

  • Food Safety Compliance Large-Scale Operations Management Expert Convention Management Audiovisual Aids' Management Microsoft Office - Word, Excel, Outlook POS-Aloha, Toast, Shift4 Paycom
  • Hotel Operations Banquet Management Vendor Relations Team Leadership Staff Hiring, Training and Development Forecasting

Timeline

Director of Food & Beverage

LAKHANI HOSPITALITY
01.2015 - Current

Banquet Manager

Holiday Inn Chicago O'Hare
12.2010 - 02.2015

Kitchen Manager/Cook

Giordano's Pizza
01.2007 - 12.2010

Associate of Applied Science - Accounting And Finance

Moraine Valley Community College

Associate of Science - Certified Residential Appraiser

Appraisal Institute

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Michael Giapitzoglou