F&B Cost Controller / Cost Analyst - Hospitality / Restaurant Group

Pay

ZAR 38000 - 44000 Monthly

Type

Permanent

Sector

Hospitality & Catering

Closes

in 26 days

Recruiter

Fourier Recruitment · All jobs at Fourier Recruitment

About the role

Our client is seeking an analytical and commercially minded F&B Cost Controller to oversee food and beverage costing processes across its South African restaurant operations. The successful candidate will protect and optimise company margins across existing operations and new restaurant openings. Acting as the link between Finance, Operations, Procurement and Culinary teams, the Cost Controller will ensure that reported figures are accurate, reconciled and supported by clear explanations. This role extends beyond reporting. The successful candidate must proactively identify cost-saving opportunities, investigate variances, reduce revenue leakage and help restaurant teams improve profitability.

Key Responsibilities

F&B Costing and COGS Reporting

• Prepare accurate food and beverage costing reports.
• Identify anomalies and provide practical recommendations to management.
• Report Cost of Goods Sold according to the annual reporting calendar.
• Conduct detailed analysis of COGS performance across restaurant outlets.
• Identify costing gaps and develop action plans to address them.
• Meet regularly with chefs and operational teams to discuss COGS performance.
• Recommend and implement measures to reduce COGS.
• Investigate irregular variances and escalate findings to the relevant teams.
• Reconcile COGS data before submission to the accounting team.
• Provide clear explanations and supporting information for identified variances.

Budgeting and Variance Analysis

• Identify reasons for deviations between actual COGS and approved outlet targets.
• Analyse theoretical versus actual food and beverage costs.
• Monitor expired and aged stock and escalate concerns to operations.
• Analyse the impact of menu mix, promotions and pricing on monthly performance.
• Evaluate the effect of discounts on revenue and margins.
• Monitor supplier price changes and assess their impact on COGS.
• Review wastage daily and weekly and report performance exceeding approved targets.
• Identify slow-moving and non-moving stock.
• Provide operational teams with practical recommendations to improve stock utilisation.

POS and Inventory Systems

• Provide point-of-sale back-end support to restaurant brands and franchise operations.
• Conduct periodic system cleanups across restaurant concepts.
• Review and clean up recipes, inventory items and unnecessary product codes.
• Perform weekly average-price-change analyses.
• Identify incorrect recipe links, pricing errors and purchasing discrepancies.
• Review the validity of discounts and remove outdated or incorrect entries.
• Monitor inventory-management systems for inconsistencies.
• Recommend system changes or updates to management.
• Implement approved system changes with the relevant support teams.
• Assist with POS and inventory-system setup for new restaurant openings.

Revenue Leakage and Control

• Conduct revenue-leakage reviews and evaluate key control points.
• Verify that menu items are sold at the approved prices.
• Review reports relating to extended transactions, split bills, checks and voids.
• Obtain explanations and supporting feedback from restaurant outlets.
• Compare the pricing of high-consumption products against supplier quotations.
• Identify control weaknesses and recommend corrective measures.
• Follow up to ensure approved corrective actions are implemented.

Outlet Audits and Yield Testing

• Visit restaurant outlets to conduct cost-control audits.
• Perform recipe-yield checks with Head Chefs.
• Prioritise new, high-cost and high-volume menu items for yield testing.
• Confirm that actual product utilisation corresponds with approved recipes.
• Review petty-cash purchases with chefs and outlet management.
• Provide monthly purchasing feedback to the Procurement team.
• Collaborate with Procurement when preparing cost and purchasing reports for management.

Training and Operational Support

• Provide ongoing cost-control support to restaurant brands and franchisees.
• Maintain regular communication with outlets regarding required actions.
• Assist teams in resolving costing, stock and system-related challenges.
• Provide practical tools, training and coaching to head-office and outlet employees.
• Promote consistent adherence to company procedures.
• Review outlet practices and ensure consistency across restaurants operating under the same concept.
• Build cost awareness among operational and culinary teams.

Key Competencies

• F&B costing and margin analysis
• COGS reporting and reconciliation
• Theoretical versus actual cost analysis
• Inventory and stock management
• Recipe costing and yield testing
• POS and inventory-system management
• Revenue-leakage identification
• Budgeting and variance analysis
• Advanced Excel and data analysis
• Commercial awareness
• Problem-solving
• Strong attention to detail
• Stakeholder communication
• Training and operational support

What they're looking for

• Relevant diploma or degree in Finance, Accounting, Cost and Management Accounting, Hospitality Management or a related field.
• Approximately 3–5 years’ relevant experience in F&B cost control, cost analysis, inventory control or restaurant finance.
• Previous experience within a restaurant group, hotel, hospitality business, franchise operation or multi-site food-service environment.
• Strong understanding of Cost of Goods Sold, food costing, gross profit and margin analysis.
• Experience analysing theoretical versus actual food costs.
• Practical knowledge of stock control, waste management, recipe costing and yield testing.
• Experience working with point-of-sale and inventory-management systems.
• Strong reconciliation and variance-analysis skills.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
• Ability to interpret large volumes of financial and operational data.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
• Confident communication and stakeholder-management abilities.
• Willingness to visit restaurant outlets and conduct operational audits.
• Valid driver’s licence and reliable transport are advantageous.