Jack van der Heiden (25) is F&B Manager at Van der Valk Avifauna. He shares more about his work in our magazine hospitality Info. Education: Secondary Hotel School Leiden, followed by Higher Professional Education in Operations Management.
“In my role as F&B Manager, I am responsible, along with the kitchen manager, for two restaurants, the hotel bar, and meeting rooms. This includes responsibility for purchasing and sales of products, direct management of the entire team, policy implementation, and overall budgeting. It is our task to ensure that we have the right people in the right positions/places.”
“The best part is that you can actually make a difference for someone. Both in terms of work and personal Your career. I am a mentor myself, and it is wonderful to see how someone can develop. What we do in our industry is a team sport, and it is essential to help each other and make each other better. I draw energy from that.”
“Everyone has their own story. By knowing the stories of the staff and delving into your team, you can provide the right personal guidance. If you know, for example, that something is happening at someone's home, then you understand that what you see as 70 percent effort is, for that person at that moment, the maximum they can give. It is important to find the right balance here. In our profession, it is important to remain human and not become a robot.”
“I always try to challenge myself. At the start of the pandemic last year, I therefore began a Higher Professional Education course in Operations Management. Furthermore, I have many discussions with the management about the future and processes. If we implement a new process, we also monitor and analyse what this does to the business results. I want to learn from what I do.”
‘It is wonderful to see how someone can develop’
“My dream? Becoming a general manager of a hotel is at the top of my list. This is because you are responsible for all departments there. I certainly see this as the next step. For now, I am still focused on making progress in what I am currently doing. Within the Van der Valk family, I have already had many wonderful opportunities, and I am not done here yet.”
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