Banquet Captain
Position Summary:
The Banquet Captain plays a key leadership role across Rice Hospitality's event operations, supporting Cohen House, and campus-wide catering services. This position is responsible for executing high-quality events, ensuring exceptional service standards, and acting as a primary point of contact for clients before and during events.
The Banquet Captain leads the setup, service, and breakdown of luncheons, receptions, conferences, and special university events--including programs for the President's Office, Board of Trustees, Rice Business, faculty, staff, students, and external partners. They supervise and train part-time staff and student employees, ensuring consistent, polished, and timely service across all venues.
S/he ensures that all event spaces--whether at Cohen House or off-site locations--are properly set, clean, well-maintained, and aligned with Rice Hospitality standards. The Banquet Captain is responsible for monitoring equipment and reporting any deficiencies, coordinating with culinary and operations teams, and ensuring seamless event flow from start to finish. They handle customer concerns with professionalism and serve as the on-site leader for hospitality, service execution, and client communication.
Ideal Candidate Statement:
The ideal candidate is a proactive and service-driven leader with experience in banquet, catering, or high-volume event service. They excel in coordinating and supervising service operations across multiple venues and are comfortable guiding and training part-time staff and student employees. They demonstrate exceptional customer service, attention to detail, and the ability to anticipate client and event needs.
They thrive in dynamic, fast-paced environments, easily shift between locations such as Cohen House and Rice Business School and manage multiple events simultaneously with professionalism and poise. Strong communication skills, a polished presence, and the ability to maintain Rice Hospitality's service standards are essential. Experience with university events, private event service, or multi-site catering is highly preferred.
Workplace Requirements:
Physical Demands
Classified as LIGHT work, requiring the ability to exert up to 25 lbs. occasionally, and walk or stand for up to 8 hours. Additional physical requirements include manual dexterity; bending, crouching, kneeling; reaching, climbing, maintaining balance; lifting/carrying equipment; and the ability to see, hear, detect scents, and discern flavors.
Work Environment
Work takes place in commercial kitchens, banquet areas, and event service environments, with possible exposure to temperature extremes, cleaning chemicals, wet/slippery floors, hot equipment, and other typical commercial kitchen hazards. Hot oil, steam, and water. Commercial equipment such as fryers, ovens, stovetops, knives, slicers, dough sheeters, tortilla machines, and other high-temperature or high-risk machinery
Workplace Location:
Work Location, Schedule & On-Campus Requirement
This role is exclusively on-site and requires all duties to be performed in person across Rice Hospitality venues and assigned campus locations. Per Rice Policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change. Standard hours are Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m., with variable scheduling based on event needs. Evenings, weekends, early mornings, and any assigned shift may be required to support university events and hospitality operations.
Essential On Campus: This role is classified as an Essential On-Campus Position, requiring on-site presence to effectively carry out its vital functions. During emergencies or crises, the employee is required to report to campus as directed to ensure continuity of critical operations and must remain accessible to leadership to fulfill responsibilities necessary for maintaining institutional functions.
Minimum Requirements:
- HS diploma or equivalent
- Two or more (2+) years of related experience in food and event services + No substitution for education or experience allowed
- TABC seller-server license
- Certified Food Handler's Permit (Houston) or equivalent (ServSafe)
Skills:
- Ability to prioritize, manage shifting demands, and handle multiple time-sensitive projects.
- Demonstrated creativity, problem-solving, initiative, sound judgment, and decision-making.
- Strong communication and customer service skills.
- Well-organized and detail-oriented.
- Basic proficiency with Microsoft Office.
- Knowledge of food and beverage preparation, service standards, guest relations, and etiquette.
- Basic wine knowledge.
- Experience with POS systems and table/seat assignment tools.
Preferences:
- Experience as a bartender
- Forbes Standards of Service knowledge
- Banquet experience
Essential Functions:
- Ensures Proper Event and Dining Room Setup: Inspects the appearance, cleanliness, and complete setup of event spaces, dining rooms, and service areas
- Monitors Service Areas & Equipment: Regularly inspects all front-of-house and back-of-house service areas--both on-site and at satellite locations--to verify compliance with sanitation, safety, energy management, and preventive maintenance standards. Reports deficiencies promptly.
- Manages Event Documentation & Ticketing: Closes out luncheon tickets, verifies accuracy, ensures all documentation is accounted for, and resolves any ticketing or billing discrepancies in coordination with the events and administrative teams.
- Coordinates with Events and Culinary Teams: Collaborates closely with Banquet Servers, the Events Manager, and Culinary Leadership during special events to ensure all details--room layout, menu execution, decor, AV needs, flowers, specialty items, and timing--are completed to specification.
- Executes Additional Assignments: Performs other operational or service-related duties as assigned to support Rice Hospitality's multi-venue event operations.
Additional Functions:
- Ensures Exceptional Guest Experience: Actively checks on tables and service flow throughout events to ensure client, guest, and member satisfaction. Addresses and resolves concerns with professionalism and urgency.
- Provides Beverage Service: Serves alcohol safely and responsibly during events, following Rice University and TABC guidelines.
- Maintains Inventory Across Venues: Organizes, tracks, and monitors inventory of equipment and service ware--including silver, china, glassware, linens, and beverages--primarily at Cohen House but also for campus catering operations as needed.
- Supports Event Breakdown & Reset: Assists with tear-down after the completion of functions and ensures smooth transitions between events across all venues.
- Oversees Staff Equipment Return & Room Reset: Ensures wait staff properly return equipment to designated storage areas, that all spaces are left clean and orderly, and that service standards are consistently met.
- Secures Facilities: Ensures that dining rooms, banquet spaces, and event areas are secured and properly closed at the end of service or the business day for the relevant location.
- Verifies Tabletop Standards: Inspects place settings--linens, china, glassware, silverware, condiments, and tabletop decor--ensuring correct placement, cleanliness, and overall presentation consistent with Rice Hospitality's standards.
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