Food Cost Controller

About the Role

AWN ENTERPRISES is seeking a Food Cost Controller to join our team in Al Khobar. This full-time role involves monitoring and analyzing food and beverage costs, managing recipe costing, overseeing inventory, and ensuring compliance with financial controls. The position requires close coordination with various teams to optimize cost efficiency and maintain accurate financial reporting.

Key Responsibilities

• Monitor actual food and beverage costs against budgeted and theoretical costs for business units.
• Analyze food cost percentages, consumption trends, price fluctuations, and cost variances, identifying deviations and recommending corrective actions.
• Prepare and maintain standardized recipe costing sheets, including ingredient quantities, unit costs, portion sizes, and yield calculations.
• Calculate and review the cost and gross profit margins of menu items, bakery products, beverages, and catering menus.
• Monitor inventory levels and ensure accurate recording of stock receipts, issues, transfers, consumption, and returns.
• Conduct and supervise periodic physical stock counts across warehouses, restaurants, bakeries, and central kitchens.
• Review purchase prices and compare supplier quotations to identify cost-saving opportunities.
• Monitor food wastage, spoilage, preparation losses, portion control, and complimentary staff meals across all outlets.
• Prepare monthly food cost statements, inventory reports, consumption analysis, and cost variance reports for management.
• Support month-end closing by ensuring stock records, inventory valuations, and cost allocations are completed accurately.

Inventory and Operational Monitoring

The role involves comprehensive oversight of inventory and operational costs. This includes reconciling physical stock against system records, investigating discrepancies, and monitoring stock ageing and expiry dates to minimize losses. Additionally, the Food Cost Controller will verify stock transfers and ensure proper documentation, as well as monitor purchasing quantities against consumption patterns and approved operational requirements. A key aspect is highlighting unusual price increases and deviations from procurement procedures.

Reporting and Compliance

This position is responsible for robust reporting and ensuring compliance with financial controls. This includes reconciling purchases, inventory movements, and consumption for accurate food cost reporting. The Food Cost Controller will maintain proper documentation for all inventory and cost-related activities, support internal and external audits, and coordinate with the Finance department to ensure accurate posting and classification of food and beverage costs in ERP systems like SAP.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Hospitality Management, or a related field.
• Minimum of 3–5 years of experience in food cost control, inventory control, or cost accounting.
• Experience preferably within restaurants, hotels, catering, or multi-outlet F&B operations.
• Practical experience in recipe costing, stocktaking, inventory reconciliation, and food cost analysis.
• Experience working with SAP or other ERP systems is preferred.

Work Environment

This is a full-time position based in Al Khobar, requiring collaboration with various operational and financial teams to achieve cost efficiency and accurate financial reporting.