First, I apologise for the click-baity title. The truth is it should have read 5 Hospitality Jobs I Never Knew Existed, but that’s the title of the world’s least interesting confession. And now we’re all stuck here together, and the only way to get out is to go forward. But there is something to be said here about the way the industry has evolved. Technology has a way of not just solving problems but also creating new opportunities. Back in the 90’s, computerized point of sale solutions didn’t just revolutionise the way restaurants operated behind the scenes, it spawned a whole new industry of POS consulting. Your average restaurateur or chef, if they didn’t already have tech expertise, definitely didn’t have the time or wherewithal to deal with installing the hardware and software. Nor did they have the expertise to solve technical problems. Or the view that their data was super important and ought to be backed up on a regular basis. These kinds of specialised services became a lucrative business for consultants and they all lived happily ever after.

Except those that didn’t. See, cloud computing and the ever-increasing presence of mobile apps to handle POS has left these consultants without nearly as much work as they used to have. If they’ve made the switch to start supporting cloud software, they can still help out with installation and setup—but since there aren’t any more desktop PC’s to fail, or locally installed servers to upgrade, the range of services they can offer is more limited. Bad news for them, but good news for hospitality business in general. The cost of doing business gets much lower when you switch to a cloud app, and you’ll find you’ve got all kinds of extra money lying around that previously went to your IT consultant. This is as it should be, because as I mentioned earlier, technology has a way of creating new opportunities for people, spawning new careers in every industry. Hospitality is no exception. Here, then, are 5 ways to spend that money you no longer have to give to your IT consultant.

• Culinary Historian. No, you don’t have to remember the date of the Battle of Bulgur Hill to do this job, but you do need to understand the origins of ingredients from around the world. That includes where they originated and where they ended up, and the ways which different cultures used them for food. As consumers and owners alike are showing an interest in the ingredients used—are they organic? Local? Fair trade?—telling the story behind the food has become part of the dining-out experience. Culinary Historians can be hired as consultants to add a narrative to the menu, explain the foods’ origins on a website, or lend more meaning to a chef’s cookbook.
• Social Media Manager. Like it or not, social media is a big part of an increasing number of business types, and restaurants are no different. In fact, it’s more crucial for a restaurant—a hospitality business—to provide a warm, friendly face through Instagram and Facebook. It goes beyond posting pictures and creating an image—a social media manager ought to be part of the conversation and engaging with your followers. One-on-one interactions on social media can lead to more one-on-one interactions in person. Online engagement, apart from being a phrase I can’t believe I just used, is a great way to learn about your customers. Their likes and dislikes can be noted in a CRM database, allowing for more personal service. Think of the social media manager as the party planner, making sure everyone’s getting along and enjoying their time with your business.
• Food Stylist. This isn’t a new career, per se. For as long as there has been advertising and a need to make a food item look as appetising as possible, there have been food stylists. The emergence of social media as a dominant marketing platform has created a more widespread demand for food styling services. Just because you can make a dish delicious, and even plate it up attractively, doesn’t mean you can make it look appetising in a photo. You can hire the best Social Media Manager in the business, but if your Instagram feed is filled with unattractive food, there’s not much she can do to overcome that.
• Culinary Trendologist. As the title suggests, the Culinary Trendologist is a person who makes her living studying the latest food trends. The first known CT was said to have predicted the trend of Culinary Trendology as a career, right before billing her client for the insight and thus proving herself right. Her rate went up considerably that day. Today’s modern Trendologist will either consult with restaurants to advise on the direction of a menu, or work full time for established brands looking to stay ahead of the curve. Remember how all of a sudden every place you went had gluten free menu offerings? That’s Culinary Trendology at work.
• Mixologist. Sadly, this is not a position where you make appropriate playlists on Spotify to serve as background music for the restaurant. If such a job existed, I wouldn’t be sitting here writing about it. A Mixologist is kind of like a bartender, except that she’s making more than just the standard drinks folks have been ordering for ages. She’s also creating new ones, usually with artisan ingredients. A mixologist can make you a Whisky Sour, no problem. But wouldn’t you rather have the Tahitian-vanilla infused bourbon mixed with maple liqueur, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper? I just made that up, by the way. Maybe I could be a mixologist, after all.

Source: http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/global/154000320/4075139.html