Fáilte Ireland has opened applications for the second intake of its F&B 360° programme, with more than 50 tourism businesses having participated in the inaugural edition, the national tourism agency confirmed.

The leadership initiative serves hotels, visitor attractions and eligible hospitality operators with a significant tourism customer base. It runs as a structured, data-led development track designed to strengthen food and beverage performance through expert mentoring, leadership coaching, practical business tools and shared industry benchmarking.

What does the programme target?

F&B 360° supports business owners, general managers and senior F&B leaders in identifying growth opportunities, improving commercial performance and future-proofing their operations. Fáilte Ireland built the curriculum in response to operator feedback and structured it around menu engineering, procurement, workforce planning and operational technology adoption.

"F&B 360° supports tourism businesses to step back from day-to-day operations and take a structured approach to strengthening profitability, developing their teams and creating memorable visitor experiences," said Fiona Knox, head of client competitiveness and capability at Fáilte Ireland.

"Through expert guidance, practical tools and tailored support, participants can identify opportunities for improvement and turn them into measurable business results."

What results did the first cohort report?

Early feedback from the first intake highlighted gains in revenue growth and profitability, smarter procurement and improved labour efficiency. Several participating operators refined their menus, lifting both revenue and profit per cover. A second group strengthened labour management through workforce planning upgrades, while others cut operating costs by adopting new technologies.

The Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa Sligo is one of the named operators to have completed the programme. General manager Daniel Cross reported concrete commercial outcomes.

"Although we were already operating with strong systems and processes in place, F&B 360° gave us the opportunity to step outside the day to day, bring in external expertise and look at our operation through a different lens," Cross said.

"The programme has helped us make better use of our data, focus on areas such as menu engineering and identify opportunities for continuous improvement. What's really encouraging is that we're already seeing measurable results, including an increase in average spend and improvements in guest satisfaction."

Why does it matter for European hospitality?

Food and beverage remains the most volatile profit line for European hotels, where beverage-led revenue often subsidises room margins under tight occupancy conditions. Programmes that combine data analytics, menu engineering and workforce planning address the three levers operators consistently cite as decisive: average spend per cover, labour cost as a percentage of revenue and waste control.

For Irish operators, the F&B 360° rollout also signals continued public-sector investment in tourism capability building. Fáilte Ireland operates under the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, and its competitive capability division has positioned F&B performance as a strategic priority alongside sustainability and digital adoption.

What happens next?

Applications for the second intake are now open. Fáilte Ireland has not disclosed a closing date but typically processes cohorts on a rolling basis. Operators should expect programme delivery to start in the coming quarter, with participants committing to a multi-month engagement that includes on-site mentoring sessions and peer review workshops. A formal third impact study covering cohort two outcomes is likely to follow in 2025.