Liverpool’s Radisson RED appoints new food and beverage manager as it gets set to open

Liverpool’s Radisson RED, located in the city’s historic North Western Hall building, has turned up the heat on its recruitment campaign with the addition of its food and beverage manager.

Sean Callaghan joins Radisson RED’s latest hotel in Liverpool, bringing with him more than 15 years’ experience in hospitality, developing a passion for locally sourced produce along the way.

Sean began his career as a waiter before quickly working his way up to venue manager, later progressing to manage a cluster of restaurants at Haven and Butlin’s sites in Devon and Bournemouth.

After moving back up North, Sean managed a number of independent restaurants in Liverpool before accepting an offer at the new Radisson RED as F&B manager, where he will lead a team of more than 30 at the hotel’s Stoke restaurant.

Sean’s appointment is part of Radisson Hotel Group’s new hiring campaign to attract talent to join its dynamic team of “Moment Makers”. The campaign highlights the importance of turning everyday experiences into unforgettable moments as well as promoting the wider career development opportunities across the Group.

As part of the drive, Radisson RED Liverpool will host a speed dating-style recruitment day at the Empire Theatre on 9 August, involving games, cocktails and a drag queen DJ set to create a social environment similar to the hotel, attracting likeminded, vibrant people.

The brand’s arrival in the city will take the Grade-II listed building full circle, after it was originally created as the North Western Hotel back in 1871.

It will mark Radisson RED’s fifth UK site, with other locations including London, Glasgow, and Heathrow Airport and, globally, Cape Town, Dubai and Brussels.

Radisson RED

The hotel’s restaurant, Stoke, which is scheduled to open in the autumn at the same time as Radisson RED, will be a modern, BBQ-style eatery specialising in quality cuts, amazing wines and hand-crafted cocktails, focusing on traceability and locally sourced products.

It is envisioned to be a destination restaurant in the city with an all-day dining offering flowing from breakfast, brunch, afternoon tea through to a la carte, pre-theatre and evening dining menus. The restaurant promises to be anything but ordinary, with themed nights, DJs , events and entertainment throughout the day.

Sean said: “I’m very proud to be leading the food and beverage team at Radisson RED in Liverpool. I’m looking forward to overseeing that team to help create lasting memories and unforgettable moments for our guests.

“I’ve spent the last ten years as a manager where I’d describe my management style as fun and involved; a happy team equals happy guests. I’m a firm believer in the idea that people work with me and not for me and I’m looking forward to taking the time to get to know the different personalities of the team so that they shine through in our service.

“We’re currently in the process of curating the menu and I’m really looking forward to implementing my vision of a food map which will educate people on where their food has come from, emphasising that farm-to-fork strategy. I’m very passionate about local produce, not only for its unrivalled quality, but I believe if people see restaurants take those steps it will also encourage them to shop local, too.”

Located next to Lime Street station, Radisson RED – which involves an investment in excess of £30m – includes renovations stretching across the entire 10-storey building, creating 201 bedrooms and five meeting rooms.

And those successful in joining Sean’s team at the iconic building will benefit from learning opportunities and experiences in a “fun, dynamic, and culturally diverse work environment”, he says.

Employees will also benefit from personalised development plans supported by the Group’s Learning and Development programme, Radisson Academy, which celebrated its third anniversary in May. The academy offers more than 2,500 online, virtual and live learning seminars to help aspiring talent with a passion for hospitality kickstart their career, develop their skills, and achieve their dreams.

Gary Waring, general manager at Radisson RED Liverpool, said: “Sean instantly stood out to us as it was clear our values aligned; he is very enthusiastic about using good, local produce and helping to create a team that is vibrant and energetic to provide an impeccable service for our guests.

“His experience in hospitality and determination to get stuck in makes Sean an invaluable member of the hotel and we are impressed by his suggestions for the menu and incentives plan for the team so far. We look forward to seeing all of this in action when Radisson RED launches in Liverpool in September.

“We’re also very excited to ramp up our recruitment drive next month, where we’ll be looking for confident, personable people to fill various positions. If you have a passion for art, music and culture and what this fantastic city has to offer we would love to meet you.”