The Beverage Manager leads a team verbally, followed up by action. They create a culture of hospitality within the restaurant while establishing a fun and productive work environment. The manager oversees all aspects of the beverage program including bar operations, cocktail preparation, service delivery, guest experience, liquor/beer/wine inventory management, financial reporting, human resource functions, and other duties assigned by the General Manager. This position requires an individual who can work well under pressure while maintaining high standards at all times
The beverage manager seeks to provide extraordinary experiences for every guest, maintaining the highest level of hospitality while leading service on the floor. He or she must keep an acute focus on beverage excellence. The manager will communicate effectively internally within their team and externally with other departments such as finance or marketing. They should also have excellent organizational skills to manage multiple tasks at once while being flexible enough to adapt to changing circumstances. In essence, they ensure that the restaurant operates, at all times, smoothly and efficiently.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
- Assist in overseeing and managing the floor and bar areas of the restaurant
- Adhere to our brand's existing administrative SOPs and company handbook
- Provide leadership and direction to the bar team to ensure efficient operation and optimize profits by beverage and labor costs
- Protects the health and safety of our guests, hourly team members, and management by adherence to health codes, sanitation guidelines, slip and fall procedures.
- Ensures that proper security procedures are in place to protect staff, guests, and company assets.
- Ensure a safe working and guest environment to reduce the risk of injury and accidents.
- Manage shifts which include: daily decision-making, scheduling, and planning while upholding standards, product quality, and cleanliness
- Ensures that the bar areas are deep sparking clean before, during and at the completion of service
- Responsible for ensuring consistent high-quality beverage preparation and service
- Ensures positive guest experiences through engagement, a clean, well-maintained physical plant, properly established lighting and music volume, and superior, consistent service.
- Responds to complaints, taking any and all appropriate actions to turn dissatisfied guests into life-time loyal patrons
- Ensures all systems are in place to promote the brands' liquor and wine program
- Participates in detailed, weekly management meetings to share financial standings, service-related issues, guest focused information, and growth-directed guidance
- Executes exceptional bar experiences for every guest, leading to the highest satisfaction and retention
- Meets with Guests on an informal basis during meals or upon departure to obtain feedback on the quality of food and beverage, service levels, and overall satisfaction.
- ServSafe, local and state certifications required
- Has working understanding of our cultural DNA, cocktail recipes, industry trends along with a foundation of wine and beer knowledge. He or she demonstrates that ability through verbal communication and individual action.
- Utilizes interpersonal and impactful communication skills to lead, influence, encourage others and advocate sound financial/business decision-making, demonstrating honesty and integrity. Leads by example at all times.
- Embraces diversity and inclusion
- Encourages and builds mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among all team members
- Establishes and maintains a productive and fun working environment between the bar and the rest of the hourly team members
- Continually coaches and teaches for performance and improvement; holds the team accountable for desired results. Trains and develops the service and bar team on standards of excellence, proper operating procedures, beverage knowledge, guest-focused service
- Designs then implement developmental action plans for low performing bartenders and bar backs
- Improves service by communicating and assisting individuals in understanding guests' needs, providing guidance, feedback, and individual coaching when needed.
- Support the service and bar team to resolve team conflicts: As the team leader, the manager must resolve disputes that arise in the workplace (including those with disgruntled guests).
- Conducts performance evaluations that are timely and constructive
- Present a professional, appropriately dressed image to our guests and staff.
- Reinforce individual and team accomplishments in daily preshift
- Ensure the highest level of bar staff retention and team member engagement
- Embraces the difficult conversations
- Business Leadership - Thinks strategically about the business
- Hire and staff the bar appropriately, schedule the team on a forecasted budget, and make sound decisions on staffing levels based on daily volume
- Manage beverage inventory, product specifications, preparation of ingredients/recipe, and presentation.
- Reviews and understands operational numbers and takes approved action that make a positive impact on business results while optimizing workflow and productivity
- Provides the leadership, vision, and direction to bring together and prioritize the departmental goals in a way that will be efficient and effective
- Design cost effective special cocktails monthly and for special occasions; promote, educate & track progress of sales
- Designs a best-in-class tequila education program with a focus on trackable sales growth
- Works hand in hand with Catador to maximize guest education and experiences
- Should currently have or be working towards the official Tequila CRT certification
- Develops professional relationship with all LBW vendor and minimize missing menu listed item LBW
- Develops a best in class ordering and receiving system to ensure all products are properly received, organized and ready to serve
- Updates the service team on missing items and/or changes to beverage program
- Ensures all LBW items are properly added to printed menu, POS (toast) and reports properly; actively tracks variances, identifies waste or loss of product, reports inventory properly, fills out declining budget daily, tracks sales, implements incentives to promote new products, tracks and inputs invoices properly. Reports, weekly, to the GM, with complete accuracy, any variances in LBW inventory
- Implement daily & weekly sidework. Ensures that it is being completed on a daily basis
Requirements:
- A college degree is preferred, ideally with a relevant degree or diploma in hospitality or restaurant/bar management. A combination of practical experience and education will be considered as an alternative.
- Minimum 2 year's experience as a Bar Manager or Assistant Bar Manager in a hotel or large restaurant with excellent standards
- 2+ year's experience as a bartender in a fine dining establishment
- Alcohol Service permit (for applicable location)
- ServeSafe Certified
- Spanish speaking is preferred but not essential
Physical Demands:
The physical demands described here are the representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.
- 50 - 55 hours in a typical work week.
- This role requires prolonged standing, the ability to move, push and lifting up to 50 lbs.
- Work with hot, cold and hazardous equipment as well as operate phones, computers, printers/copiers and other office equipment.