Apparatus Room Barback (Part Time)

Detroit Foundation Hotel; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 30,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a passionate Barback to enhance the guest experience in a vibrant restaurant setting. This role involves supporting bar operations, ensuring a well-stocked bar, and delivering exceptional service to guests. The ideal candidate will have a strong appreciation for hospitality, a keen interest in beverages, and the ability to work collaboratively with a dynamic team. Join a forward-thinking company that values community, character, and collaboration, where your contributions will help create unforgettable moments for guests and elevate the overall dining experience.

Qualifications

• 1+ year experience as a barback in a restaurant or hotel.
• Ability to obtain Food Handlers and Liquor Card within 30 days.

Responsibilities

• Support bar operations and assist in creating memorable guest experiences.
• Stock, clean, and back-up the bar service team.

Skills

Guest Service

Time Management

Basic Culinary Knowledge

Communication Skills

Education

Food Handlers Card

Liquor Card

Job description

Reports to: Food & Beverage Manager, position is non-exempt

WHO WE ARE Hotels done differently. It’s not just a slogan or catchphrase, it is who we are in everything we do. We believe in the power of People, Place and Character; ensuring our properties are a place where individuals are valued and celebrated as a tribute to the neighborhoods and the people of the communities in which we operate; elevating our associates’ pride in who they are, where they live and who we serve. The Detroit Foundation Hotel has transformed the historic Detroit Fire Department Headquarters into a 100 room independent hotel that adds another piece to the ongoing Detroit renaissance puzzle. The hotel draws on the Motor-City's unparalleled past while proactively moving the city to its next incarnation as a national cultural, business and artistic touch-point. Featuring an inviting ground-floor restaurant, The Apparatus Room, the hotel partners with local distillers, brewers, farmers and other edible sundry purveyors to deliver an authentic Detroit experience. The hotel is managed by Aparium, which was founded in 2011, driven by the belief that all hospitality experiences should be fueled by the poetics of their surroundings. Aparium was born with an intense focus on unearthing the amazing moments unique to every city. Since its founding, Aparium has grown into a new kind of hotel brand, one that ventures off the beaten path, both geographically and philosophically. It is a sophisticated hotel brand known for its singular ability to combine the business acumen of large hospitality companies with the charm of boutique hotels, bringing disparate forces together in bustling, smaller markets.

WHO YOU ARE

Your past experiences have led you to understand that there is an art + science to the how and what a hospitality operation professional is responsible for. You are working towards the goal of spending your nights working behind the bar, supporting the bar team, and building relationships with your guests. During the day you spend your time reading up on spirits, history of cocktails, and cruising the Instagram accounts of the best bars in the world. You are welcoming and embody gracious hospitality at all times.

THE ROLE

Barback reports to the F&B Managers and F&B Director and works in a team environment with other F&B professionals – including barbacks, bartenders, servers, dishwashers, cooks, and chefs. It is critical that the person in this position is passionate about learning advanced service techniques and has a natural ability to manage time.

As a barback, you will be responsible for supporting the bar operations while assisting in creating memorable guest experiences. You will be responsible for stocking, cleaning, and backing-up the bar service team, often assisting in the timely and friendly delivery of food and drinks. In-depth menu knowledge will be necessary to ensure safe service to guests with allergies and restrictions. Ongoing beverage tasting and training will allow you to expand your knowledge of beer, wine and spirits.

All of our service team members are expected to be reliable and responsible. You will arrive changed, polished and mentally ready to work on time. We put an emphasis on treating all of our team members just like we treat our guests- giving a smile, a helping hand, and a willingness to jump in to assist in any situation.

You will also actively develop trusting and transparent relationships with your peers on the service team and other associates of the hotel. As a team member within Aparium Hotel Group, you will work with a phenomenal group of peers who insist that you are collaborative, humble, experienced and open-minded – no egos are allowed.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Uphold and role model the company’s principles of People, Place and Character; driving collaboration, intuition and translocal hospitality.
• Assist in all aspects of the F&B guest’s experience from beginning to end by extending a friendly greeting in an inviting environment, ensuring bar products and supplies are well stocked, and executing on requests in a friendly and timely manner, ascertaining satisfaction throughout and adjusting as necessary.
• Work in an organized and clean fashion – stocking the bar, racking kegs, filling ice bins, cutting garnishes, preparing juices, syrups and bases, etc. – with the utmost respect for your guests, peers, equipment, and workspace to create lasting impressions and strong relationships.
• Use steps of service to provide professional service and exceed guest expectations, ensuring alcohol is served safely, responsibly, and legally and utilizing recipes to assist in creating consistent cocktails, juices, syrups, and bases.
• Use good judgement when extending goodwill and demonstrate a sense of urgency to provide an amazing guest experience.
• Have an understanding of basic culinary terms and strive to know more through constant study of your craft.
• Participate in daily line ups and quarterly all staff meetings to further develop ideas and objectives with the service team while simultaneously providing constructive feedback and strategizing to overcome and correct any previously missed opportunities.
• Observe conditions of all physical facilities and relay any challenges to the F&B Managers, Supervisors and/or F&B Director, to make corrections and improvements as needed.
• Communicate effectively with the F&B and Culinary teams to ensure all guests get their food as ordered in a timely fashion.
• Assist in other areas of the F&B Department as needed, including but not limited to, Banquets, Bar, In-Room Dining, and Restaurants.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

• Passion for the People, Place and Culture of our community, love of Restaurants and Guest Service also required.
• Minimum of 1 (one) year experience as a barback in either a free-standing or hotel restaurant or bar.
• Food Handlers Card and Liquor Card, or ability to obtain such within 30 days of hire.
• Must meet local age requirements in order to serve alcohol.
• Available to work a flexible schedule to include nights, weekends and holidays.
• Fluency in English both verbally and non-verbally.

Additional Requirements:

• Ability to lift, balance and carry up to 25 lbs. to transport beverage goods inventory, equipment, etc.
• Ability to lift, balance and carry (with assistance) up to 100 lbs. to transport beverage inventory, equipment, etc.
• Continuous standing and walking, and negotiating wet tile floor and steps.
• Fine motor coordination is needed to pour beverages, decorate cocktails and folding napkins.
• Standing and walking is continuous for 4-5 hours at a time.
• Negotiating varied floor surfaces is continuous.
• Carrying over shoulder is occasional.
• Hand and elbow movements for polishing glassware, silver, setting up tables, shaking, pouring and mixing drinks.
• Excellent sight and balance needed for negotiating varied floor surfaces.
• Handling lighted candles, and handling hot fluids (coffee and tea).
• Must be able to work in extreme temperatures like freezers (-10°F) and kitchens (+110°F).

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Aparium Hospitality Services celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an equitable and inclusive environment, and a sense of belonging for all associates. We do not discriminate and believe every individual should be proud of who they are, and where they come from and take pride in who we serve. Aparium is an E-Verify employer.