Chef de Bar (Beverage Manager)

Aparium Hotel Group; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Aparium Hotel Group seeks a Chef de Bar to lead Firn’s beverage program, overseeing bar, restaurant and banquet beverage services in a fast‑paced luxury setting in Seattle. You will coach the team, manage inventory, and ensure exceptional guest experiences aligned with Aparium standards.

Lead by example, develop training, and collaborate with F&B and Culinary teams to elevate the beverage programs while maintaining cost controls and service excellence.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership in hotel/restaurant beverage operations.
• Strong knowledge of wine, cocktails, and program development.
• Experience coaching and developing teams in a fast-paced setting.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Beverage team at Firn, coordinating bar, restaurant and banquets programs.
• Recruit, train, schedule, supervise, coach and motivate staff; address issues and drive improvement.
• Maintain beverage program execution with F&B/Culinary for quality and consistency.
• Oversee inventory control,Loss prevention and cost management for beverage items.
• Maintain strong guest and VIP relationships; communicate needs to staff.
• Develop training systems for beverage education, including wine and spirits classes.

Skills

Leadership

Wine knowledge

Cocktail program

Staff coaching

OpenTable knowledge

POS systems

Tools

OpenTable

Toast POS

Word/Excel

Job description

CHEF DE BAR (BEVERAGE MANAGER)

Reports to: Director of Restaurants and Bars, the position is exempt

Who You Are

You are excited and passionate about being a leader in the three-ring circus that is a restaurant. You pride yourself in controlling chaos; and are adept at making each guest in your restaurant feel like they are the only person in the room. While your mission is to provide an unmatched experience for your guests, you value the work and feedback of your associates as well. You enjoy and excel in the fast-paced and often high-pressure environment to execute what is needed in exceeding our guest's expectations and demonstrating the Aparium difference. You are attentive, courteous, efficient and motivate others by inspiring confidence, respect, enthusiasm, and collaboration. You are highly organized and can work in an often-unpredictable environment to meet deadlines, all while maintaining a positive and professional demeanor.

CHEF DE BAR (BEVERAGE MANAGER)

Reports to: Director of Restaurants and Bars, the position is exempt

Who You Are

You are excited and passionate about being a leader in the three-ring circus that is a restaurant. You pride yourself in controlling chaos; and are adept at making each guest in your restaurant feel like they are the only person in the room. While your mission is to provide an unmatched experience for your guests, you value the work and feedback of your associates as well. You enjoy and excel in the fast-paced and often high-pressure environment to execute what is needed in exceeding our guest's expectations and demonstrating the Aparium difference. You are attentive, courteous, efficient and motivate others by inspiring confidence, respect, enthusiasm, and collaboration. You are highly organized and can work in an often-unpredictable environment to meet deadlines, all while maintaining a positive and professional demeanor.

Who We Are

Hotels done differently. At Aparium, we believe in the power of People, Place and Character. We ensure our hotels are a place where individuals are valued and celebrated, elevating our associates' pride in who they are, where they live and who we serve. Our hotel is a tribute to the neighborhoods and the people of the communities where we operate.

Perched above Pioneer Square, Firn (pronounced Fee-urn) at Populus pairs skyline views with a creative and delicious cocktail menu. Drinks are ingredient focused, carefully concocted, and draw inspiration from the concept of water and its transition through the phases of the water cycle. The food is a simple offering that compliments the cocktail program and designed to be enjoyed with friends. With an open-air setting and a lively atmosphere, it's the perfect destination for good drinks and great company.

THE ROLE

The Chef de Bar reports directly to the Director of Restaurants and Bars. It is critical the person in this position is tactical and strategic; if you only prefer to "see the forest" and not "plant the trees," then this is not a role for you. All leaders of Aparium are required to get down and dirty to unearth existing needs and personally ensure what needs to be fixed is repaired.

As the Chef de Bar, you will lead the team at Firn, in addition to overseeing the Beverage Programs for the Bar, Restaurant, and Banquets. The Chef de Bar wears many different hats throughout the day - leading by example while spending the much of the day engaging with associates and guests before, during, and after services. We encourage our leaders to inspire and challenge each other to be their best. A large degree of self-motivation is needed to drive your department, while collaborating with the entire team to execute your beverage concepts at the highest level.

As a leader 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. The Chef de Bar will maintain and execute the Standards of Service for all Beverage areas, assuring success for the associate and guest experience.

What You Will Do

• Reinforce the company's Art + Science ideologies to ensure the experiences of translocal hospitality, intuitive service, and collaboration are implemented and modeled by yourself and every leader of the hotel
• Actively participate in recruitment, training, scheduling, supervising, coaching, and motivation of all Banquets, Restaurant, and Bar associates in order to create an environment that nurtures ideas and develops future talent for succession planning in the F&B program; effectively use corrective action to address root causes of issues, course-correcting any missed opportunities
• Ensure timely set-up of the bar/lounge and adhere to food & beverage standards and guest requests through active communication with the F&B and Culinary Departments. Responsible for maintaining a strong guest and VIP relationship and ensuring all requests are communicated to staff.
• Manage inventory, control breakage/loss reduction of china, glass and silver related to restaurant services. Inspect and oversee the cleanliness and maintenance of all restaurant space, public areas, and service areas.
• Maintain regular communication with the F&B Management team to provide updates, discuss plans, communicate needs, and align on priorities, understanding that flexibility with your responsibilities is paramount to support a successful operation
• Develop training systems and continuing education across beverage programs. For example, wine pairing classes and spirits tutorials
• Works with Banquets Managers to deliver upscale guest packages and cost-effective product
• Ensures that product is handled correctly, recipes are adhered to, and cost control SOPs are in place for all beverage related items
• Evaluate each employee's performance based on clearly communicated standards and expectations and hold the employees accountable for performance
• Prepare qualified employees for promotion to the next position and continually develop all employees to improve performance; create a culture that promotes from within
• Assists in other food & beverage departments as needed

How You Will Lead

• Exemplify leading by example by working directly with each member of your team and be willing to coach and counsel with gentle correction and critical but constructive feedback
• Offer direct support for your team through coaching, counseling, gentle correction, and constructive feedback
• Collaborate effectively with all hotel departments including Sales, Culinary, Food & Beverage, and Hotel Operations to provide an exemplary guest experience
• Be respectful in your daily interactions with your managers, direct reports, and peers, exemplifying the utmost level of professionalism and being a pillar within your community
• Be a subject matter expert in Beverage service, as well as understanding the history of the cuisine most closely related to the hotel food & beverage concept(s), effectively guiding others in their personal search with a gentle hand, never admonishing their lack of knowledge
• Demonstrates business acumen by ensuring that initiatives align with operational goals and budgets; shows passion to further develop this skillse

What You Will Need

• Passion for the People, Place and Culture of our community, love of Restaurants and Guest Service also required
• Minimum of five (2) years' experience in a leadership role in Food & Beverage (Restaurant and Banquets/Events); hotel or restaurant opening experience is plus
• Expert knowledge of wines, spirits, and craft cocktails, with ability to make pairing suggestions; Level 1 sommelier preferred; craft beer knowledge a plus
• Must be proficient in Word, Excel and other applicable computer systems
• Expert-level knowledge, or ability to obtain, in reservations systems such as OpenTable, as well as POS systems such as Toast
• Thorough understanding of excellent service, labor control, maintenance, merchandising and accounting
• Ability to obtain and maintain Alcohol Servers Permit (MAST) and WA Food handler Permit within 14 days of hire
• Thorough understanding of all food & beverage items offered, including ingredients, methods of preparation and proper service
• Due to the cyclical nature of the hospitality