Head Bartender

Head Bartender: Municipal Grand Hotel (opening May 2025)

Management Company: Midnight Auteur

Sector: Luxury Independent Hotel

Property Description: 44 rooms, a restaurant, two bars, a pool, and delicious cocktails from the founders of Death & Co and The Ramble Hotel

Reports to: Director of Outlets

About Midnight Auteur

Midnight Auteur was born from the successful partnership between The Ramble Hotel in Denver and Death & Co, which began almost six years ago when the storied bar opened its second location in the lobby of The Ramble Hotel. Our new hospitality company was created with a shared intention among founders to build and operate hotels that immerse guests fully and seamlessly between social spaces and retreats - offering a setting fit for both celebration and sanctuary. The cocktail anchored experience at The Ramble Hotel, one in which the lobby is interchangeable with the bar, resulted in numerous accolades and awards, including Esquire's Best Bars in America in 2019, North America's 50 Best Bars in 2022 and noted by Condé Nast Traveler as 'the hotel for people who are sick of other hotels.'

As a company, we hold a deep and obsessive reverence for the all-day lobby bar, which is the foundation of Midnight Auteur. We love immersing our team and guests in a vibrant, celebratory experience that only a hotel lobby bar can appropriately capture. We're passionate about the community created and the hospitality shared over a coffee or cocktail while remaining equally committed to providing a luxury respite for our hotel guests.

Altogether, the Midnight Auteur team is passionate about actively evolving hotel, cocktail, and culinary culture, being a progressive and forward-thinking operator, and positively impacting its communities. We look forward to hearing from you

Cheers

Our Purpose

We create meaningful experiences and connect people through modern classic hotels, anchored by vibrant bars and restaurants.

Our Niche

We operate luxury, independent hotels. We aim to attract guests (and employees) who appreciate great design, food and drink - hosted within a vibrant environment, rich with local culture and accompanied by warm hospitality.

The Role

The Head Bartender assists the Director of Outlets with the execution of all beverage related business operations and the management of all bar staff including, hiring, training, and onboarding.

The Head Bartender is responsible for leading and managing the bar team by exemplifying exceptional hospitality, creating systems for efficiency, monitoring business performance, executing regular staff education, and upholding Midnight Auteur standards. They will also assist in all aspects of FOH service and hospitality including running food and drink, clearing tables, and greeting guests. The Head Bartender embodies our core values, connecting with guests and co-workers in a professional manner, ensuring excellence in service and responding quickly and thoughtfully to both staff and guest needs.

What You Will Do

Demonstrate the Core Values of Midnight Auteur:

• Curiosity - We learn and improve through active observation.
• A.B.K - We anticipate, prepare and execute with intention.
• Communication - We remove barriers through purposeful communication.
• Thoughtful - We engage with purpose and care.
• Connection - We build relationships and host with intuition, empathy and transparency.

Teamwork & Communication:

• As a key ambassador for Midnight Auteur, the Head Bartender is expected to act in a professional manner and represent the hotel graciously whether you are in house, traveling on behalf of the company, or at industry events.
• Maintain a reasonable response time for all communication. At minimum, a confirmation (by email, slack, text, or call) same day with a timeline regarding a full response.
• Maintain a reasonable schedule with flexible availability, including days, nights, weekends, and holidays when necessary.
• Weekly communication with staff (recaps):
  • Product updates with notes: 86's & additions
  • Ongoing training with staff, i.e., articles, inspiration
• Attend weekly Management Meetings in person or via phone
• Weekly "Alignment" meetings with Director of Outlets
• Bi-Weekly "Alignment" call with Director of Outlets and FOH Supervisor
• Meet with reps, ambassadors, and distillers to taste product
• Collaborate with event coordinators to customize menus and Bar experiences that enhance guest satisfaction
• Assist Director of Outlets with the organizations of special events, buyouts, off site events, etc.
• Foster a culture of respect, professionalism, and enthusiasm within the entire team.
• Evaluate staff performance, provide regular feedback, and manage career progression opportunities for team members.
• Work closely with Restaurant Leadership to align service specific operations with overarching business objectives.

Service Standards:

• Maintain patron satisfaction by monitoring, evaluating, and auditing beverage, food and service offerings; cultivate relationships with preferred patrons; maintain good community relations.
• Maintain and oversee quality standards in drink preparation and service
• Implement company policies and standard operating procedures (SOPs and Steps of Service) in tandem with the Director of Outlets; evaluate and improve such policies and SOPs.
• Provide a strong sense of leadership in all Front of House (FOH) and Back of House (BOH) activities - coach, teach, delegate, lead.
• Daily monitoring of staff appearance, cleanliness, arrival time, tools etc.
• Monitor restaurant, bar and kitchen flow regarding timeliness during business hours and assist when and where needed.
• Assist in training new hires by guiding them through training trails, answering their questions, providing workflow advice, and teaching them MA''s expectations, steps of service steps, and standards operating procedures.

Administrative Duties:

• Collaborate with Director of Outlets to regularly update recipe database, POS, reporting systems and staff communications with cocktail and training information- including recipes, SOP's, and cleaning duties.
• Monthly inventory with Restaurant365 - completed on the first day of each month.
• Schedule and lead staff meetings, training sessions, and planning reviews.
• Ordering of product and maintaining vendor relationships in relation to the beverage program; both alcoholic and non-alcoholic
• Invoice recording for beer, wine, spirits, coffee and other bar related items and consumables.
• Creation of daily and weekly cleaning duties as well as open and closing responsibilities for each Bar position.
• Implementation of staff education (product knowledge and tastings, menu changes, service standards, purveyor visits, quizzes etc.).
• Responsible for writing, implementing, and grading tests and quizzes.
• Maintaining organization of liquor room and all bar-related storage spaces
• Execute bartender/barback interviews, hiring, onboarding, and training in collaboration with Director of Outlets.
• Establish sanitation standards and procedures that comply with health and legal regulations with the advice of the company.
• In conjunction with Director of Outlets schedule and implement bi-annual staff reviews with bartender, barbacks and bar prep staff members.

Menu Development & New Menu Launch:

• Assist Director of Outlets in the curation of cocktails, spirit list, wine, and beer offerings
• Organize new menu rollout dates as directed
• Lead all-staff tasting for new menus in collaboration with Director of Outlets. Create auxiliary educational materials for service staff (e.g. information on new spirits, ingredients, etc.)
• Follow-up on menu knowledge and execution through testing
• Prepare for menu launch: prep sheets, cocktail descriptions, cheater map, reorg walk-in, reorg liquor room, bar cleaning

Note: This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities or qualifications associated with the job.

Material and Equipment Directly Used

• Knives and other sharp tools
• Chemicals and other cleaning products
• Raw and fresh foods
• Necessary bar and kitchen equipment

Working Environment/Physical Activities

• Heavy lifting up to 50 lbs
• Walk-in coolers and freezers
• Trash and Recycling Access
• Execution of bar program under various conditions of heat and stress

Career Experiences

• You have been a previous Head Bartender or Bar Manager in an upscale cocktail bar, restaurant or luxury hotel for a minimum of one (1) year.
• You have led or participated in restaurant or hotel openings. (Preferred)
• Bachelor's degree: or related relevant years of experience is required.
• Proficiency of the English language in reading, writing and verbal communication. Secondary language is great, but not required.
• Technological literacy is a plus.

Leadership Attributes

• Leader of People: The Head Bartender title implies a certain standing and status, but this rank must be earned daily. Inspires and earns respect through actions, not through a job title - both with team members and guests.
• A Hands on Leader: Takes a hands on approach to training, coaching and accountability. Ready and willing to work alongside bar staff and other departments in service if and when necessary.
• Hospitable: Has a passion for hospitality (both inside and outside of the hotel) - which is the "the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers."
• Strong interpersonal skills: Able to develop rapport and find common ground with team members across all departments.

Benefits Highlights

• 50% Paid Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance
• Ample Paid-Time-Off
• Eligible to participate in the company 401k program. The company does not currently match contributions.

Reporting Lines

• The Head Bartender reports directly to the Director of Outlets daily and collaborates with the leadership team as needed.

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