About Vernon's
Vernon's Speakeasy is an intimate, upscale speakeasy in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque. Guests don't walk into a restaurant. They step out of 2026 and into something slower, more human, more romantic.
We have one goal. Vernon's will be the number one restaurant in New Mexico. Not top five. Not in the conversation. Number one. Every seat on this team exists to deliver that standard, and the host is where it starts.
The Role
The first ninety seconds of a guest's night belong to you.
Before the first cocktail is poured or the first plate lands, the host has already decided how the night begins. The voice on the phone when the reservation is made. The greeting at the door. The way a guest is walked to the table. If a guest feels transported in the first ninety seconds, the whole night works. That is the job.
This is not a stand-at-a-podium host position. You run the front of the guest experience: reservations, arrivals, the phone, and the flow of the room.
What You'll Own
- The guest's first and last impression, every night, at the door and on the phone
- Reservations end to end: booking, confirming, and managing the book in OpenTable
- The reservation spread and table flow, working with the floor team to pace the room
- Guest intelligence for the whole team. You gather what matters about each guest, the celebration, the preference, the history with us, and get it to the right team member before the guest sits down. The server should never learn it's an anniversary from the guest.
- Punching up the night for the moments that matter: handwritten cards for birthdays, anniversaries, and special occasions, ready before the guest arrives
- Guest calls after their visit to hear how the night landed, and feeding what you learn back to the team
- Answering guest questions about the experience, events, the space, and the history behind it
- The polish of the host area and entry, so the first thing a guest sees meets the standard
What We're Looking For
- Hospitality experience in a service-driven environment: restaurants, hotels, or fine dining preferred
- A warm, polished phone presence. Much of a guest's anticipation is built before they ever arrive.
- Poise under pressure. Friday at 7pm with a full book should bring out your best, not your worst.
- Someone who reads people: the couple celebrating something, the guest who wants privacy, the regular who wants to be remembered
- Attention to detail in writing and presentation. Your handwriting will end up in a guest's hands on the biggest night of their year.
- The instinct to solve a problem before the guest has to name it
- Reliability. The standard is the same Wednesday at 6 as Saturday at 9, and so is the team we count on.
Nice to Have
- OpenTable or other reservation-platform experience
- Fine dining, hotel, or private club background
- Experience with membership or VIP guest programs
Why This Seat Is Different
Vernon's is where service professionals come to refine their craft. Nobody plateaus here. Hosts who show us they can hold the standard have a real path into serving, membership, and leadership roles as we grow.
Schedule
Vernon's is open Wednesday through Sunday, 5:00pm–8:30pm. Host shifts run 2:30pm–9:00pm.
Job Type: Part-time
Pay: From $12.50 per hour
Benefits:
Application Question(s):
- Have you worked in an upscale, fine dining, or reservation-driven restaurant?
- Have you used OpenTable or another reservation platform?
- Describe the best first impression a restaurant or hotel ever made on you, and what specifically made it work. Two or three sentences.
Work Location: In person
