We're looking for both part time and full time bartenders to work both brunch & dinner services throughout the week and weekend, with capability of closing down the establishment. Our bartenders’ primary focus is on the guest experience while mastering steps of service to make our guests repeat customers and provide them with the finest quality drink. The bartender role is divided between drink production, menu and product knowledge, guest service and sales, and bar operations:
Merchant Drink Production and Product Knowledge
- Prepare and serve alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks consistent with the restaurant’s standard drink recipes and methods. Must use correct glassware and builds for all products sold.
- The Merchant Bartender is expected to have an understanding of the palate in relation to taste categories and the mechanics of tasting in order to produce balanced drinks and how ingredients affect taste.
- They are expected to have an understanding of the DNA of cocktails and how ‘mixology’ works at a base level: the Classic Cocktail Recipe of “Strong/Weak & Sweet/Tart”; the roles of base/modifier/accent; the Aperitif; the Digestif; the major cocktail types; Balancing a drink.
- Be knowledgeable about every product and menu item served: what it tastes of; what it is made from; where it comes from; how strong it is; how it is made; if and how it is aged.
- Extensive knowledge of cocktail builds and history of beverages; curating your own original drinks for specials and menus; ability to craft drinks to customer specifications
- Some wine knowledge expected; major grapes and styles, regions, proper wine service skills
- Knowledge of major beer types and serving styles
- Knowledge of spirits carried and all N/A offerings
- Every drink needs to demonstrate the skills of the bartender with a keen awareness to improve speed and efficiency of drink production without compromising the quality of the product.
- Be knowledgeable about every kitchen menu item served: ingredient descriptions, what it tastes of; where it comes from.
Customer Service / Sales
- Master the Steps of Bar Service
- Able to express 3 details about each bar & food product
- The Merchant bartender is expected to treat every person as a guest and not just a customer and shall the respect them as such: judge the level of involvement the particular guest wants and cater to that; recommend improvements in their drinking habits, if asked, yet serve every drink with the utmost care and attention; acting as a ‘host’ to all your guests and acting accordingly.
Bar Operations
- Knowledge of all tools and actions of a craft cocktail, high volume bar or restaurant: bottles and how handle them; pourers and pouring accurately in legal measures; glassware types and how to handle/care for glasses; shakers, mixing glasses; bar spoons and stirring, layering; strainers; drinks mats; blended drinks; ice types and usage; basic bar set-up; cellar and stock management; coffee and hot drinks service; cleaning procedures and importance; fridges and chilling.
- Check identification of guests to verify age requirements for purchase of alcohol.
- Money Handling- Accept guest payment, process credit card charges, and make changes if necessary.
- Record drink orders accurately and immediately after having received them into the register system.
- Managing your Schedule: Responsibly handle on-call shifts, time-off requests, getting shifts covered, and manager communications within the allotted time frame.
Reporting:
The role will report directly to Bar Leads and the General Manager of Merchant.
Benefits:
- Competitive wages
- 50% dining discount for you and your friends and family
- 50% off all food and beverage, 15% off retail items
- All full time employees are offered health, dental and vision insurance
- Paid time off for full time employees
Our ideal bartender has the following attributes:
- 2+ years of bartending experience. High volume craft cocktailing experience preferred. Fine dining hospitality experience preferred
- Knowledge of all tools and actions of a craft cocktail is required,
- The ideal bartender has good personal qualities, is polite, confident, a great sense of humor and above all, enjoys dealing with people.
- The bartender should be warm and genuine using verbiage and vocabulary that is guest-focused and positive
- Able to thrive in a team environment as a reliable and trustworthy player on the floor.
- The bartender, along with all staff members, is expected to be clean, neat and tidy in their personal appearance and also in their working habits; they shall also maintain the highest standards of hygiene in their workplace.
- The bartender, along with all staff members, is expected to embody the organizational mission and caring, inclusive, and authentic values in terms of who we are and what we believe.
Our Values:
- Inclusivity. We will establish a culturally diverse and inclusive environment, one that specifically supports minorities, all genders, and those historically underrepresented in our industry.
- Humility. We are modest about capabilities, admit mistakes, and create the space for others to contribute.
- Effective Collaboration. We are a team centered around positivity, that stands for one message which involves empowering others, empathizing with each other, and uplifting others as a collective.
- Respect and Justice / Health and Well-Being. All team members need to be treated respectfully and fairly. This pertains to equity in pay, and specific attention to physical/mental health, well-being and safety.
- Positivity and Love of Food and Community. Cooking and serving others is a powerful act of caring and love for one another. Let us work together to bring our community together through the power of food and drink
Pay Rate: $20-28/hour
Merchant is an equal opportunity employer, with a mission to support women, Black, LGBTQ+ applicants. As an organization, we support a minimum wage of $16/hour.
Pay: $20.00 - $28.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Employee discount
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
