SA Hospitality Group is Italian at heart, the vision of Gherardo Guarducci and Dimitri Pauli who have translated old-world sensibilities to appeal to modern-day New York City clientele. Since 2003, SA Hospitality Group has expanded to a selective group of iconic New York neighborhoods with its three brands: Sant Ambroeus, Casa Lever, Felice with 24 restaurant locations in Manhattan, Southampton, NY, East Hampton, NY, Aspen, CO, Milan, Italy, and Palm Beach, FL.
Position Purpose: this person is responsible for ensuring quality and consistency of the restaurant’s beverage program, maintaining, and enhancing service, and educating the staff. This person is responsible for the recommendation and sales of wines and other beverages to guests and to help ensure the enjoyment of guests.
Key Responsibilities/Accountabilities:
Logistics
- Responsible for departmental logistics efficiency – monitor what works and what doesn’t and offer ideas to achieve the expected outcome – examples include increase of wine sales, cellar organization, re-stocking system, deliveries, etc.
- Assist in and conduct wine training of new hired and existing staff and materials generation.
- Monitor and spot check wine deliveries and BIN # assignment, proper storage and organization of the wine cellar.
Dining Room Service
- Provide friendly, courteous and efficient service to all guests with making eye contact, smiling and maintaining proper posture
- Work as a member of the beverage team. Interact with service team in a positive manner. Assist others whenever needed.
- Being knowledgeable about different types and regions of wines.
- Helping customers choose the correct wine for a meal and/or budget.
- Interacts with people beyond giving and receiving instructions, particularly in resolving guest complaints.
- Offer wine expertise, guide guests about wine and oversee service in the entire restaurant by being present on the floor
- Present, represent and offer wine suggestions to all guests, execute wine service step by step.
- Support dining room staff with any wine related and service-related issues.
- Personalize service by leading by example - using guest’s name, building relationships with loyal guests, checking on satisfaction by being involved and touching every single table.
- Build guest loyalty by creating and maintaining guest preference notes related to wine consumption and enjoyment (with assistance of host team), record all guest notes in Resy database.
- Anticipate and service the guest’s needs before requests are made.
- Recommend after dinner drinks.
- Help the staff in service.
- Knowledge of food menu in order to recommend wine pairings.
- Always be present on the floor and do quality check on the guests.
- Responsible for keeping cocktail cart clean and be able to make cocktails at the table.
Product Presentation & Staff Education
- Monitor and make sure quality of wine is at its highest.
- Monitor the quality and par levels of wine glassware and decanters.
- Set up ice buckets in main dining and lounge areas for service.
- Getting glassware as needed for wine service.
- Train and guide staff on proper bottle presentation, decanting and pouring, making sure the correct verbiage is used at all times – organize short daily pre-shift trainings and tastings, make sure there is a wine class scheduled once a month.
- Assist in and conduct wine training of new hired and existing staff and materials generation.
- Communicate wine lows, 86's and info on new wines to staff.
Inventory Management and Administrative
- Maintain an inventory system using our programs that allows you to have maximum control over movement of bottles from and to several storage areas.
- Responsible for full liquor and wine inventory on the last day of every month.
- Conduct monthly beverage inventory.
- Maintain and update internal wine inventory sheets after weekly counts are completed.
- Ensure accuracy of wines on all menus, wine list and POS postings.
- Communicate all wine changes and pricing updates to corporate wine department and corporate design team to update and print wine menus.
- Make sure all menus that contain wines by the glass are updated to reflect any changes.
- Communicate all changes in timely manner - keys for wines in Toast, which are linked to active inventory numbers.
- Make sure all wines that are removed from the list are de-activated and taken out of Toast, inform corporate wine department of all changes.
- In absence of receiver, fully handle everything related to wine – deliveries, invoices, putting bottles away, etc.
- Check with the bartender on the liquor available and take cocktail orders/recommend.
- Make sure we have all wine we need for events and set up wine station.
Financial & Legal
- Maximize financial performance and profit – suggest promotions and bring revenue increase ideas, train staff on up selling, build guest loyalty by touching every single table, build relationships with all guests that dine at our locations.
- Execute and take responsibility for results of beverage inventories.
- If asked, assist in purchasing of beverage.
- Enforce federal, state and local laws including alcohol consumption, including training and enforcing of minimum drinking age requirement, TIPs training, etc.
- Maintain the safety and security of all employees, guests, and company assets.
Self-Development
It is understood that as Sommelier you are responsible to maintain current knowledge of the world of wines. You will be required to continually develop this knowledge on your own time and stay on top of current industry and wine trends. Your progress in education will be evaluated on ongoing basis. Likewise, the company will assist in any way possible with any educational goals that relate to your duties as Sommelier (with prior management approval)
We are an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to a policy of non-discrimination in employment on any basis including age, sex, color, race, creed, national origin, religion, marital status, disability that does not prohibit performance of essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
Federal law prohibits the employment of unauthorized aliens. All persons hired must submit satisfactory proof of employment authorization and identity in order to complete Form I-9 within 72 hours of commencing work. Failure to do so will result in immediate termination.
