Cream City Concepts is a Milwaukee hospitality group focused on engaging entertainment spaces, quality food and beverage, memorable guest experiences, and continued operational growth. Its portfolio includes Oak Barrel Public House, Who’s on Third, Who’s on Layton, Cream City Catering, and related hospitality ventures.
The Beverage & In-House Banquet Manager is the hands-on operational leader of Oak Barrel Public House’s beverage program. This role combines high-volume bartending, bar-team leadership, beverage preparation, inventory control, quality assurance, training, and beverage execution for Oak Barrel’s in-house banquets, private parties, and onsite events — this is onsite banquet work at Oak Barrel. The manager ensures that all active bars are organized, stocked, staffed, compliant, and prepared to deliver fast, consistent, hospitality-focused service. The Beverage Manager works closely with the Assistant General Manager, restaurant leadership, Human Resources, the Events Director, kitchen leadership, vendors, and ownership. This person is expected to lead by example while also completing the administrative and financial work required to protect and grow the beverage program.
- Lead day-to-day beverage operations across all active bars and event spaces.
- Inspect bar readiness, assign stations and duties, manage workload, and adjust deployment during service.
- Monitor ticket times, drink quality, cleanliness, guest engagement, and bartender urgency.
- Verify opening, transition, weekly cleaning, and closing responsibilities are completed to standard.
- Provide hands-on bartending and operational support during peak volume.
- Maintain beverage prep lists, production schedules, pars, recipes, shelf-life standards, and responsible ownership.
- Oversee juices, syrups, batches, infusions, garnishes, fruit, herbs, mixers, and specialty ingredients.
- Verify all prepared products are accurate, labeled, dated, stored, and rotated using FIFO.
- Adjust prep quantities using sales trends, forecasted volume, events, waste, and shelf life.
- Maintain organized storage and restocking systems for all bars, coolers, liquor storage, beer storage, and beverage work areas.
- Audit beverage recipes, measurements, glassware, ice, garnish, temperature, and presentation.
- Taste and approve batches and specialty preparations before service.
- Coach recipe and service inconsistencies immediately and document repeated concerns.
- Promote hospitality-first service, product knowledge, recommendations, and timely guest recovery.
- Identify and address equipment, setup, or workflow issues that affect quality or speed.
- Recruit, onboard, train, coach, and develop bartenders and bar leaders in partnership with management and HR.
- Oversee Bartender in Training progression, practical drink tests, and station-readiness assessments.
- Lead beverage pre-shifts, menu training, whiskey education, responsible-service refreshers, and skills development.
- Assign responsibilities to the Bar Supervisor, Head Bartender, Lead Bartenders, and Banquet Beverage Leads.
- Provide performance feedback, recognize strong execution, document meaningful concerns, and recommend promotions, retraining, or corrective action.
- Maintain professional boundaries, consistent accountability, and a respectful team culture.
- Complete approved routine beverage orders and maintain appropriate pars and stock levels.
- Verify deliveries, pricing, substitutions, damage, organization, and product security.
- Review Bevinco results, sales mix, waste, comps, mis-rings, substitutions, transfers, and inventory variance.
- Investigate discrepancies and implement corrective actions.
- Identify slow-moving and dead-stock products and recommend features, promotions, transfers, or purchasing changes.
- Support beverage COGS, sales, profitability, and inventory goals established by leadership.
- Protect approved cocktail recipes and presentation standards.
- Support beverage research and development using cost, speed, labor, shelf life, waste, guest appeal, and product availability.
- Maintain whiskey-program knowledge and train staff on stories, flavor profiles, guest fit, pour options, and recommendations.
- Audit Toast beverage names, prices, modifiers, categories, and button placement; submit permanent changes for approval.
- Coordinate approved vendor education, samples, product support, and staff incentives with leadership.
- Review BEOs and coordinate beverage execution with the Events Director and MOD.
- Confirm bar package, guest count, staffing, product quantities, glassware, ice, garnishes, menus, POS needs, setup, service, and breakdown.
- Lead event beverage teams and assign trained Banquet Beverage Leads when appropriate.
- Monitor service pacing, guest flow, product usage, hosted-bar controls, cleanliness, and responsible alcohol service.
- Secure and document remaining product and submit a post-event recap with shortages, waste, feedback, staffing concerns, and improvement opportunities.
- Enforce all responsible alcohol service, identification, intoxication-management, health, safety, and sanitation standards.
- Maintain compliant date labeling, refrigeration, sanitizer, handwashing, chemical storage, and beverage-prep practices.
- Remove unsafe, expired, damaged, or noncompliant products and equipment from service.
- Monitor and report maintenance needs involving draft, soda, refrigeration, glass washing, CO2, nitrogen, bar tools, and beverage equipment.
- Complete incident reporting and escalation as required.
- Provide timely updates to the Assistant General Manager regarding staffing, product, equipment, guest, compliance, event, and financial concerns.
- Complete weekly beverage reporting, including wins, risks, Bevinco/PMIX observations, training, upcoming events, and action items.
- Attend required manager, event, inventory, or beverage meetings and complete assigned follow-up.
- Communicate approved changes clearly to all affected employees.
The Beverage Manager may independently assign bar stations and prep work, adjust same-day deployment, reject noncompliant batches or garnishes, remove unsafe products, complete routine approved orders, conduct coaching, assign retraining, request repairs through approved processes, lead event beverage execution, and stop unsafe alcohol service. Final approval remains with the Assistant General Manager, GM, ownership, and/or Human Resources for beverage pricing, permanent recipes, new
products, major purchases, permanent par changes, discounts, permanent POS changes, hiring, promotions, formal discipline, termination, compensation, and changes to the organizational structure.
- Three or more years of high-volume bartending experience; prior lead, supervisor, manager, or event-captain experience strongly preferred.
- Strong working knowledge of classic cocktails, beverage preparation, batching, mise en place, whiskey, beer, and responsible alcohol service.
- Demonstrated leadership, coaching, organization, communication, and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to interpret inventory, sales mix, waste, cost, and operational information and convert it into action.
- Ability to remain composed and decisive in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.
- Comfort using restaurant systems such as Toast, 7Shifts, inventory platforms, spreadsheets, email, and digital checklists.
- Flexible availability for evenings, weekends, holidays, major events, and a combination of tipped and non-tipped shifts.
- Legally authorized to work in the United States and able to meet all applicable responsible beverage service requirements.
- Stand and walk for extended periods throughout a shift.
- Frequently reach, bend, twist, lift, and carry supplies in a restaurant and bar environment.
- Lift and carry up to 50 pounds with or without reasonable accommodation.
- Work around refrigeration, ice, wet floors, loud music, crowded spaces, alcohol products, cleaning chemicals, and changing temperatures.
This is a full-time, non-exempt position consisting of tipped bartending shifts and non-tipped management or banquet captain shifts. Hourly rates, tip-pool eligibility, overtime, benefits, and scheduling expectations will be stated in the written offer letter and are subject to leadership and Human Resources approval.
- Maintain beverage readiness, recipe, prep, storage, training, event, and communication standards established by leadership.
- Demonstrate measurable progress against the 30/60/90-day plan and ongoing beverage scorecard.
- Protect guest experience, product quality, company assets, and a professional team culture.
- Take initiative, communicate risks early, follow through on assigned work, and accept accountability for outcomes.
Cream City Concepts provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to any status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Reasonable accommodations will be considered for qualified individuals as required by law.
This job description describes the general nature and level of work expected and is not an exhaustive list of all duties. Responsibilities may be changed or assigned at any time based on business needs. This document does not create a contract of employment. Employment remains at will unless otherwise required by applicable law or stated in a signed written agreement authorized by the Company.
Continue Your Hospitality Career with us.
We are always looking for the brightest personalities to join our teams!
We value each person's point of view and we want all of our employees to have a voice in our operations.
Pay:
Benefits:
Job Type: fulltime
Schedule:
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Weekend availability
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8 hour shift
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12 hour shift
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10 hour shift
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Overtime
Education: No education required
Work location: On-site
