Join our Team

 
 

We’re looking for a kick-ass Taproom Manager who can grow with us and eventually become General Manager.

The right person is PASSIONATE about hospitality and has several years of experience leading a bar team and knows how to oversee a food program.

A love for cider or craft alcohol is preferred, but we’ll teach you what you need to know if you are our person!

Ability to use Excel and familiarity with a P&L is a must. Salary depends on experience and ability.

Qualified candidates should send a cover letter, resume, references and salary history to greta@wisebirdcider.com.

Wise Bird Cider Co. is an equal opportunity employer. We value people from all walks of life and believe a diverse, equitable, and respectful work environment results in a better culture and allows us to do our best work.

Overview:

The Taproom Manager is a key management employee who leads the Taproom team and the execution of the Taproom and is responsible for helping make Wise Bird Cider the friendliest, most hospitality-focused craft beverage hangout in Lexington. In this role, the Taproom Manager is responsible for managing all day to day operations of the Taproom, for the development of the Taproom team and their ability to deliver a successful customer experience, and for achieving revenue goals for food, beverages, merchandise and events while efficiently managing staff and operating expenses. In the day to day, the Taproom Manager’s work overlaps with Marketing to help create and promote events in the taproom, with Events in supporting the execution of private and taproom-specific events, and with Production to help promote and release new ciders. The Taproom Manager leads efforts to maintain a positive and healthy work environment for the Taproom team as well as helping to recruit and manage our year-round and seasonal Taproom staff.

The ideal individual for this role is self-motivated, is a proven leader and has a keen sense for exceptional hospitality. This individual executes at a high level, is capable of collaborating with multiple work groups on multiple tasks at the same time, and relies on their experience in retail and hospitality to help create and deliver an outstanding experience for our customers and our teams.  Ideally the Taproom Manager grows with Wise Bird Cider and eventually becomes the General Manager.

DUTIES / RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Taproom

    • Monitors and modifies bar service models as needed to ensure maximum customer satisfaction, maximum sales potential, and maximum tip potential for bartenders

    • Establishes sales goals, upselling targets, and other team incentives to increase sales

    • Responsible for the growth of all retail sales in the taproom, including draft and package cider, beer, cocktails, food, merchandise, and public Taproom events

    • Develop targeted, monthly sales goals for taproom staff, such as club member sign ups, bottle sales, merch sales, event ticket sales, upsells, etc.

    • Develops seasonal, rotating, and special cocktails

    • Collaborates with the Marketing and Events Manager to support the growth of a profitable year-round taproom events program

    • Reviews sales and labor reports in Toast daily to understand sales trends, monitor labor costs, and identify opportunities for growth 

    • Regularly reports to owners on sales trends and identifies growth opportunities

  • Kitchen // Little Fork

    • Provides management of the Kitchen in order to ensure standards for customer experience are aligned with owners expectations

    • Chef oversees all operational logistics, purchasing, inventory for the Kitchen, but Taproom Manager publishes the kitchen schedule along with the Taproom schedule

    • Manages Chef and ensures the connection between the food program and the bar program is optimized and the customer experience is flawless

    • Holds Kitchen team accountable for compliance with food safety regulations and company code of conduct

    • Provides real-time corrections and feedback to the Kitchen team when needed and escalates any issues to Owners as necessary

  • Cider Club and Vinoshipper

    • Owns the workflow for online orders and delegates the picking, boxing, and shipping of online and club orders to support staff as needed

    • Creates and processes orders for each Cider Club release, the specific details for which will be identified by the Owners and Cider Maker

      • Updates binder list for bar team

      • Adds or removes club members as needed

    • Works with Marketing and Events manager to grow cider club membership and organize the quarterly pick up party event (Marketing Manager plans and organizes, Taproom Manager executes with the Taproom Team)

  • Operations

    • Responsible for weekly inventory count of all Taproom bar, merch, paper goods, and other consumable inventory

    • Responsible for month end taproom inventory counting and reporting

    • Sets pars, places orders and ensures the Taproom has all ingredients, supplies and materials in stock while not carrying more inventory than is needed

    • Conducts regular price comparisons to ensure ordering is cost effective

    • Analyzes ingredient and recipe costs to set pricing in accordance with margin targets

    • Point of contact for all vendors and service providers such as linens, repair technicians, alcohol and food distributors

    • Coordinates with Marketing and Events Manager for all needs related to updating menus and signage as needed on an ongoing basis, ensuring they are always up to date

    • Develops processes and procedures related to Taproom operations, including opening and closing procedures, cleaning lists, etc. and ensures Taproom staff compliance

    • Sets the example for general cleaning and organization of the Taproom, behind the bar and back of house areas to maintain a clean work environment

    • Manages with Kitchen Team on all areas related to the customer experience at the intersection between the Taproom and Kitchen

    • Responsible for maintaining up-to-date menu items and pricing in the POS and printed menus

    • Attentively responds to emails, messages in Slack, and calendar invites

    • Attends and actively participates in weekly Management team meetings

    • Covers shifts in the Taproom and Kitchen as needed as a last line of defense

  • Financial Management:

    • Owns the P&L for the Taproom and Kitchen

    • Responsible for understanding and monitoring costs of goods sold (COGS) for all taproom items and working with the Owners to keep them within established margin targets

    • Responsible for all taproom cash management, including daily cash drawer reporting and accuracy, daily deposit tracking and making deposits at the bank

    • Frequently tracks sales vs labor to keep staffing on target both during shifts and when preparing the schedule

    • Manages execution of financial goals, sales targets, and donations for the Taproom

  • Staff Management: Support and manage the Taproom team and lead the execution of all operations of the Taproom.  This includes but is not limited to:

    • Establishes a tone of leadership and empowerment with the Taproom team by creating a fun, positive, and respectful work environment through leading by example and in lock- step with the company’s values

    • Leads hiring and any personnel change

    • Schedules bar and kitchen staff in accordance with service hours and labor/sales targets

    • Leads new employee onboarding and creates initiatives for ongoing employee training

    • Responsible for creating and publishing the weekly taproom and kitchen staff schedule, two weeks in advance

    • Works with the Marketing and Events Manager and Offsite and External Events Manager to coordinate event staffing needs.

    • Provides ongoing and consistent feedback to Taproom Staff through regular team meetings or daily shift check-ins

    • Leads ongoing taproom staff training to ensure that all team members have access to the most current details about our products and services and demonstrate expertise in communicating those details to our customers

    • Oversees HR functions, including payroll, and adherence to company policies

  • Other duties include, but are not limited to

    • On occasion, may be asked to assist the Marketing and Events Manager to take photos or videos for real time content for social media

    • Acts as a brand ambassador within the community

    • Responsible for ensuring both employee and customer happiness

    • Develops and maintains positive relationships within the community

    • Participate in off-site events as requested and available, these may include selling our ciders and merchandise at events and festivals, farmer’s markets, networking or community service events, and participating in local events to network for Wise Bird Cider Co.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Education: Bachelor’s degree preferred. Relevant professional experience can substitute.

  • Advanced understanding of cider and the different styles available on the market and how cider differs from wine and beer (we will teach this to the right person).

  • Certified Cider Professional, Sommelier or equivalent professional certification

  • STAR certified and Food Manager certified

  • Thorough knowledge of ABC rules and regulations at a City, State and Federal level

  • Ability to work full-time, including on nights and weekends

  • Experience and ability with MS Office Suite (Excel, Word), Google Suite (Docs, Sheets, Calendar), Canva, and Slack

  • Experience and ability with POS and scheduling systems (Toast, Square, Sling)

  • Ability to work on your feet for extended periods of time

  • Ability to lift up to 50 pounds and move full kegs using materials handling equipment

  • Demonstrated ability to work independently, accomplish tasks on time and exceed expectations.

  • Willingness to accomplish “What Is Required” on any given day and able to take direction from supervisors

  • Must be at least 21 years of age

  • Able to stand, walk, and be on feet for prolonged periods

  • Ability to regularly twist, turn, kneel, climb, stoop, bend, crawl, lift, and carry supplies and equipment

  • Ability to comply with and enforce all health, safety, and personal hygiene policies and standards

  • Exceptional customer service skills required

  • Excellent organizational skills and the ability to follow through on projects with minimal supervision required

  • Awesome references & a kick-ass attitude

EXPERIENCE

  • Five or more years of hospitality experience is required, preferably in a cidery/brewery/winery tasting room/taproom setting or bar or restaurant

  • Two or more years of experience at a management level with demonstrated experience managing teams, budgets and sales goals

SKILLS

  • Leadership comes naturally

  • Positive and uplifting attitude

  • Ability to provide feedback to staff that motivates and empowers them to improve

  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills

  • Effective problem solving skills 

  • Excellent attendance & timeliness

  • Strong attention to details

  • Exceptional customer service skills

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

  • This is a full-time, salaried position with an annual salary based on experience

  • There is the potential for a performance bonus of up to 10% of salary, based on individual and company performance

  • The position comes with Paid Time Off (40 hours of vacation time in the first year and 40 hours of paid sick time per year) and access to health, vision and dental insurance, of which the company pays 50% of the cost