Work Experience
General Merchants 481, Upper Newtownards Rd 7/18- 7/19 Position: Assistant Manager Working in General Merchants over the last year has required me to be using a different skill set- a lot of my previous experience has involved a fair amount of floor management, but given the extremely high level of turnover within the restaurant (500 covers per day at peak times), a lot of my time has been spent focusing and sharpening these skills to ensure smooth operations on all sections whilst still holding to a top-level customer experience and service. I spend most shifts as floor manager, co-ordinating between teams, sections and the kitchen, as well as judging accurately timings and placements of tables to ensure the maximum use of floor space. I have also spent the last six months operating and running evening service Friday and Saturday nights, with a strong focus on improving customer service and streamlining our booking systems (done exclusively through resdiary now), as well as taking on and training staff in all these aspects. Obviously, given the business, I have spent a fair amount of time refining my coffee skills and knowledge also.
Bull & Ram Belfast, University Road 9/17-6/18 Position: Bar Manager Recommended for the job by their bar consultant, my initial role was to come in to set up the bar, train the staff and set up a high-standard cocktail service, including deciding on pricing structures and suppliers to meet the best prices and GPs possible for the business. With this successfully established, I was quickly asked to redesign the Ballynahinch menus and retrain staff to meet the same standards, to create a unifying brand and quality across the two references. I was also tasked with running a bar takeover in Saffron (Derry) to bring our food and drink down, which was fantastically received. Over the last few months, due to a change in the management structure, my responsibilities have increased to include running overall operations in the absence of the general manager, from day-to-day service to staff recruitment, running the floor on weekends and busy nights, book-keeping and management of our social media. Within the last month, we actually picked up Management team of the Year at the IoH awards. With the incredibly high standards of both product and service my team and I were able to deliver, I am incredibly proud of my time with B&R before its unfortunate and unexpected closure.
Gallery Belfast, Dublin Road 5/17-9/17 Position: Bar Manager Brought on board before open, I was set in charge of building a bar team, training, creating a bespoke drinks list from scratch, collaborating with JN wines to pick the wine list and Bacardi Brown to design an expanded, high-end cocktail list and drinks menu, as well as bar setup and design, all orders and stock and GP control (operating a menu with ave. GP of 75%). Within the first month after open, the general manager left, so I have spent the last few months acting up as AGM while the AGM took on GM responsibilities, increasing my responsibilities to senior keyholder, day-to-day management of the floor and kitchen team, events management, cash handling and open/close down procedures.
The Marcus Ward, 1 Bankmore Square 11/2016-5/17 Position: Head bartender Recruited to take over and improve cocktails across the busy Christmas period, I have gained a lot of experience at high volume cocktail work, improving on speed of service through optimisation of bar layouts, batching of products and staff training. I was often expected to take charge of the premises when the GM is not available, lead a small team of skilled staff and have recently been recruited by Proximo Spirits to take part in their #answerthecall program, showcasing exceptional and individual talent in Northern Ireland over the next six months.
The Hudson Bar, 10-14 Gresham St 10/2015-11/2016 Position: department head 10/15-5/16 Bar Supervisor 5/16-11/16 Approached by the directorship to take over and revitalise their whiskey bar and turn into a fully functional cocktail bar, I had the unique opportunity of building a cocktail list and bar from scratch by myself – within four months and after a successful launch, I was able to quadruple week-on-week profits compared with the previous year. Having brought this department up to standard, I was promoted to Supervisor with oversight over our social media presence, streamlining our booking systems, relaunching our event space on the middle floor and day-to-day supervisor work in a very high turnover business, working closely with the head chef and kitchen team as well as the door team.
The Poet, Bar and Grill, Kings Square 03/2011-10/2015 Position: Head Barman 03/11-06/11, Bar Supervisor 06/11-10/13, Assistant Manager 10/13-10/15 Brought in to improve bar sales and standards, I was offered the opportunity to revitalise a part of the business that had been severely lagging, and have brought it up to a standard unrivalled in the area, leading to nominations as finalists with PoU for best new or improved bar, pub of the year and myself as bar person of the year for 2011. I have been responsible for improving service through staff training, bar optimisation and creation of a high-end cocktail list, of which we are now on our fourth-yearly iteration, capitalising on a market that was almost completely untapped within the business, to bringing in over £10000 in sales within its first year.
21 Social, Hill St 10/2010-3/2011 Position: Bar Staff Recruited as part of the VIP bar staff, this reinforced my club experience by requiring me to work high turnover bars whilst upholding the highest standards in cocktails and service.
McCracken’s Cafe-Bar, Joys Entry 8/2008-10/2010 Position: Head Barman 8/08-3/10, Assistant Manager 3/10-10/10 Starting before the bar was actually finished building, I was involved in bar design, layout and implementation from the off, leading to winning Best Style Bar in Fate Awards 2010. Working Club ON on Saturday nights, I was charged with management of large teams of staff across 3 bars, handling capacities up to 600+ with a team of 20+, taking an average of £15k across the bar. I also was trained, and then placed in charge of till programming, cocktail menu design and implementation, including training all other staff in cocktail work I was also a senior keyholder, and involved in recruiting and training of staff, assignment of staff shifts, rotas and bar optimisation.
Ba Mizu, Victoria Square 3/2008-8/2008 Position: Head Barman Again, starting before construction was finished, I was actively involved in design of cocktail menu, setup and implementation of a new bar. Given the placement of the bar within Victoria square, I received extensive experience in coffee work.
The Crown Bar, Great Victoria St 1/2008- 3/2008 Position: Bar Staff Building upon my previous duties, my time in the Crown taught me the importance of standards and presentation within a busy bar, ensuring every pint and drink served is perfect, as well as learning the value of the tourist industry to the trade itself.
The Bridge House, Bedford St 9/2006 – 10/2007 Position: Head Barman 9/06 – 1/07, Senior Bar Supervisor/Cellar Manager 1/07 - 10/07 Within this role in a larger bar and restaurant, I picked up a lot of more experience with dealing with customers, communicating between departments and co-ordinating a large team (20+ staff), discovering my own management style through intensive training in all aspects of the business, from standards in service to quality control and cellar management, as well as cash handling and the importance of brand identity to a successful business.
Union Street Bar (and Shoe Factory), Union St 10/2005 – 2/2006 Position: Bar Staff/Cocktail staff As my first full-time bar job, I learnt the basics of food service, cocktail work and functional flair, and as part of the team for Event Horizon was involved in running an extremely high-capacity bar (1000+ at the time) with a large turnover, building on my club experience and dealing with customers and situations under high pressure.
The Venue, Bar and Restaurant , Bruce St 1/2003 – 1/2008 Position: Bar staff 1/03 - 1/04, Supervisor 1/04 - 9/06, Senior Supervisor 9/06 – 1/08 Starting as bar staff, I quickly discovered a passion for the job which, on a club bar generally consisting of two bar staff at one time with a capacity of 300+, allowed me to learn how to quickly and effectively serve large crowds and taught me the value of communication and the importance of a strong team to an effective nightclub.
Comentarios