Beverage Director at Forge

The Wine/Beverage Director role at Restaurant Forgione involves managing all beverage operations, including menu creation, handling inventory/ordering, and staff management, while maintaining profitability and high guest satisfaction. Key duties include developing beverage menus, managing budgets and costs, hiring and training staff, ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations, and building strong relationships with suppliers. The role requires a blend of creativity, business acumen, and strong leadership skills to oversee the entire beverage program. 

Liquor and beer are important aspects of our program at Forgione, but wine dominates the sales mix and number of skus.  The ideal applicants knowledge and experience should reflect that.

This role is also a managerial position at Restaurant Forgione, and will be actively involved in working service. 

Key responsibilities

• Menu and product development: Create and implement beverage menus, including cocktails, wine lists, and beer programs, often collaborating with chefs on food pairings. Ensure menus are kept up to date.  Develop recipes and oversee production of items like syrups and garnishes.
• Financial management and profitability: Develop and manage the beverage budget, including forecasting revenue and expenses, controlling costs, and maximizing profitability.  Proactively drill down and play an active role in developing, implementing and maintaining solutions for when the program is off target or is heading in that direction.  Analyze an action plan based on menu sales mix and COGS to increase profitability while maintaining value for our guests.  Negotiate pricing and/or buying strategies for all beverages when possible.  Maintain Bevager ensuring accurate recipes, up to date pricing, portioning, and costing of all beverages prior to going on the menu.  Monitor and reconcile beverage COGS vs. theoretical and budget on a weekly and monthly basis.
• Inventory and purchasing: Oversee beverage ordering, receiving, and inventory management to ensure adequate stock and minimize waste.
• Staff management: Recruit, train, supervise, and evaluate beverage staff, such as bartenders, sommeliers and servers. Conduct pre-shift meetings and provide ongoing coaching.
• Team building: Foster a positive work environment and ensure staff adheres to company policies and standards.

• Training and development: Recruit great people, interview, and select individuals that live our core values and will stop at nothing to serve our guests. Ensures beverage training materials for the team are current, relevant, and adhered to for all existing and new hires.  Train and develop staff at respective locations to ensure beverage knowledge and best service practices are being upheld.  Create and deliver structured regularly scheduled ongoing beverage training.  Meet regularly with the wine & bar teams to ensure projects and tasks are on schedule and completed to high standards.  Coach and mentor head sommeliers (and/or buyers) to create a culture of education, professionalism, wine knowledge, and business acumen.  Create an overarching beverage culture built around sales driven by hospitality and education.

• Quality and service standards: Ensure high-quality and consistent beverage service, including adhering to all recipes and procedures.
• Compliance and safety: Maintain compliance with all food safety, sanitation, and alcohol service regulations, including staff training on proper procedures and responsible service.
• Supplier relations: Manage relationships with vendors and suppliers to negotiate pricing and ensure quality products. 

Required skills and qualifications

• Extensive knowledge of wine, spirits, beer, and cocktail creation.
• Strong financial acumen and budgeting skills.
• Leadership and team-building abilities.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Proven ability to manage multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency with management software, including POS systems.  (Craftable, Sling, Toast, Paylocity, Microsoft Office & Google Docs)
• Experience in the hospitality industry, often with several years of management experience.
• Exude excellence in hospitality both for internal and external guests
• High level of professionalism with a keen sense for positive coaching, mentoring, and management
• Excellent time management, organizational and problem-solving skills
• Ability to adapt and lead through change
• Passion for exceptional hospitality, food and beverages
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment
• Self-driven, results-oriented, and have a solid track record of leading high-caliber, upscale beverage programs at a multi-unit level

Work Conditions

• Work managerial shifts in the restaurants, opening and closing as needed
• May be required to lift, carry, push or pull heavy objects up to 50 lbs
• Kneel, bend or stoop, ascend or descend stairs; reach and grasp objects
• Flexible schedule (days, nights, weekdays, weekends, holidays)