Head Bartender

La Josie, a family-owned Bib Gourmand Mexican restaurant on Randolph Row, has been serving family recipes and supporting the best agave distillers from all regions of Mexico since May of 2017. In just a few short years, La Josie has become a beloved destination to eat, drink, and socialize in the West Loop. Besides our exceptional food menu, we pride ourselves on our unparalleled Agave program and One of the most meticulously-crafted cocktail menus in Chicago, we are constantly experimenting, refining, and learning more about the indigenous agave distillates of Mexico.

La Josie is looking for a passionate, experienced bar lead to help with just that. As the head of one of Chicago’s premier Agave bar programs, you should be a skilled bartender with exceptional managerial and communicative capabilities. Besides taking over the standard administrative duties of a bar manager (maintaining the bar inventory, oversee day to day operations, communicating with reps, etc.), we are looking for someone who will develop new cocktails, dive deeper into the intricacies of Mexican agave production, and will be excited to share this knowledge with our team and our guests.

Requirements

• Motivated, innovative, creative, and growth-oriented
• Good knowledge of classic cocktails, general bar experience, well disciplined organization manner, special attention to detail regarding organization, be able to keep inventory, 1-2 days of admin work
• 3+ years of bartender experience
• 1-2 years of managerial experience preferred
• Bilingual, Spanish required
• Familiarity with Mexican cuisine and agave, and/or a willingness to learn more

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Using BevSpot to maintain the bar inventory
• Building daily and weekly orders for bar produce - beer, wine, and spirits
• Establishing pars
• Ensuring that receiving and stocking procedures are in-place and adhered to
• Creating and adjusting the Bar Prep schedule as needed (in consultation with the FOH scheduler)
• Proposing and developing new cocktails and seasonal beer and wine pairings
• Encouraging staff creativity and experimentation (within reason)
• Scheduling and attending tasting with reps
• Understanding and balancing the needs of our bar program (we don’t need to taste every Spirit or wine that comes to market)
• Maintaining the Bar Bible and ensuring that the bar staff is adhering to the duties listed therein
• daily side work, weekly deep cleaning, pars, recipes, etc.
• Keeping up-to-date with agave spirit knowledge
• Working with FOH to train FOH staff on general agave knowledge, new additions to the back bar, new wines, beers, etc.
• Training new bar staff on day-to-day operations and expectations
• Managing the floor during service
• Being prepared to handle managerial decisions behind the bar (responsible alcohol service, cash management, bartender duties, comp tabs, shift drink tabs, etc.)
• working with the FOH and other floor managers to ensure all FOH staff are performing their duties and creating a great environment for our guests
• performing closing tasks and helping other floor managers to check out FOH staff at the end of a shift
• Displaying professional leadership and communication skills
• Helping cultivate and maintain an inclusive, positive and safe working environment for the entire staff
• Using,Slack to stay in constant communication with our team
• Being an integral part of our management team and consulting with Pepe, FOH, office and event management on all aspects of restaurant operations
• Maintaining bar equipment
• Ensuring deep cleaning and general maintenance of the bar itself, bar prep area, draft lines, cocktail kegs, slushie machine, coolers, tools, etc.
• Bartending!
• 3-4 shifts behind the bar (1-2 admin days/wk as needed in consultation with Pepe)
• Leading the bar team by example

Minimum Qualifications

• Servsafe certifications
• Ability to handle stress under pressure
• Willingness to maintain a clean, safe, and healthy work environment
• Ability to coordinate multiple activities with attention to detail
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision
• Familiarity with Toast and Slack is preferred

Physical Demands and Work Environment

• Ability to be flexible and open-minded about job demands
• Ability to move or handle equipment throughout the restaurant (generally between 0-50 lbs.)
• Ability to work varied schedules, as business dictates
• Ability to stand for 8-10 hours a day

La Josie is an equal opportunity employer. If you are innovative, have a knack for business, like to be challenged, and like the sound of this opportunity, please submit your resume and cover letter. We look forward to hearing from you!