Sommelier

The Sommelier’s job is to motivate & mentor staff’s wine knowledge, inspire & delight our guests with their wine service, and commit themselves to fostering an environment of excellence in food, wine, and service. Duties include: resolving guest issues, making menu suggestions, delivering food & drinks, describing the dishes to guests, recommending wine selections, overseeing service staff, monitoring guest satisfaction, and maintaining the flow of service throughout the dining room. Must be pleasant, conscientious, and professional with excellent knowledge of food & alcoholic beverage selections and service standards. Must be able to operate effectively as part of a team, communicate clearly, ensure smooth service operations, and provide quality service.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Understand and perform job duties to the expectations of BHC and the restaurant Service, Food, Beverage, and Wine manuals.
• Recommends and sells wine to guests on the floor.
• Responsible for inventory and maintenance of the wine cellar.
• Oversees and assists the entire front-of-house team with all elements of service. Takes ownership of their station, knowing the names and preferences of their tables, greeting, seating, running, bussing, re-setting, etc.
• Executes and facilitates service in cooperation with other Sommeliers, Captains, and managers. Facilitates the communication between the FOH & BOH.
• Describes dinner features as needed, including menu changes and daily additions.
• Follows through and communicates with the Management team/Chef on VIP procedures and special requests.
• Conducts continuous wine training with the service team and provides complete training for all new hires.
• Participate in Pre-Shift meetings and learn new menu items, and present changes to the team.
• Welcome all guests and ensure guests receive responsive, professional, and gracious service at all times.
• Describes dinner features as needed (including changes and additions).
• Answer any questions about the menu, specific food items, the wine list, or any other inquiries the guest may have.
• Liaise with the server to ensure communication at all times about the wants and needs of guests.
• Understand the order taken by the server and any changes in the menu, dietary restrictions, food allergies, etc.
• Assists the Chef in expediting the food to the dining room.
• Ensure that all food and products are consistently prepared and served according to the restaurant’s standards.
• Maintain a clean, safe environment at all times in the Dining Room and all service stations.
• Fully understand and comply with all federal, state, county, and municipal regulations that pertain to health, safety, and labor requirements of the restaurant colleagues and guests.

SUPPORTIVE FUNCTIONS:

In addition to performing the essential functions, this position may be required to perform a combination of the following supportive functions, with the percentage of time performing each function to be solely determined by the manager based upon the particular requirements of the restaurant.

Training: take full responsibility for training new colleagues assigned by management, mentoring their wine knowledge, and monitoring their performance during the first 90 days of employment. Also, develop and execute an ongoing training program for existing staff members.

Supervising: Supervise restaurant operation during service, maintaining full control of the sections assigned, and monitoring guest satisfaction concerning wine. When needed, coach and counsel staff members in a constructive fashion to ensure high-quality service. Work with management in documenting employee performance for disciplinary action when needed.

Service Support: Support the servers, bussers, and food runners in all aspects of service, including (but not limited to):

• Carefully inspecting the room prior to opening to ensure 100% compliance with setup standards and cleanliness
• Monitoring the staff presentation
• Greeting guests, presenting the menu, and taking orders
• Delivering food, with special attention to tableside service
• Recommend, retrieve, and open wine following the restaurant’s wine service standards
• Follow the directions of management in handling VIPs, and supervise that the server assigned performs the VIP instructions thoroughly
• Monitoring guest satisfaction and obtaining feedback from patrons
• Recording all information of the night and filling the log meticulously
• Any other tasks assigned by management.

SPECIFIC JOB KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

The individual must possess the following knowledge, skills, and abilities and be able to explain and demonstrate that he or she can perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some other combination of knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Must be able to speak, read, write, and understand the primary language(s) used in the workplace.
• Must be able to read and write to facilitate the communication process.
• Requires good communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Must possess basic computational ability.
• Must possess basic computer skills. Must have complete knowledge of the POS system.
• Knowledge of the appropriate table settings and service ware.
• Ability to describe all menu items, prices, and methods of preparation. And to use suggestive selling techniques to encourage the guests to choose items that are house specialties.
• Must have complete knowledge of and use the service guidelines outlined in the Front Server Manual.
• Must have complete knowledge of products and specifications that are outlined in the dinner menu matrix and the cuisine, beverage, and wine manual.
• Further duties not currently listed in this outline may be added at the manager’s discretion.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Minimum 3-4 years of fine dining leadership experience. Knowledge of service and food and beverage, generally involving at least 5 total years of dining room service experience and thorough knowledge of fine dining, service procedures, and functions.
• Cleanliness, organization, and the ability to work well in a team situation are crucial to this position.
• Extensive Food and Wine knowledge
• Must be minimum age to serve alcohol.
• High school or equivalent education required.
• Applicants must possess a strong dedication toward learning and motivation to progress in a fine dining environment.
• Possess excellent basic math skills and have the ability to operate a cash register POS system and Microsoft-based computer systems.
• Familiarity with the Microsoft Office Suite of products and strong financial acumen.
• Must be impeccably groomed, maintain good hygiene, good posture, and have the required uniform and tools.
• Responsive to constructive feedback from Chefs and Managers.
• MS Level II certification is preferred.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by a Sommelier to successfully perform the essential functions of this job:

• Most work tasks are performed indoors. Temperature is moderate and controlled by restaurant environmental systems; however, must be able to work in extreme temperatures like freezers (-10°F) and kitchens (+110°F), possibly for one hour or more.
• Must be able to stand and exert well-paced mobility for a minimum of 8 hours.
• Must be able to exert well-paced ability to maneuver between functions occurring simultaneously.
• Must be able to exert well-paced ability to reach other departments of the restaurant on a timely basis.
• Must be able to lift trays of food or food items weighing up to 30 lbs. on a regular and continuing basis.
• Must be able to push and pull carts and equipment weighing up to 250 lbs. frequently.
• Must be able to exert well-paced ability in a limited space and to reach other locations of the building on a timely basis.
• Must be able to exert well-paced ability in a limited space.
• Must be able to bend, stoop, squat, and stretch to fulfill cleaning tasks.
• Requires grasping, writing, standing, sitting, walking, repetitive motions, bending, climbing, listening, hearing, and visual acuity.
• Talking and hearing occur continuously in the process of communicating with guests, supervisors, and subordinates.
• Vision occurs continuously, with the most common visual functions being those of near vision and depth perception.
• Requires manual dexterity to use and operate all necessary equipment.
• While performing the duties of this job, the Sommelier is regularly required to stand, walk, sit, talk, or hear.
• Frequently, it is required to use arms & hands to finger, reach, handle or feel objects, tools and controls. Sommelier is occasionally required to stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl.
• The Sommelier must be able to lift and/or move up to 30 pounds, be able to work in a standing position for long periods of time, and be able to safely lift and easily maneuver plates, cases of water, chairs, and dining room tables.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

BHC is an equal employment opportunity employer.  Employment decisions are based on merit and business needs, and are not based on race, color, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), citizenship status, national origin, ancestry, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, marital status, veteran status, uniformed service, political affiliation, genetic information, or any other factor or characteristic protected by applicable law. BHC participates in E-Verify.