Lead Bartender

Overview

Lamuse d’Or is seeking an experienced Lead Bartender to join our opening team and play an important hands-on role in developing, launching, and maintaining our bar and beverage program. This is an hourly bartending position for someone who enjoys being behind the bar, leading through example, and helping build a beverage program from the ground up.

The Lead Bartender will work closely with restaurant and culinary leadership during pre-opening to help develop cocktails, organize the bar, establish recipes and standards, prepare opening inventory and pars, assist with training, and ensure the bar is fully ready for service. Once open, the Lead Bartender will work regular bartending shifts while serving as a knowledgeable operational resource for the bar team.

Responsibilities

Pre-Opening & Beverage Program Development

• Work closely with restaurant and culinary leadership to help develop and launch the opening beverage program.
• Assist in developing and documenting cocktail recipes, specifications, preparation methods, garnishes, glassware, presentation standards, and recipe costing.
• Provide input on spirits, wine, beer, cocktails, and non-alcoholic beverage selections.
• Help establish opening inventory requirements, beverage pars, storage organization, labeling, and bar setup standards.
• Assist with bar OS&E, including tools, glassware, smallwares, storage items, and operating supplies.
• Work with approved vendors and distributors as directed to coordinate product information, samples, and opening needs.
• Assist with beverage pricing recommendations, menu information, POS setup details, and recipe documentation.
• Help develop practical prep, opening, closing, side-work, cleaning, inventory-count, transfer, and waste procedures.
• Participate in beverage tastings, staff education, recipe practice, mock services, and opening rehearsals.
• Help ensure the bar is fully stocked, organized, cleaned, tested, and service-ready before opening.

Lead Bartender Responsibilities

• Work scheduled bartending shifts and provide polished, attentive guest service.
• Set the example for approved recipes, pours, preparation techniques, garnishes, glassware, presentation, organization, and hospitality standards.
• Help coordinate daily bar setup, preparation, stocking, side work, and closing tasks.
• Maintain strong working knowledge of cocktails, spirits, wine, beer, non-alcoholic beverages, and the restaurant menu.
• Serve as a knowledgeable resource for bartenders and service staff on beverage recipes, products, preparation, and service standards.
• Help maintain recipe books, prep lists, garnish standards, product information, and beverage training materials.
• Monitor working pars and communicate ordering or replenishment needs to restaurant management.
• Assist with receiving, storage, physical inventory counts, transfers, waste logs, breakage, and product organization.
• Identify beverage-quality, inventory, equipment, cleanliness, or service issues and communicate them promptly to management.
• Suggest seasonal beverages, menu ideas, product changes, and operational improvements for management review.
• Support private events, tastings, special programming, and other restaurant needs as required.

Leadership & Team Support

The Lead Bartender serves as a senior, hands-on member of the bar team and leads through example, technical knowledge, organization, teamwork, and consistent execution of service standards.

• Assist restaurant management with hands-on training and onboarding of bartenders and service staff.
• Demonstrate approved recipes, techniques, preparation methods, and service standards.
• Provide practical peer support and coaching during preparation and service.
• Help conduct beverage tastings, recipe reviews, and product-knowledge training.
• Communicate training needs, recurring standards issues, and operational concerns to restaurant management.
• Promote a positive, professional, accountable, and team-oriented bar environment.

Guest Experience

• Deliver personalized and attentive hospitality consistent with Lamuse d’Or’s service standards.
• Guide guests confidently through cocktails, spirits, wine, beer, and non-alcoholic selections.
• Maintain appropriate pacing, precise beverage presentation, professional communication, and attention to guest preferences.
• Handle routine guest concerns professionally and involve restaurant management when additional assistance is needed.
• Support consistent beverage service between the bar and dining room.

Responsible Service & Bar Standards

• Follow all responsible alcohol-service requirements, company policies, and applicable laws.
• Maintain required alcohol-service certification(s) designated by the company.
• Maintain exceptional cleanliness, sanitation, organization, labeling, storage, and product-security standards.
• Follow approved procedures for receiving, transfers, waste, comps, spills, breakage, and inventory handling.
• Promptly communicate safety, compliance, equipment, security, or operational concerns to restaurant management.

Qualifications

• - TIPS Certified
• - Comprehensive knowledge of food safety regulations and practices
• - Strong mathematical skills for accurate bill calculation, cash handling, and making change
• - Familiarity with various types of alcoholic beverages
• - Proficiency in operating point-of-sale systems is advantageous
• - Excellent communication and interpersonal skills for effective interaction with customers and team members
• - Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and handle multiple tasks simultaneously
• - Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as required
• - Complete knowledge of mixology; and have a minimum of 4 years experience with craft cocktails

Working Environment/Physical Demands:

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by a team member to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
• While performing the duties of this job, the team member is regularly required to walk and stand, 8+ hours per day, and may have exposure to basic cleaning supply chemicals.
• The team member is occasionally required to climb and use balance. Additionally, they will frequently be asked to use their hands and arms to reach, carry, pull, and lift up to 25 lbs.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and peripheral vision. 
• The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those a team member encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.
• While performing the duties of this job, the team member will experience temperature fluctuations (rain, wind, heat, humidity), and moderate to high noise levels.