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About Us
El Lopo is a 50-seat neighborhood bar with a major emphasis on sherry, vermouth, and Spanish-inspired bar snacks using local ingredients. We opened in March of 2019 with a very small team, and have grown steadily over the years with a very low turnover rate. Most of our beverage sales are wines by the glass, but we do take a lot of pride in both our food and our low-proof cocktail program as well. While we do get the occasional pub crawl or spillover crowds from rowdier bars nearby, our everyday clientele appreciate a more thoughtful and curated (but never pretentious) atmosphere, and we work hard to earn loyal regulars and make them feel appreciated.
About You
Above all, you have superb people skills. You understand that when you're on the floor, it's like you're on stage - and a core function of your job is to keep your audience engaged. That doesn't have to mean juggling lemons, but you need to be able to make a human connection with customers and not let them feel like you're reading from a script. That also should apply to your interactions with other staff. You lead through motivation rather than fear, and people reporting to you feel inspired to work hard and hold high standards.
You are genuinely passionate about good food and beverages. You don't need to be a sommelier or a mixologist - we can teach you about the drinks we serve - but you'll only be able to learn if you can get excited about tasting and describing them. That being said, coming in with some solid wine knowledge as well as cocktail experience would be a major plus. You also appreciate slow food, and see the value in using local and seasonal ingredients. To this end, prior experience working in a respectable Bay Area restaurant would be a plus as well.
You have internalized the work ethic that is necessary for the service industry. You can hurry without rushing, you anticipate others' needs (both customers and coworkers), and you always finish what you start. While you're working on one task, you know what your next task is going to be, and can re-prioritize effectively when circumstances change and something new falls on your plate. If you see something needs to be done and you know how to do it, you don't wait for someone to ask you to do it. You're not above getting your hands dirty, and always strive for a clean workspace.
The Job
This is primarily a lead bartender/server role with some management responsibilities. Initially, expect to spend about 24 hours per week in service, and about 8 hours per week on admin work and beverage prep/development. As the summer months are typically a slower time for us, we’re hoping for someone who is okay starting out with fewer hours but can go up to 40-45 hours per week when things pick up in the fall.
Once you’re settled in and fully operational as a server and bartender, you’ll be in charge of our front of house (currently a team of four). That includes scheduling, coaching on points of service, and overseeing execution of opening, closing, and side work. You’ll also have creative input on the beverage menu (including a couple of bar snacks), which changes frequently and will give you plenty of opportunities to innovate.
To a certain extent you’ll be able to create your own schedule, as long as our goals for labor cost and service standards are being met. Since the owner is closely involved, he can always stand in as the manager when you aren’t around.
Since this is mostly a tipped position, your paycheck can vary depending on sales, but we’ve found that it averages out to around $33 per hour across all seasons and days of the week. We also have a company health plan, with up to half of your monthly cost covered. You’ll get a shift meal and a shift drink each day that you work, and half off our menu when you aren’t working.
Responsibilities include:
-Hiring, training, and coaching front of house staff to maintain a high standard of service
-Scheduling staff and staying within labor cost goals
-Overseeing prep and execution of the cocktail program
-Keeping up beverage inventory and staying within pour cost goals
-Making edits to the menu and updating buttons in our point of sale system as needed
-Maintaining a schedule of side work tasks and delegating to other front-of-house staff as needed to ensure that the bar stays clean
-Creating and implementing organization systems that:
-optimize use of space within the business premises,
-facilitate access to supplies and other resources in order to promote efficient work, and
-minimize clutter and improve the visual appeal of the premises
-Tracking use of supplies and re-ordering as needed
-Identifying maintenance needs in the front of house and reporting as needed
-Meeting regularly with the owner and chef to ensure alignment of vision in the business
Physical requirements:
-regularly required to stand up for 8 hours at a time
-occasionally required to bend, climb, or reach
-occasionally required to lift up to 50 pounds
Interested?
Please reply directly to this post with your resume attached. In the body of your email, please include a few sentences (one paragraph max) on why you're interested in working at El Lopo and why you'd be a good fit for our team. Please don't call the bar or show up without a scheduled interview. Once we've had a chance to review your application, we'll follow up to schedule a brief phone interview.
