Bartender (Downtown Durham)
The Glass Jug is currently seeking a Lead Bartender for our Downtown Durham taproom. This person will bartend full-time, lead our bartending team, and assist the Taproom Manager with administrative duties.
TO APPLY:
If interested, please email a cover letter that tells us:
Why you want to work at the Jug
What you think you’d bring to the team
Send your cover letter, along with your work experience (preferably in résumé form), to katy[at]glass-jug.com. Applications without a cover letter and applications only submitted via Indeed will be discarded.
At The Glass Jug Beer Lab, our primary purpose is to Build Community. We do that by choosing to embody the following characteristics day-in and day-out:
Compassionate
Excited
Friendly
Team Players
Curious
We are passionate about fostering a joyful, healthy, diverse community within our own team and in our neighborhoods. If you’re looking for a work environment that is a little different from the norm, where these things are truly the focus of your day-to-day life, we want to meet you!
MANAGING RESPONSIBILITIES:
This is a new position we have created to help the taproom grow successfully. There is a lot of opportunity for the Lead Bartender to help shape this role in the short term and to grow it into a Head Bartender position over time.
It is noteworthy that bartenders will continue to report directly to the Taproom Manager, as they do now. Bartenders will be encouraged to see the Lead Bartender as a respected resource rather than a supervisor. One of the Lead Bartender’s primary objectives will be to guide and prepare the bartending team for success. Some of the responsibilities tied to achieving that are:
Event Prep: Have a meeting with the Taproom Manager early in each week to receive a download of the week’s upcoming events. Based on the information discussed in that meeting, the Lead Bartender will need to ensure the bar team is set up for success for the upcoming events, including: 1) Communicating with the team in advance of events to prepare them for what to expect day-of. 2) Delegating various prep work tasks that need to be accomplished throughout the week. 3) Putting up all needed marketing materials for upcoming events, including putting up flyers and digital ad boards in the taproom and on community boards throughout downtown Durham.
Restock inventory and bar supplies: This includes keeping track of what is needed, ordering those things, and helping ensure the team is stocking all items on the floor.
Cash management: Once a week, count up and document the bank drop bags. Take all cash to the bank. Swap for smaller bills/coins as needed. This requires a strong attention to detail.
Training: The Lead Bartender will be intimately involved in training all new hires and will also be expected to contribute to the ongoing training of all team members during our quarterly team meetings. It is also appropriate and expected for the Lead Bartender to provide helpful tips to other team members mid-shift in a way that is helpful, but not disciplinary.
Organization: Improves and maintains organization of the taproom.
The Lead Bartender will also be expected to serve as a leader among the bar team. Some of the responsibilities tied to achieving that are:
Bartending full-time.
Being an exemplary bartender who fosters community in our taproom. Leads by example in terms of providing excellent customer service, displays charisma behind the bar, enthusiastic participation in taproom initiatives, gracefully handles busy times, and is a strong critical thinker about how to best use down time.
Serves as a Shift Lead while on the bar clock. Other bartenders can look to the Lead Bartender to help make decisions about how to handle tricky situations with guests, to resolve mid-shift issues with wifi, point of sale, or other systems, to be knowledgeable about the day’s event details, and to make decisions that need to be made in the moment.
HOURS AND COMPENSATION:
Bartending: 5 days a week, for a total of 30-33 hours a week, including frequently during peak hours (Thursday-Sunday, frequent closing shifts). Bartending rate commensurate with experience. It is also noteworthy that The Glass Jug guarantees a minimum earning of $19/hr with hourly rate and tips combined for all employees, averaged over the course of each pay period.
Managing: Some of your managing duties will be accomplished during the bartending hours, and others will be done outside of that time. We estimate you will have roughly 2-5 hours per week outside of bartending that will be compensated at your non-tipped hourly rate of $19/hr.
Total Hours: Our expectation is that the Lead Bartender will work an average of 33-38 hours most weeks with some occasional exceptions. That may change over time as this role evolves.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Age: 21 or older
Proven ability to work in a fast-paced environment
Positive outlook on life and ability to build a good vibe, even in stressful situations
Flexible schedule (evenings, weekends, and some holidays required)
Ability to lift 60 pounds unassisted and stand for extended periods of time
Ability to move 160-pound kegs with the assistance of a teammate/hand truck
Ability to work independently as well as a member of a team
Excellent communication skills
Pass background check (Please let us know if you anticipate things popping up that you’d like to give us context to better understand. We’re reasonable people who believe in second chances.)
Valid driver's license or other means of reliable transportation to work
ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL IN THIS ROLE:
Experience in team leadership. You don’t have to have been a manager in another position, but rather have demonstrated and experienced being a leader among your peers in other roles.
Experience bartending and/or waiting tables (preferably in a fast-paced environment). If you don’t have this specific experience, please let us know what comparable fast-paced work you have done, formally in the workplace or otherwise.
Experience being a critical thinker and self starter. A good Lead Bartender will need to be able to take a long list of tasks, prioritize them, manage their own time, and be able to handle distractions. They will also need to be able to look at a problem and come up with good solutions in the moment.
Knowledge of craft beer, the NC craft beer industry, Cicerone Certified Beer Server certification
Homebrewing or knowledge of the beer making process
SCHEDULE:
Night and weekend availability required
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS:
We believe one piece of building community is creating happiness. We want every person who walks through our doors to walk out a little bit happier than they came in. Of course, that includes our guests… but it also includes our staff. We are very proud of our compensation packages, meticulously designed to improve quality of life for everyone on our team.
Competitive pay
Guaranteed $19/hr minimum policy
Monthly healthcare stipend
Paid time off
Free Telehealth and Mental Health services for employees and everyone in their household
Giftcard each month
Professional development opportunities
Twice annual employee appreciation events
Annual reviews with potential for pay increases.
