Tasting Room Manager

Tasting Room Manager

Healdsburg, CA

Leap Solutions Group is partnering with luxury brand, family-owned Russian River Valley, Arista Winery in their search for an experienced, dynamic, and hospitality-focused leader to join their team as their new Tasting Room Manager. The ideal candidate will have in-depth knowledge and a passion for fine wine, and have a real and genuine desire to be a part of a team that is dedicated to delivering excellence in each and every bottle they sell and each and every winery experience. They will demonstrate a strong track record of managing a team and have a love for hospitality.

The Tasting Room Manager will oversee and manage all aspects of the Tasting Room while providing hands-on exceptional customer service, focusing on relationship building, developing a deep understanding of Arista wines, driving sales, and maximizing profitability. This role reports to the Director of Hospitality.

Tasting Room Leadership 50%

The Tasting Room Manager will need to be flexible, adaptable, organized, collaborative, self-motivated, and possess exceptional customer service skills. They will be expected to make fans of new visitors and engage our A-List members to ensure long-term membership and incremental sales. They must be self-managed, and an effective leader with a natural ability to inspire others.

• Supervise staff following Company policy and applicable Federal, State, and local applicable laws.

· Lead the tasting room team to achieve financial goals through mentoring, training, and feedback.

· Develop and maintain a professional, customer service-oriented staff, focused on brand ambassadorship, sales, and A-list membership.

· Be an example of exceptional customer service and ensure all guests that visit the estate have a wonderful experience from start to finish.

· Hire, train, manage, and schedule staff.

· Appraise performance, reward, and discipline employees.

· Address staff complaints and resolve problems.

· Schedule onsite and offsite trainings, including vineyard visits, winemaker tastings, and more.

· Exemplify standards of genuine and attentive customer service.

· Ensure the Arista presentation is consistent in quality for every guest and experience.

· Partner with Events Director to staff events, showing the same commitment to exceptional event experiences that is given to tasting experiences.

· Continually innovate and create Arista experiences that represent the brand and that engage A-List members.

• Supervise staff following Company policy and applicable Federal, State, and local applicable laws.

Financial and Business Acumen 30%

A primary focus of the Tasting Room Manager will be driving revenue and sales growth; expense, cost, and margin control; and monthly, quarterly, and annual financial goal management through detailed reporting and forecasting. The Tasting Room Manager is responsible for achieving the financial goals of the Tasting Room business.

· Participate in interdepartmental planning and work cross-functionally to improve processes within the company.

· Create innovative programs that attract new guests and create ambassadors for Arista.

· Lead the execution of annual operating goals, revenue goals, and profit targets.

· Monitor daily, weekly, and monthly progress toward annual goals.

· Write annual budgets and adhere to them as a business plan.

· Analyze monthly P&L results and review with supervisor, identifying successes and opportunities.

· Research and take initiatives to increase wine sales, conversion to A-List membership, and guest engagement at a higher tier/luxury experience.

· Complete monthly Key Performance Indicator charts; look for trends and opportunities.

· Be a partner to the A-List Concierge and the Events Director and be fully invested in the success of their departments.

Operations 20%

The Tasting Room Manager will oversee the operations that are necessary to create exceptional guest experiences.

• Maintain all DTC software, systems, and databases.

· Utilize POS system to transact sales.

· Manage and reconcile all inventory.

· Delegate and oversee necessary daily duties and projects with the Tasting Room Staff

· Ensure tasting room grounds are consistently maintained, cleaned, and welcoming, reflecting the standards of the Arista brand.

· Ensure tasting room and inventory areas are clean, neat, and stocked; ensure displays are attractive and maintained.

· Maintain inventory of wine and merchandise and all front-of-house supplies.

• Maintain point of sale materials (signage, wine lists, menus, sandwich boards, etc.).
• Ensure all necessary equipment (dishwashers, refrigerators, carts, iPads, points of sale, etc.) is in working order and/or replaced as needed.

QUALIFICATIONS
· Must have deep knowledge of wine, AVAs, vineyard management, and wine production. Formal education and/or certifications in wine and/or viticulture preferred.

· A desire for creating outstanding and memorable hospitality experiences.

· Proven ability to be an effective, innovative, and enthusiastic leader with a natural ability to inspire others.

· Exhibit and authentically possess passion, optimism, positivity, and a drive to achieve company goals.

· Natural people skills, with a proven ability to communicate effectively and collaborate well with other employees. An inclination to be a proactive partner in support of the success of others.

· Establish priorities, work independently, and proceed with objectives without supervision.

· Have a strong sense of interpersonal awareness, relationship management, and influencing skills.

· Excellent organization and time management skills.

· Work independently without supervision, as well as part of small groups and teams.

· Strong analytical, creative, and critical thinking skills.

· Financial literacy including an ability to write budgets and analyze business results.

· Database management and high-level guest service skills.

· Strong computer skills (Microsoft Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, and Excel).

· Outstanding customer service skills.

· Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

· Exceptional eye for detail and ability to follow through with projects.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Minimum of 3 to 5 years related retail, winery, or hospitality management and sales experience.
• Four-year college degree or equivalent.

SCHEDULE

The Tasting Room Manager is required to work a minimum of one weekend day per week. Hours are approximately 8am to 5pm, or until work is complete. They will also work some event nights, A-List parties, and all holidays for which the Arista Tasting Room is open. Actively working on the floor hosting guests and interacting with customers is a requirement.

· Friday and Saturday: Host tasting experiences, interact with guests, and supervise and train staff.

· Tuesday through Thursday: Conduct back-of-house operations and general administrative tasks; host tables as necessary

Please direct all job inquiries to Leap Solutions Group.

Job Type: Full-time

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Weekend availability

Work Location: One location