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Job Description:

Bar Prep - Merchant - Madison, WI

Merchant, located at 121 S. Pinckney St. in Madison, WI, is seeking an elite crew of bar preps to join our team.

 

Rule No. One Hospitality Group opened Merchant in late 2010 as a café, a shop, and a late night craft cocktail bar specializing in no-nonsense, modestly priced, seasonal fare that reflects the ingredients and burgeoning culture of Madison, Wisconsin.  Here we celebrate our neighborhood, the First Settlement District, steeped in history, quality, authenticity, style, and entertainment.  The idea has flourished as Merchant has become a Madison institution and a stage for showcasing some of the best bartending and culinary talent in the city with a distinctive menu steeped in the classic American repertoire.  Now, in 2022, we are rebuilding and reimagining Merchant for the new decade with a state-of-the-art renovation featuring aviation-style windows, new finishes and wraparound seating. This will be an opportunity to rebuild not only with new decor and menu, but a culture that celebrates our hospitality group's mission to create spaces for treating each other and ourselves well.  You will be working with a chef team led by some of Madison's top talent, including Chef Matt Schieble who has spent time in multiple Michelin-starred kitchens and General Manager Maggie Roovers, a 2019 James Beard Award semi-finalist.

The Bar Prep position is a critical engine behind the scenes of the bar setting us up for success.  This includes setting up the bar, coolers, crates, and shelves with liquor/batches and tools necessary for service.  All areas must be kept sanitary, tidy, and clean. Daily communication to the opening bartender is paramount as well as completing necessary bar checklists.

 

Bar Setup

  • Setup all juices, fruit cuts,  garnishes, syrups, lowboy coolers, and tools for opening shift according to the checklist.  Dispose of anything that is not vibrant and fresh.

 

Stocking

  • Restock beer coolers, backup liquor, and wine for service

  • Communicate anything that is 86’d or running low, etc. to opening bartender, Lead Bar Prep, and Opening Bartender

  • Make sure proper glassware is at all wells and stocked accordingly 

 

Cleaning & Checklists

  • Maintain clean workspace and organization of prep areas, storage, coolers and bar in preparation for service

  • Assist with any additional cleaning onsite as needed and report to the Lead Bar Prep if cleaning tasks at night are not getting properly taken care of

  • The Bar Prep position’s role is never completed in full until all bar areas are clean, tidy, and set up for service on a daily basis and all opening/closing/cleaning checklists are completed in full

    • This may require longer hours on specific days as needed

 

Receiving

  • Signoff incoming stock, refusing broken items, and reporting all missing alcohol products to the Lead Bar Prep immediately for any reason.

    • ALWAYS properly filing & organizing invoices in the designated place

  • Shelf product accordingly, placing anything that does not fit on the shelves nicely in the upper shelving over the banquet seating

Reporting: 

The role will report directly to the Bartenders, Bar Leads, Assistant General Manager and General Manager of Merchant.

Benefits:

  • Competitive wages

  • A flexible and predictable schedule that is posted two weeks in advance

  • 50% dining discount for you and your friends and family

  • A free and healthy GF Vegetarian or Regular staff meal

  • 50% off all food and beverage, 15% off retail items

  • Access to Merchant's online classroom with training materials, recipes, and checklists.  After full orientation, we offer weekly paid training opportunities to taste wine, spirits and food with industry experts

  • Our mission is centered around treating each other and ourselves well through our love of food, drink, and community.

  • Sustainability must be possible and attainable in our industry!

  • All employees are offered health, dental and vision insurance

  • Paid time off

  • 401k contribution

  • The chance to work in a brand new clean facility with state of the art new equipment

  • The chance to contribute to one of the most dynamic restaurant groups in the region

Our ideal Bar Prep has the following attributes:

  • Bartending experience is a plus

  • Basic Knowledge of Bar Tools and Products

  • Ability to focus; Attention to detail and quality 

  • Able to thrive in a team environment as a reliable and trustworthy player.

  • Consistency in your work is key.

  • Punctuality & Time Management. Your timeliness directly affects the bar operations, and in turn, the entire restaurant.

  • Reliability. Your role sets the stage for service and the entire Team needs to be able to depend on you.

  • ​Awareness and communication.  Be vocal and communicative, communicating to managers and the bar team.

  • Be impeccably clean, neat and tidy in their personal appearance and also in their working habits. Must adhere to the uniform policy outlined upon hire

  • Also maintain the highest standards of hygiene in their workplace.  Sanitation is a vital aspect of working in the kitchen, equal to the ability to prep. 

  • Self motivated and respectful.  Respect across the kitchen team, FOH and bar, with caring for not only the employees but also the food and the process. 

  • Embody the organizational mission and caring, inclusive, and authentic values in terms of who we are and what we believe (outlined below).

  • Hustle. Moving faster on your feet makes everything get done quicker. If everything gets done quicker than you are ahead and can have more fun.

  • Learn. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Bar Prep are future Bartenders.  The bar team will work and teach you about products, recipes, and techniques.

Our Values:

  • Inclusivity.  We will establish a culturally diverse and  inclusive environment, one that specifically supports minorities, all genders, and those historically underrepresented in our industry.

  • Humility. We are modest about capabilities, admit mistakes, and create the space for others to contribute.

  • Effective Collaboration. We are a team centered around positivity, that stands for one message which involves empowering others, empathizing with each other, and uplifting others as a collective.

  • Respect and Justice / Health and Well-Being. All team members need to be treated respectfully and fairly.  This pertains to equity in pay, and specific attention to physical/mental health, well-being and safety.

  • Positivity and Love of Food and Community. Cooking and serving others is a powerful act of caring and love for one another.  Let us work together to bring our community together through the power of food and drink

Pay Rate: $17-21/hr, inclusive of tip-out

Merchant is an equal opportunity employer, with a mission to support women, Black, LGBTQ+ applicants.  As an organization, we support a minimum wage of $16/hour.

RNO is a mission-driven lifestyle company dedicated to creating spaces for celebrating and treating each other and ourselves well.  We seek to provide warm, fun and an endlessly interesting mix of inspired programming that challenges, invigorates and delights our guests by celebrating our craft, who we are, what we do and what we believe. As a community-driven hospitality management organization, we are active in social causes supporting women, Black, LGBTQ+, and Indigenous communities everywhere. Cook It Forward is a non-profit advocacy arm of Rule No One Hospitality, Inc. with a mission to address ongoing inequities in our food systems. We are all working collectively on social entrepreneurship, social equity, and social justice-- one meal at a time.

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Bar Prep - Merchant - Madison, WI

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