Brian Colón
St. Louis,MO
Summary
The initial spark for hotel & restaurants came from having worked for the Hilton organization in Oakland, California. Taking advice from admirable professionals at Hilton led to attending University of Nevada Las Vegas for Food & Beverage. Working for several internationally recognized hospitality groups including The House of Blues in Mandalay Bay (as well as the private club in the Foundation Room), The Flamingo Hotel and Caesar’s Palace, while attending UNLV . Moving to St. Louis in 2005, immediately offered Assistant General Manager at Cicero’s as well as planning events through the Loop Small Business District in University City Loop (Voted to Americas 10 Best Streets in 2008 by the American Planning Association). The beer culture that is thriving today in St. Louis was started through the beer education programs offered at Cicero’s. Wanting to build on elevated service skills, took a position with the opening of a contemporary farm to table restaurant, Prasino in St Charles, MO. Enjoyed working with an extremely talented team headed by Executive Chef and Owner, Tony Marchetto. Took on Prasino’s wine and beer program as well as directing dining service. Passed both Introduction and Certified Sommelier exams through the Court of Master Sommeliers, while at Prasino. transitioned to Food & Beverage Manager for the timeless St. Louis Country Club working with Executive Chef and ACF Culinary Team USA coach, Chef Paul Kampff. In the Spring of 2021, offered a food and beverage management position and opportunity to be able to follow the complete harvest. In the fall, took over as Food Beverage Director for recently opened Le Meridien in Clayton. A Marriott brand hotel. through Crescent Management. Upon taking the position, our ranking has elevated the properties Food & Beverage Guest Rating into the top 5 for the brand within the US and Canada.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
Work History
Director of Food & Beverage
Le Meridien Hotel Clayton
St Louis, MO
10.2021 - Current
- Developed purchasing strategies to create streamlined forecasting and consistent cost of goods sold percentage.
- On site POS expert for updates and new hand held device implementation
- Motivated staff to perform at peak efficiency and quality.
- Emphasis on work culture and development for staff retention and satisfaction.
- Expanded workforce employment net to seek out quality applicants in less familiar circles.
- Updated food & beverage offerings through seasonal branding.
- Build community outreach through non profit local programs.
Food & Beverage Manager
Chandler Hill Vineyards
Defiance, MO
05.2021 - 10.2022
- Followed the wine growing season from bud break through harvest.
- Suggested actionable improvements to streamline training procedures.
- Trained and assisted staff members on refining service
- Identified inefficiencies leading to improved productivity.
- Practiced proper safety and sanitation standards.
- Executed interactive wine dinners for private corporate functions as well as regularly themed wine club pre-fixe dinners
- Interacted with customers to address kitchen-related complaints and praise.
Food & Beverage Manager
St. Louis Country Club
St. Louis, MO
12.2018 - 05.2021
- Private historic club with 550 members.
- Managed 15-20 front of house personnel.
- Impactful Addition- Broadened scope of awareness of our beverage and culinary offerings through weekly ‘food for thought’ emails, monthly written articles and edited videos with emphasis on interesting components ranging from breaking down Ora King Salmon to cocktail creation and history leading to more member engagement and sales.
- Personal Accomplishment- Helped career server with novice wine awareness pass Introduction Sommelier exam through Court of Master Sommeliers.
- Time Management- Comfortable utilizing shared systems and communication software to stay inline with evolving functions and events.
- Dedicated time each day towards staff development and engagement constructing lineup notes for tracking staff progression.
- F&B as well as Service Manager maintaining standards and elevating service for a historical club. Purchaser for alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages. Assembled, stored and disposed of food using proper food handling, labeling and safety techniques. JONAS systems, Club Manager Association of America (CMAA) member, IPS schedule systems, ASANA cloud management.
Operations Manager
Prasino
Saint Charles, MO
01.2014 - 12.2018
- Key Metrics- Averaged 10% growth in wine sales both bottle and by the glass each year. 96% Staff retention during my time there.
- Personal Accomplishment- Took and passed both Introduction and Certified Sommelier exams from Court of Master Sommeliers, during my time at Prasino. I then helped 3 people in my staff pass their Introduction exam and later 2 of those people pass Certified Sommelier exam after I left company.
- 7 million gross sales. Proven track record with continuous training and staff retention.
- Very comfortable in all volume settings as well as with large event and intimate VIP formats.
- Online scheduling, P & L targets met, accurate cost of goods sold monitored monthly created and cultivated dossiers for high spending regulars.
- Devised processes to boost long-term business success and increase profit levels.
- Established positive and effective communication among unit staff and organization leadership, reducing miscommunications and missed deadlines.
Assistant General Manager
Cicero's
St. Louis, MO
05.2005 - 01.2014
- Introduced digital solutions to an analog business model. Including scheduling, food & beverage purchasing, ticket sales, website design.
- Developed social media presence with active engagement.
- Cultivated relationships with surrounding businesses and was involved in putting together several annual festivals through calendar year.
- 6 million gross sales.
- High volume restaurant, multiple bars and small music venue.
- Leadership role managing staff averaging from 15-30 front and back of house, security and sound engineers.
- Maintained well-controlled business inventory with minimal losses by enforcing solid monitoring and management structures.
Special Events Server, Trainer
Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville, Flamingo Hotel
Las Vegas, NV
01.2003 - 01.2005
- Mentored new hires, resulting in stronger staff development and increased productivity.
- Day of event execution
Merchandiser
Southern Glazer's Wine And Spirits
Las Vegas, NV
01.2002 - 01.2003
- Product placement and displays for retail alcoholic beverage stores on my account.
- Planned and coordinated product availability for advertising and promotion purposes.
Server Trainer, Talent Buyer Intern
House of Blues Mandalay Bay
Las Vegas, NV
01.1998 - 01.2002
- Worked in high volume dining well as fine dining service, including Foundation Room on the top floor of the Mandalay Bay.
- Took part in event programming as well as band settlement on day of shows.
- Taught servers to memorize menu ingredients and provide information on preparation methods.
- Discussed proper procedures for requesting identification and provided practice opportunities to trainees.
Education
Hospitality
University of Nevada Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV2003
Skills
- Point of Sale (POS) system operations -Micros, Info Genesis, Toast, Aloha, Clover, Maitre’D and Touch Bistro
- TIPS Alcohol Awareness
- CPR Certified
- Certified Purchaser
- Customer Response
- Restaurant operations
- Organized multi-tasker
- ServSafe
- Microsoft Office
- Certified Sommelier, Court of Master Sommeliers
- Micros POS software
Accomplishments
- Big Brothers & Big Sisters of America- “Big”
- Delta Chi Fraternity- University of Las Vegas Chapter
- Lift for Life Academy - Fundraiser
Additional Information
Food & Beverage Director Le Meridien Clayton
Timeline
Director of Food & Beverage
Le Meridien Hotel Clayton
10.2021 - Current
Food & Beverage Manager
Chandler Hill Vineyards
05.2021 - 10.2022
Food & Beverage Manager
St. Louis Country Club
12.2018 - 05.2021
Operations Manager
Prasino
01.2014 - 12.2018
Assistant General Manager
Cicero's
05.2005 - 01.2014
Special Events Server, Trainer
Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville, Flamingo Hotel
01.2003 - 01.2005
Merchandiser
Southern Glazer's Wine And Spirits
01.2002 - 01.2003
Server Trainer, Talent Buyer Intern
House of Blues Mandalay Bay
01.1998 - 01.2002
Hospitality
University of Nevada Las Vegas