Claire Nafziger
Denver,CO
Summary
Driven, passionate hospitality professional who desires to work in a positive, challenging, creative environment in which food & beverage quality, sustainability, education and pride is of utmost importance to the management, staff and guests. Has opened over 50 restaurants for different companies around the United States, has strong training & nutrition background and over 25 years experience in the hospitality industry.
Overview
22
22
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Regional Hospitality Manager
Ring On Hook
06.2022 - Current
- Consultant for new restaurant openings around the country
- Develop training programs for restaurants and hotels
- Assist in operations, employee retention and culture building
- Operate restaurants, coffee shops, and retail in a consultant role
- Assist with hiring and pre-opening for restaurants and hotels
- Increase customer service ratings significantly through personable service.
- Investigate guest challenges and sources of dissatisfaction to offer timely resolution.
- Establish and uphold high standards, promoting great customer service and assistance to guests.
- Plan and execute marketing activities to improve property brand and increase revenue.
Nutritional Education & Training Manager
True Food Kitchen
10.2012 - 05.2022
- Responsible for organizing and facilitating all new restaurant openings for True Food Kitchen across the country.
- Responsible for training and inspiring hourly team members across 40+ locations - primary focus on certifying trainers, creating/updating seasonal training materials, creating/updating digital platform training materials and facilitating incentive programs for trainers across all 40+ locations.
- Taught food safety sanitation classes for managers & chefs as a Certified ServSafe Food Safety Instructor & Proctor.
- Worked with chef innovation team on seasonal recipe development, certified in ESHA Genesis professional - calculates nutritional data for each seasonal menu rollout.
- Worked with marketing team/digital marketing on menu design, highlighting seasonal menu items, and guest relations.
- Strong nutrition background - worked directly with athletes and school programs to develop meal planning services.
Bar Manager
Shazz Café and Bar
05.2009 - 08.2011
- Maximized customer service by training staff, overseeing operations, and resolving issues.
- Created effective employee schedules maintaining coverage at peak times and minimizing labor costs.
- Crafted special drink and cocktail menu items for seasonal offerings.
- Guaranteed optimal beverage stock by assessing inventory and collaborating with owners for corrective action planning to limit expenses.
- Improved customer service rankings by resolving issues quickly and accurately.
- Strategized plans to increase bar revenue through innovative promotional concepts, specialty drinks, and customer-focused events.
- Maintained high standards of customer service by staying up to date on bar and menu options and providing effective food recommendations for guests.
Traveling Trainer, Market Trainer for SW Region of US, In-house Director of Training, Bartender, Server
PF Changs China Bistro
01.2002 - 07.2008
- Extensive experience with customer service, 2 yrs bartending experience, participated in 15 new restaurant openings throughout US (California, New York, Arizona, Connecticut, New Mexico, Hawaii, Colorado, etc.) Participated in meetings at corporate headquarters as representative for SW region
- Interviewed prospective employees, wrote training schedules, completed paperwork and orientation for new hires, oversaw testing and development of new trainees and trainers.
- Collaborated with management to identify company training needs and scheduling.
- Monitored employee progress and gave feedback to management and additional training requirements.
- Developed engaging and entertaining presentations to maintain employee attention and improve impact of training.
- Conducted evaluations and observed employee performance to identify areas of needed improvement.
Education
Master Nutrition Therapy Certification - Holistic Nutrition
Nutrition Therapy Institute
Denver, COFine Arts -
Colorado University / Front Range Community College
Boulder, COOuray High School
Ouray, COSkills
- Client Relationship Management
- Customer Rapport
- Team Member Development
- Training and Mentoring
- Food Service Operations
- Staff Training
- Relationship Building
Skills Experience
- Strong background in customer service/sales
- Very thorough, attentive, organized.
- Thrives in hectic, stressful situations and is a strong multi-tasker
- Excellent communication/people skills
- 20+ yrs experience in training and development of training programs
- Down to earth, gets along with all types of people
- Strong background in health/exercise field (certified yoga instructor, dance teacher, nutrition therapy)
- Strong management experience
- Excellent wine / liquor knowledge
- Solid computer skills with extensive POS experience
References
Liz Studer, VP of Operations Work+Shop Hospitality, 480-440-6448, Lstuder@workshophg.com
Benny Kaplan, Chef/ Owner Shazz Café, 303-396-8374, bekaplan@yahoo.com
Michael Kraus, COO Ring On Hook, 716-912-7465, kraus@ringonhook.com
Certification
- Genesis R&D Professional Training - Nutritional Data Software, ESHA Research
- Servsafe Certified Manager
- Servsafe Certified Instructor & Proctor
Timeline
Regional Hospitality Manager
Ring On Hook
06.2022 - Current
Nutritional Education & Training Manager
True Food Kitchen
10.2012 - 05.2022
Bar Manager
Shazz Café and Bar
05.2009 - 08.2011
Traveling Trainer, Market Trainer for SW Region of US, In-house Director of Training, Bartender, Server
PF Changs China Bistro
01.2002 - 07.2008
Master Nutrition Therapy Certification - Holistic Nutrition
Nutrition Therapy Institute
Fine Arts -
Colorado University / Front Range Community College
Ouray High School