Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Affiliations
Accomplishments
Languages
Websites
References
Timeline
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Erik Lund

Canyon Country,CA

Summary

New England work ethic paired with industry-leading cocktail techniques; extensive liquor and cocktail knowledge; an eye for efficiency, a brain for pour cost efficiency; refined palate; knows what a bar/restaurant needs to be - actually/economically/optically - for success.

Best whiskey sour you'll ever have.

Overview

14
14
years of professional experience

Work History

Restaurant Bar Manager

Lustig Group
Culver City, CA
10.2023 - 04.2024
  • Develop cocktail menu; spirits list; ice program; glassware;
  • Train staff on spirits; cocktails; cocktail culture & language
  • Train bar staff up to ensure execution and expectations
  • Develop concepts for whiskey club membership program

Bar Program Director

Ootoro Sushi Japanese Restaurant
Los Angeles, CA
07.2022 - 07.2023
  • Add a whiskey and cocktail program to an existing beer/wine/sake program.
  • Bring in special guest distillers and national/international brand ambassadors to give tastings to guests
  • Develop wine and whiskey pairings with sushi and other japanese cuisine; bar-only offerings;

Consultant

Saizon
Fresno, CA
10.2022 - 02.2023
  • pitched bar program/menu concept for 225 seat restaurant; after being told "we can't be too fancy here in Fresno"
  • Simplified the Blending Concepts; training bar staff extensively for three weeks - bringing up everyone's technique; areas of focus (dilution; mouthfeel; spirit knowledge); while implementing build order and improving speed times
  • Liquor sales $8-25k per night
  • "Best cocktails in Fresno" reputation since opening

Bar Man

Pretty Dirty
Eagle Rock, CA
11.2019 - 07.2022
  • One Bartender/One Cocktail Server-Somm concept 14 seat cocktail bar; $1.5-4k liquor sales in 6 open hours, nightly. "Best cocktails in Los Angeles" reputation. Concepts created here have been badly copied; poorly imitated; over the last 5 years
  • fully developed Blending Concept: base spirits, modifiers (liqueurs; amari; et al) citrus; all created and used per menu - building better textures/flavors/complexities in every cocktail - house or classic - while keeping the balance and overall integrity of each cocktail....
  • ...giving guests a wholly unique experience on drinks they've had hundreds of times
  • ruining the Cocktail Experience for guests at Other Bars
  • Constant updating and exploring of flavor combinations; techniques and overall concepts to push qualities of Textures/Viscosities/Mouth-Feels of all styles and categories; with a huge focus on Aromatic

Bar Program Director

Alexander's Steakhouse
Pasadena, CA
09.2015 - 05.2018
  • Build a new independent bar concept from their Bay Area concepts; which have been adopted by their new Michelin star concepts
  • Increase bar business and overall liquor/whiskey sales by creating a separate bar identity; bar-only food/drink program; and Whiskey Club locker program ($1.4+M first year in lockers) as well as moving 2oz pours up to $750ea and bottles $5-10k on the regular.
  • Training bar and server staff on whiskies (production; regions; styles; et al); how to talk about and how to sell whiskies
  • Develop relationships with whisk[e]y producers all over the world for both private barrels and for tasting events for our Club members and maintaining the calendar and events for members

Bar Director

Republiquela
Los Angeles, CA
07.2013 - 04.2015
  • Opened and created Republique's cocktail program; working with W. Manzke to pair the drink program with his concepts of what the restaurant needed to be; how it was seen.
  • Building a staple of house favorites and ever-changing "Market" cocktails with farmers' market produce (sometimes given 5-10 minutes tops to figure out a "menu-worthy" cocktail with an ingredient before printing menus)
  • 10 years later, house cocktail still my Celery cocktail. Often poorly imitated!
  • $3-5k liquor sales nighttime
  • Built complex but universal daytime cocktail recipes "easy to execute for day staff": house bloody mary; etc

Bar Program Director

Mess Hall
Los Feliz, CA
05.2012 - 05.2013
  • Train bar staff in an intense 6-week class first started by Julian Cox, in its entirety, starting with 50+ applicants that ended with the final 6 being The Staff. (taught parts or all of this class 4x - which included future bar directors for some of the best cocktail programs in the city; Bestia, Bavel, Otium, etc etc)
  • Tasked with building a "neighborhood bar w/top tier cocktails" with a focus on whiskies. $8-10k liquor sales per dinner shift; bar schematics built from the ground up for *speed*.
  • Built a guest bartender program at outdoor satellite bar; bringing some of the city's best bartenders for evenings - developing further bar/cocktail culture and keeping Mess Hall as a destination spot for cocktails.

Bar Manager

Rivera Restaurant
Los Angeles, CA
02.2010 - 05.2012
  • Studied at and inherited bar program developed by Julian Cox; "Top of Class" in 6 week program - tasked with maintaining standards; building menus; and building up Late Night Happy Hour weekends
  • Rivera nominated for first of three James Beard "best cocktail program in restaurant" (before moving to open Mess Hall under same company); Spirit Awards "Top Restaurant Bar Program" top 4 finalists
  • Focus on tequilas and mezcals with a broad knowledge of ALL spirits; and the first 1k classic and neo-classic cocktails in my 3+k cocktail brain - and the start of taking Milk & Honey specs and building my own ratios and concepts away from that base of knowledge.

Education

Some College (No Degree) - jazz performance

University of Southern Maine
Portland, ME

Some College (No Degree) - jazz performance

Berklee College of Music
Boston, MA

Skills

  • Menu development
  • Customer Relations
  • Staff Training
  • Bar Management
  • Relationship Building
  • Training and mentoring
  • Team Leadership
  • Service-oriented mindset
  • Menu Updating
  • Anticipating Problems
  • Critical Thinking
  • Adaptability and Flexibility
  • Problem-solving abilities
  • Menu Pricing and Writing
  • Sales and Marketing
  • Written Communication
  • Team building

Affiliations

Drummer since I was 5. Pianist since 10.

Script-dialogue-fixer for friends in Hollywood.

Student of world history; sociology; with focus on how large systems interact. Opponent of binary thought.

Father of two girls. Most free time goes there now!

Accomplishments

  • 4x All-State 4x All-New England 1st chair drummer (classical & jazz) nominated All-Eastern and All-National (chosen at random by regions - didn't win that lottery)
  • played/recorded with some of the best [jazz/free] musicians in Europe and US independently and for the BBC3
  • attended Dartmouth College at 13yrs old for math courses and music theory

Languages

mandarin
Professional

References

References available upon request.

Timeline

Restaurant Bar Manager

Lustig Group
10.2023 - 04.2024

Consultant

Saizon
10.2022 - 02.2023

Bar Program Director

Ootoro Sushi Japanese Restaurant
07.2022 - 07.2023

Bar Man

Pretty Dirty
11.2019 - 07.2022

Bar Program Director

Alexander's Steakhouse
09.2015 - 05.2018

Bar Director

Republiquela
07.2013 - 04.2015

Bar Program Director

Mess Hall
05.2012 - 05.2013

Bar Manager

Rivera Restaurant
02.2010 - 05.2012

Some College (No Degree) - jazz performance

University of Southern Maine

Some College (No Degree) - jazz performance

Berklee College of Music

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Erik Lund