Gaston Martinez
Huntington Beach,CA
Summary
Dynamic and innovative F&B operator, Sales Manager, and Spirits brand builder with 30+ years of experience in the industry. Expertise in restaurant and bar operations, brand sales and marketing, and event execution. Recognized for successful beverage marketing campaigns, innovative cocktail programs, and managing key accounts. Fluent in Spanish. Highly motivated regional sales manager with exceptional analysis and leadership skills.
Overview
30
30
years of professional experience
Work History
Restaurant General Manager & Director of Beverage
Surf City Still Works
Huntington Beach, CA
02.2023 - Current
- Worked 6 months on all opening tasks from construction management to purchases and all hiring
- Created all SOP for the restaurant
- Created cocktail program
- Hired and trained all staff
- Created all systems including operating and financial
- Sourced and implemented all technical resources including Open Table and Toast
- Managed all local marketing and social media
- Scheduled and directed staff in daily work assignments to maximize productivity
- Optimized profits by controlling food, beverage and labor costs daily
- Updated computer systems with new pricing and daily food specials
- Performed opening and closing procedures each day
- Developed and deepened professional relationships with vendors, negotiated contracts and monitored performance
- Managed daily operations and processes for reservations, budgeting and forecasting
- Trained front-of-house staff on restaurant policies and procedures, guest service techniques and communication skills to promote positive experiences
- Resolved problems or concerns to satisfaction of involved parties
- Created cocktail program and trained all staff
Beverage Director
Nora's Cuisine
Las Vegas, NV
01.2022 - 10.2022
- Created unique cocktails for special events
- Monitored bar inventory and promptly restocked low items before depletion
- Managed the cocktail program
- Educated all other mixologists and servers
- Maintained relationships with all suppliers
- Worked as mixologist behind the bar on a part time basis
State Sales Manager
NV, Kimo Sabe Mezcal
Las Vegas, NV
02.2001 - 10.2022
- Managed all on and off premise sales for the state
- Managed our distributor partners and executed monthly top to top meeting
- Executed and managed all promotional events
- Presented RFP for corporate buying programs like MGM, Caesar's Entertainment and Stations
- Casinos
- Developed productive relationships with key accounts
- Developed and managed regional sales program and market operations
- Conceptualized local marketing strategies and programming
- Assisted with menu creation and cocktail development for key accounts
- Educated the trade and consumers on brand and category
- Created all pricing for the state
Restaurant Manager
Monzu Italian Oven and Bar
Las Vegas, NV
05.2018 - 12.2021
- Scheduled and directed staff in daily work assignments to maximize productivity
- Optimized profits by controlling food, beverage and labor costs daily
- Updated computer systems with new pricing and daily food specials
- Performed opening and closing procedures each day
- Developed and deepened professional relationships with vendors, negotiated contracts and monitored performance
- Managed daily operations and processes for reservations, budgeting and forecasting
- Trained front-of-house staff on restaurant policies and procedures, guest service techniques and communication skills to promote positive experiences
- Resolved problems or concerns to satisfaction of involved parties
- Created cocktail program and trained all staff
Nevada State Manager
Kimo Sabe Mezcal
Las Vegas, NV
01.2016 - 04.2018
- Managed all on and off premise sales for the state
- Managed our distributor partners and executed monthly top to tp meetings
- Executed and managed all promotional and marketing events
- Presented RFP for corporate buying programs like MGM, Caesar's Entertainment and Stations
- Casinos
- Developed productive relationships with with all key accounts
- Developed and managed regional sales and marketing programs including all pricing tactics
- Executed menu creation for key accounts
- Cocktail creation for menus
- Educated trade and consumers on brand and category
- Managed all budgets for marketing
- Managed 3rd party company Back Bar USA
General Manager
Nora's Cuisine
Las Vegas, NV
04.2015 - 08.2016
- Managed the daily FOH operations, including cost controls, inventory, product orders, P&L reports
- ROI analysis, social media, marketing efforts
- Managed a staff of over 50 employees including all training and scheduling
- Created and managed all bar menus
- Managed all relationships with food and beverage vendors and placed all orders
Nevada State Sales Manager
Infinuim Spirits
Las Vegas, NV
04.2014 - 04.2015
- Managed all sales for on and off premise for the entire portfolio
- Managed a 500k marketing budgets across all brands
- Created all pricing for the state
- Created all programming including distributor sales incentives
- Managed our distributor partners
- Created and presented all RFPs
- Created and managed all marketing events
- Educated trade on all brands
Portfolio Ambassador
National Accounts, William Grant & Sons
Las Vegas, NV
01.2012 - 04.2014
- Create all cocktails for RFPs and present in order to secure cocktail placement
- Analyzed cocktail programs at over 30 national accounts partner venues and assisted in cocktail creation, systems and barmanship education, resulting in over 60 cocktail placements
- Created a digital interactive cocktail database that contained over 700 cocktails
- Created "Behind the Stick with Gaston Martinez" training video series in collaboration with MarkeTeam in their California bar set up
- Executed over 40 events and conferences/tradeshows
- Attended all marketing meetings and helped create all programming including demos and POS.
National Brand Ambassador
Milagro Tequila
Las Vegas, NV
08.2008 - 04.2014
- Executed all brand awareness events, focusing on cocktail development, brand education and trade event production
- Planned and led sales blitz across the nation
- Led multicultural program in collaboration with our distributor partners
- Supervised key account selection, budget distribution, and all programming details including sell-through objectives (POS, promotions, back bar placements, cocktail lists, server incentives)
- Managed all Junior Ambassadors for the program
- Executed over 80 trade educational sessions per year
- Responsible for personifying the brand across the US, including media interviews, TV and radio appearances, celebrity chef collaborations and social media representation
- Analyzed market to identify key accounts and developed programming
- Managed budget focusing on ROI maximization
- Managed and trained all distributor partners across the nation
Server/Bar Manager/General Manager
Nora's Cuisine
Las Vegas, NV
01.1995 - 07.2008
- Started as a server and moved my way up to Bar Manager and then Genera Manager
- Everyday server duties
- Created cocktail program
- Managed inventory and all suppliers
- Managed all FOH day to day activities including staff and customer care
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Hospitality Management
UNLV
05.2022
Skills
- Over 30 years experience in the Hospital industry
- Over 15 years of brand sales and marketing experience
- President of the USBG NV 2004-2009
- Over 20 years of experience in Bar operations
- Master Mixologist
- Cocktail World Cup Winner in 2007
- Customer Service
- Problem-Solving
- New Account Development
- Team Building
- Distribution Channel Management
- Budget Management
- Conflict Resolution
- Project Management
- Verbal and Written Communication
- Product and Service Promotion
- Relationship Building
- Time Management
- Staff Training and Development
- Fluent in Spanish
Languages
Timeline
Restaurant General Manager & Director of Beverage
Surf City Still Works
02.2023 - Current
Beverage Director
Nora's Cuisine
01.2022 - 10.2022
Restaurant Manager
Monzu Italian Oven and Bar
05.2018 - 12.2021
Nevada State Manager
Kimo Sabe Mezcal
01.2016 - 04.2018
General Manager
Nora's Cuisine
04.2015 - 08.2016
Nevada State Sales Manager
Infinuim Spirits
04.2014 - 04.2015
Portfolio Ambassador
National Accounts, William Grant & Sons
01.2012 - 04.2014
National Brand Ambassador
Milagro Tequila
08.2008 - 04.2014
State Sales Manager
NV, Kimo Sabe Mezcal
02.2001 - 10.2022
Server/Bar Manager/General Manager
Nora's Cuisine
01.1995 - 07.2008
Bachelor of Arts - Hospitality Management
UNLV
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