Grace Chen
Seattle,WA
Summary
Experienced with managing tables and providing top-notch service to guests in fast-paced environments. Utilizes excellent communication skills to collaborate with team members and create welcoming atmosphere. Track record of maintaining high standards of cleanliness and efficiency, ensuring positive dining experience for all patrons.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Server
Maximilien Restaurant
Seattle, WA
06.2022 - Current
- Delivered exceptional dining experiences through attentive service and menu knowledge.
- Streamlined operations for multiple tables, guaranteeing timely delivery of food and beverages.
- Collaborated with kitchen staff to accommodate special dietary requests and preferences.
- Trained new servers on restaurant policies, procedures, and customer service standards.
- Resolved guest complaints professionally, enhancing overall customer satisfaction.
- Oversaw daily operations during peak hours, optimizing workflow and service speed.
- Demonstrated strong multitasking skills by managing multiple tables simultaneously without compromising service quality.
Server
Hilltop Tavern
03.2022 - 05.2022
- Duties include working the restaurant and bar dining areas
- Responsibilities: Providing personalized and excellent customer service, serving guests in all of their needs, bussing tables, running food, coordinating with the bar and kitchen and all supporting staff, completing all associated side work such as prepping and stocking both during and after shift, keeping own personal bank and ensuring both safe-keeping and responsible cash/card handling procedures are followed, working the pos system and making sure all items are rung in correctly, counting out and dropping appropriate end-of-shift deposits to the house, upholding cleanliness standards, welcoming and seating guests, completing and wrapping up take-out orders
- Additional Experience gained: working in a fast-paced, high-volume bar/restaurant setting
Server
Ashwood Golf Course
10.2021 - 05.2022
- Duties include working in the FOH and BOH restaurant areas
- Responsibilities: Assisting new guests and regulars in the utmost welcoming and personalized manner, bussing tables, doing all associated side work including upkeep of stocking and storing of all alcohol/liquor, running food, assisting kitchen staff with prep and plating, washing dishes, opening up and locking up the dining area, opening and closing the daily register, making daily monetary deposits, working the register and pos system, upholding cleanliness standards both foh and boh, making and serving all alcoholic beverages, coordinating with other course staffing, setting up for and serving all special groups and events, completing and wrapping up take-out orders, serving guests from the alcohol beverage cart across the course, training new server team members in proper procedures and standards
- Additional Experience gained: working in a golf club setting, high level of multi-tasking of responsibilities, unlocking a new level of personalized service, golf course-specific skills such as running a beverage cart and ensuring all golf etiquette is upheld
Server
The Westin
08.2019 - 07.2021
- Duties include working in the hotel lounge restaurant and bar – serving in a variety of morning, mid-day, and night settings
- Additional Positions – Bartender, Banquet Server, Banquet Bartender, Pool Server
- Responsibilities: Serving walk-ins and reservations within the hotel restaurant, greeting and seating guests in appropriate rotation, bussing tables, completing daily associated side-work and cleaning tasks, running food from the kitchen, upkeeping cleanliness standards, bartending when needed, making own alcoholic drinks, taking and running pool orders, stocking alcohol, preparing alcoholic drinks for room service orders, taking reservations and preparing for their arrival, attending guest needs in coordination with other hotel department staff, being adept at room and coordinating payment procedures
- Additional Experience gained: working within a large and fine-dining hotel environment, working banquets(including all set up and break down), pool service, the ability to rotate between roles and positions
Server
Ruby's Diner Orange/Streamliner Lounge
11.2016 - 07.2019
- Duties include running the entire Lounge on weekday shifts – bartending and serving, running food, making desserts, bussing tables, stocking and cleaning, attending to all guest needs
- Weekend night shifts include bartending and/or cocktail serving, keeping up with high volumes that came with live bands or other weekly events and private parties on top of regular duties
- Responsibilities: Working the bar-top while also taking tables, multi-tasking to a very high level while also ensuring guests have a wonderful experience, getting to know regulars to a point of high familiarity, being personable and conversational, serving drinks and always being aware of levels of intoxication with safety always in mind, being diligent in ID checks for any and all appearing 30 or younger
- Additional Experience gained: greatly expanded beer/liquor knowledge, well versed in proper pours of beers and cocktails, dealing with the lounge entertainment such as live music and trivia, achieved a higher level of independence in multi-tasking, learned a higher and more personable level of customer service from bartending and serving guests looking for a more extended/slow-paced enjoyable experience
Shift Manager (PIC)
Ruby's Diner Yorba Linda
09.2017 - 01.2019
- Started as a server and soon became a part-time PIC
- Responsibilities: Opening and closing the store, setting and disarming alarm systems, being in charge of the safe and all register monetary holdings, running a shift and ensuring that all went smoothly and guests received optimum service, supporting servers and other staffing as needed and stepping in to wherever needed assistance (kitchen, host stand, food window, etc), ensuring reports were completed correctly and in timely fashion
- Additional Experience gained: Learned how to open and close a full dining restaurant, run reports, fill out line checks and assist in kitchen prep, place orders for product, manage a full FOH and BOH staff during both busy and slow business times
Lead Counter
Panda Express
10.2016 - 09.2017
- Responsibilities: Managing a shift so that it runs smoothly and efficiently, delegating one to six additional team members, handling monetary duties, heading cleanliness and excellence of customer service, working register, running the line, ensuring food safety and store cleanliness, handling guest difficulties, cooking and prepping food products
- Additional Experience gained: Ensuring food safety and quality excellence, working with a daily EverClean quality/cleanliness checklist, proper procedures for fire hazards/emergencies, cooking using a multi-system wok range, prepping vegetables with proper knife handling skills and cleaning procedures, working with financial reports for a high-volume store
Framing Department Manager
Michaels
09.2015 - 06.2016
- Came on as the new Framing Dept. Manager
- Responsibilities: Managing shifts in the private shop located at the back of the store, managing my own set of specialized and cross-trained employees who worked back there with me, department paperwork, tracking sales goals (daily, weekly, monthly, and annual), building own clientele, handling counter sales with customers, coordinating designs for products that were brought in, handling estimates and final sales, producing products within timely fashion, ensuring the safety of the artwork and the overall satisfaction of the customer, training new team members and cross-trained sales associates, interviewing potential framing dept. associates, coordinating with assistant and store manager to ensure production and sales goals are met
- Additional Experience gained: Experience in active counter sales, building private clientele, long-standing customer service excellence, art-care safety procedures, use of power tools and dangerous materials (large sheets of glass and acrylic, hand and wall cutters, staple guns, power sanders, nail guns, air compressors, etc), experience in design and home decor
Assistant General Manager
Jamba Juice
06.2013 - 10.2015
- Responsibilities: Taking the general manager’s place whenever they are not in the store, assisting in all store and higher district functioning in addition to all shift lead duties. Responsibilities include opening/closing the store, managing team members (13-20 in number) and managers on shift, interviewing/ hiring/ training both team members and shift managers, counting/inputting weekly inventory, placing/putting away product and equipment orders, writing employee schedules, accounting for daily and weekly sales, waste, and labor, coordinating community fundraisers, detailing large corporate orders and deliveries
- Additional Experience gained: Managing a stores functioning alone, being in charge of sales, labor, quality and cleanliness upkeep, customer service standards, ordering, hiring, scheduling, district placement, organizing new launches/promotions, and outside community fundraisers
Education
High School Diploma -
OCHSA
Santa AnaNo Degree - Fine Arts
Cal State Fullerton
Fullerton, CASkills
- Strong work ethic
- Exceptional customer service
- Cash handling
- Guest engagement
Certification
Food Handler Certified
TIPS Certified
Timeline
Server
Maximilien Restaurant
06.2022 - Current
Server
Hilltop Tavern
03.2022 - 05.2022
Server
Ashwood Golf Course
10.2021 - 05.2022
Server
The Westin
08.2019 - 07.2021
Shift Manager (PIC)
Ruby's Diner Yorba Linda
09.2017 - 01.2019
Server
Ruby's Diner Orange/Streamliner Lounge
11.2016 - 07.2019
Lead Counter
Panda Express
10.2016 - 09.2017
Framing Department Manager
Michaels
09.2015 - 06.2016
Assistant General Manager
Jamba Juice
06.2013 - 10.2015
High School Diploma -
OCHSA
No Degree - Fine Arts
Cal State Fullerton