James Cosgrove
Arlington,TX
Summary
Hospitality leader with a strong background in guest service, staff training, beverage program development, and daily operations. Known for supporting service standards, guiding teams, and improving inventory and labor control to strengthen profitability, reduce waste, and improve the guest experience.
Overview
26
26
years of professional experience
Work History
Supervisor
Autobites
11.2024 - Current
- Oversaw daily operations to achieve alignment with company goals.
- Increased profitability by 33% over last year
- Cut labor costs by over 15% over last year
- Cut waste by over 75% over last year
- Managed ordering and inventory processes to ensure optimal stock levels.
- Coordinated employee schedules to control labor costs effectively.
- Innovated programs to increase sales
- Created new menu items that caused an increase of over 60% in each category
Mentor/ Shift Leader
Charleston's
04.2014 - 04.2024
- Point of initial contact for the onboarding process for servers.
- Oversaw trainers and coached them to enhance their effectiveness in staff training and development.
- Enforced service standards across the building, ensuring accountability among all employees.
- Consistently being a resource of knowledge for all staff members on everything in the restaurant from service standards, scripting of dishes, contents of dishes, POS system, and alcohol knowledge.
- Acted as resource for management on wine and beer selection, utilizing knowledge of varietals and distributor availability to recommend optimal products.
- Maintained a consistent presence for guests during shifts to enhance service quality.
Beverage Director
Three Monkey's Corporation
01.2018 - 12.2020
- Educated, selected, and created the wine, beer, and drink menu for the concept.
- Maintained beverage costs within ownership's parameters while delivering exceptional beer and wine selections to guests.
- Designed a cocktail list utilizing available beer and wine license offerings to diversify the beverage experience.
- Launched a personalized wine club to cater to members' specific wine preferences and needs.
- Developed innovative wine and beer events paired with food to enhance brand visibility and guest engagement.
- Worked with management to help them achieve their goals regarding food cost, inventory regulation, staffing, and overall management of the concept.
- Worked with ownership to create and launch the concept through layout, menu creation, and staffing.
Bartender
Hyatt Hotels
05.2001 - 04.2012
- Maintained high customer service standards through guest anticipation and consistent drink quality.
- Prepared syrups, infusions, garnishes, and bitters for daily service.
- Created new drink recipes and worked with management on cost analysis and pricing to improve menu options.
- Kept strong knowledge of spirits and shared product details with staff to support guest engagement and service.
- Monitored inventory levels and adjusted stock to support smooth bar operations.
- Maintaining bar cleanliness while rotating cooler items using FIFO methods and date stamps to keep product within use dates.
Education
Business Administration -
University of Texas at San Antonio
01-2004
Skills
- Menu development
- Beverage procurement
- Wine selection
- Inventory control
- Cost management
- Pricing management
- POS systems
- Bar management
- Staff training
- Team development
- Vendor relations
- Analytical thinking
- Communication strategies
Timeline
Supervisor
Autobites
11.2024 - Current
Beverage Director
Three Monkey's Corporation
01.2018 - 12.2020
Mentor/ Shift Leader
Charleston's
04.2014 - 04.2024
Bartender
Hyatt Hotels
05.2001 - 04.2012
Business Administration -
University of Texas at San Antonio