Katie Tuminelly
South Saint Paul,MN
Summary
Seasoned customer service and hospitality professional dedicated to drawing out the best in every situation. Looking to utilize her sense of timing and humor to build relationships and a lasting career with a great company.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
Work History
General Manager
Surdyk's Flights, Vino Volo
Minneapolis, MN
07.2022 - Current
- Increased sales 105% over the previous year in the first 12 months.
- Organized inventory and consistently hit COGs budget of 25.25%.
- Kept labor well under budget month over month.
- Curated and focused product offerings to maximize profits.
- Responsible for all buying of liquor, beer, and wine. Building and maintaining relationships with a series of vendors.
- Increasing the number and quality of the staff to build a unified team who cares for each other and the store.
- Educating the staff on all things wine from viniculture to viticulture, how to taste, how to pour, and how to identify a corked bottle.
- Navigated the steep curve of learning how to get things done in an airport.
- Put practices in place to ensure that compliance checks on everything from alcohol to waste and knife logs were passed.
- Received personal acknowledgement from the head of the concessions department at the Minneapolis airport for turning this unit around saying, "I wanted to extend my gratitude for the job that Katie is doing. The unit looks better than it ever has, the staff is engaged, product is always stocked and very well merchandised, and sales are on track to almost double that of 2019. I attribute that to her hard work, dedication, eye for detail, and leadership."
General Manager
Papa Johns Pizza
Bloomington, MN
02.2022 - 07.2023
- Minimized loss and misuse of equipment through proper restaurant supervision and staff training.
- Reconciled daily transactions, balanced cash registers and deposited restaurant's earnings at bank.
- Responsible for daily, weekly, and quarterly inventory.
- Figured and placed the twice weekly food order.
- Built the schedule for in-stores, driver, and managers based on business trends.
- Managed and enforced all aspects of food safety.
Traveling Manager
Blue Plate Restaurant Company
Minneapolis, MN
03.2021 - 02.2022
- Interviewed, hired and trained new employees.
- Coached and developed team members to support employee growth and development.
- Controlled and maintained labor costs through a keen awareness and ability to cut the floor as business demanded.
- Oversaw employee recruiting, hiring, performance management and discipline.
- Learned the basics of finance; inventory, P&L
- Became a welcomed leader in 6 different restaurants
- Made sure company standard was honored over multiple locations
Sales Consultant
HOM Furniture
Woodbury, MN
07.2020 - 03.2021
- Demonstrated products in effort to show potential buyers benefits and advantages and encourage purchases.
- Maintained productive relationships with existing customers through exceptional follow-up after sales.
- Processed orders through As400 and coordinated product deliveries.
- Priced out products upon request of customers.
- Offered product and service consultations and employed upselling techniques.
- Katie sold $288k worth of furniture in her first three month putting her in fifth place on the sales floor.
Food and Beverage Manager
Nine Twenty Five Restuarant
Wayzata, MN
10.2019 - 07.2020
- Maximized revenue and profits of hotel food services through customer satisfaction, employee engagement and meticulously clean, sanitary and safe environments.
- Managed evening service of an urban hotels bar and restaurant with relentless focus on hospitable and gracious guest services.
- Received and reviewed candidate resume and job application submissions to approve or deny applicants for initial interviews.
- Conducted daily pre-shift and weekly departmental meetings to ensure organizational efficiency.
- Developed and maintained exceptional customer service standards.
- Performed checkouts of servers and bartenders to ensure that all tickets were accounted for.
- Trained all front of house staff on restaurant policies and procedures, guest service techniques and communication skills to ensure positive experience.
- Communicated well and used strong interpersonal skills to establish positive relationships with guests and employees.
- Counseled and disciplined staff, addressing issues promptly and providing constructive feedback.
- Efficiently resolved problems or concerns to satisfaction of all involved parties.
- Championed 100% guest satisfaction by providing excellent dining experience.
Restaurant Manager
Meritage
Saint Paul, MN
03.2019 - 10.2019
- Developed and maintained staff that provided hospitable, professional service while adhering to policies and business initiatives.
- Assigned tasks and oversaw employees to ensure a smooth and guest focused service.
- Developed and implemented strategies to enhance team performance, improve processes and increase efficiency.
- Performed checkouts of servers and bartenders to ensure that all tickets were accounted for.
- Worked closely with Russel Klein (chef /owner) and cooks to determine menu plans for special events or occasions.
- Scheduled and directed staff in daily work assignments to maximize productivity.
- Enhanced guests' experiences by fulfilling special requests during visits.
- Helped to plan and execute parties for more than 12 guests, including coordinating menus and preparing tables.
- Ran the line and the door when necessary.
- Designed custom private function and banquet packages for business dinners, sales presentations, club meetings, weddings and charity events.
- Stayed abreast of server availability and table turnover to make quick decisions about seating locations.
- Supervised activities of dining room staff to maintain service levels and support guest needs.
Sales Consultant
Inver Grove Ford Lincoln
Inver Grove Heights, MN
08.2018 - 03.2019
- Maintained current store, product and promotional knowledge to drive consistent sales.
- Checked purchased vehicles at delivery for damage and final preparations.
- Tracked updates to vehicles, changing markets and customer purchasing trends.
- Met incoming customers at door to guide through showroom and sales lot.
- Responded to inquiries from potential customers via email and telephone.
Captain Waiter
Marea
New York, NY
04.2009 - 12.2017
- Part of the service team nominated for 2 James Beard awards for service.
- Maintained knowledge of menu items, garnishes, ingredients and preparation methods to guide the guest to an exceptional experience.
- Sought out opportunity to make lasting impressions.
- Anticipated what a guest might ask for and bring it before they asked.
- Used stories as a way to build an unforgettable experience for the guest that educated, entertained, and filled them with delight.
- Checked on guests to verify satisfaction with meals and suggested additional items to increase restaurant sales.
- Provided exceptional service to 40-60 customers per day at a two Michelin starred mecca of dining.
- Calculated charges, issued table checks and collected payments from customers.
- Maintained discretion when serving extremely high profile clientele.
- Think on your feet and maintain excellent composure in a high pressure and extremely fast paced environment.
- Katie was part of the opening team and dedicated 8.5 years to helping it grow into one of the worlds busiest fine dining establishments.
Waiter
Gramercy Tavern
New York, NY
03.2005 - 09.2007
- Experienced the gift of being a member of the Gramercy Tavern Family.
- Grew a deep appreciation of unique wines through monthly tastings held by Juliet Pope.
- Maximized beverage sales by suggesting appropriate food and drink pairings to suit unique customer preferences.
- Grew a great appreciation for unique beverages; aged beer, old riesling, sherry, and a variety of other offerings. Learned to share those offerings to provide a unique guest experience.
- Learned the craft of synchronized table service.
- Educated guests on tasting menus, appetizers, entrees, desserts and other menu items.
- Communicated with kitchen staff frequently to perfect dinner timing.
- Grew to know regular customers and their preferences in order to make them feel at home.
- Addressed concerns or complaints quickly to improve service and escalated more advanced issues to management for resolution.
- Was part of the team that transitioned GT from Chef Tom Colicchio to Chef Michael Anthony.
- Gramercy Tavern gave birth to the idea of American Hospitality and an incredible education in caring for people.
Education
Master of Arts - Acting
The Juilliard School
New York, NYBachelor of Arts - Theater
Marymount Manhattan College
New York, NYBachelor of Arts - Clarinet Performance
Lawrence University
Appleton, WISkills
- Customer liaison
- Issue resolution
- Client relationship management
- Customer care
- Dynamic communication
Affiliations
Prior to Covid, Katie taught acting to the inmates at the Moose Lake Correctional Facility. She was also awarded a full scholarship to attend the Juilliard Drama program. The FOH team at Marea was nominated twice for the James Beard award for service while Katie was on the team there.
Timeline
General Manager
Surdyk's Flights, Vino Volo
07.2022 - Current
General Manager
Papa Johns Pizza
02.2022 - 07.2023
Traveling Manager
Blue Plate Restaurant Company
03.2021 - 02.2022
Sales Consultant
HOM Furniture
07.2020 - 03.2021
Food and Beverage Manager
Nine Twenty Five Restuarant
10.2019 - 07.2020
Restaurant Manager
Meritage
03.2019 - 10.2019
Sales Consultant
Inver Grove Ford Lincoln
08.2018 - 03.2019
Captain Waiter
Marea
04.2009 - 12.2017
Waiter
Gramercy Tavern
03.2005 - 09.2007
Master of Arts - Acting
The Juilliard School
Bachelor of Arts - Theater
Marymount Manhattan College
Bachelor of Arts - Clarinet Performance
Lawrence University
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