Kiara Walker
Atlanta,GA
Summary
Guest oriented hospitality, food, beverage, & events sales specialist with years experience in restaurant settings seeking full time position. I posses the ability to maintain enthusiasm and urgency, while still meeting and exceeding company standards. Always seeking to assimilate best practices & develop new processes & standards to cultivate a more cohesive environment for both the company, myself & my peers.
Overview
11
11
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Service & Bar Manager
Intercontinental Hotel Group/ The Americano
02.2022 - Current
- Opening manager for celebrity chef Scott Conant's Atlanta location of The Americano- Italian Steakhouse in the Intercontinental Buckhead
- Recruiting all positions
- Trained all positions using SOP's provided by both the Scott Conant team and aligning those with IHG & Forbes standards
- Scheduling, timesheets & labor control
- Activated both lunch and brunch services along with a lobby bar concept "The Great Hall", featuring sponsored liquor
- Payroll for tipped employees using Excel.
- Bar management - inventory control, wine program, P&L management, recipe development
- Private Event Sales & Coordination - selling private dining spaces for corporate dinners and personal celebrations.
- OpenTable strategizing to increase revenues and curate luxury service using database
Server/Bartender
Boccalupo
12.2019 - 02.2022
- Serving staff in fine dining Italian restaurant, headed by Bruce Logue; Michelin Award for Cocktail Program 2022
- Working with small staff full time schedule
- Selling daily specials as well as daily tasting menus
- Cultivated warm relationships with regular customers.
- Craft cocktails & primarily Italian wine list.
Private Events Lead
Bulla
09.2018 - 03.2019
- Addressing hot & cold leads regarding private dining, contacting appropriate parties & arranging to show them private dining rooms
- Responsible for coordinating FOH staff for private dining events for up to 75 people
- Working closely with BOH staff to ensure execution is cohesive & avoids any affliction to our dine-in service
- Corporate Spanish tapas restaurant from Centurion Restaurant Group in Miami, FL opening up brand new location in Midtown, Atlanta
- Closing contracts for private dining, ensuring that pricing is fair for client while benefiting the restaurants sales goal for selected date
- Conducting pre-shift meeting assigning duties for all bar & floor staff; I would usually be bartender for events - obtaining & recording all liquor & wine taken from main bar, creating & batching custom cocktails
- Filing financial reports to send up to corporate events manag
Server/FOH Service Lead
King & Duke
09.2016 - 11.2018
- Server in fine dining restaurant, King & Duke by Chef Ford Fry & EJ Hodgkinson, a chef driven hyperseasonal hearth-cooking restaurant serving lunch, brunch & dinner menus that change often to showcase the produce of the season
- Training servers upon hire, guiding and demonstrating our style of service which highlights in depth menu knowledge of food, beverage & wine list, attention to detail, tableside manners, and acute dining room awareness
- Open/Closing shifts which includes assigning and checking sidework, and attending to the final covers of the night
- Teaching beverage classes, dissecting craft beverages by Clarke Anderson & hosting wine tasting for new hires
- Updating blog that lists each and every ingredient in every dish, so that serving staff can cater to guest allergies & dietary restrictions
- Developing staff by seeking individual opportunities for staff members & coaching them
- Working contracted events & doing back-office paperwork for said events
- Fast paced, but professional & genuine service provided from business clientèle to locals & travelers
- Successfully built network of clientèle
Server
Del Frisco's
10.2015 - 09.2016
- Server in corporate casual fine dining concept within a restaurant group renowned for industry excellence in service & food quality - Del Frisco's Restaurant Group
- Steakhouse style menu offering USDA prime meats, with poultry & seafood additions
- Premium bar with highly allocated liquors, over 600 bottle of American wines in house with hands-on training by house sommelier
- Business & traveling clientèle based on location in high traffic area of Buckhead & proximity to Mandarin Oriental hotel
- Worked private events ranging from baby shower brunch parties up to full restaurant buyouts & cocktail parties - featuring either pre-set or a la carte menu choices
- Quality of service upheld by assigning 3 table sections per server, overall accounting for 180(weekday) to 400(weekend) covers.
Bartender/Events Assistant
Strip Steakhouse
03.2015 - 10.2015
- High volume steak and sushi concept within Here 2 Serve restaurant group by local restaurateur, Tom Catherall, in Atlantic Station
- Featuring USDA prime beef, sashimi grade fish & raw bar including daily oysters from both east & west coast
- Opening & closing bar area, juicing daily, inventory, crafting cocktails for menu
- Assistant to catering manager, showing private dining areas & customizing banquet orders to accommodate client
- Pre-selecting wines with hosts of private events
- Discussing budget & putting together a BEO that is beneficial to restaurant revenue but also makes sense for the client
- Coordinating with FOH & BOH management to properly & efficiently execute private events & ensuring large parties can be executed without compromising normal dining room operations.
FOH Trainer/Events Assistant
Dave & Buster's
08.2012 - 02.2015
- Started as marketing employee & promoted up to server, then to bartender, FOH trainer & finally Events Assistant
- Opened new store on Hollywood Blvd
- In 2014
- Entertainment center featuring extensive American menu, over 100 arcade style games, full bar featuring specialty cocktails, draft beer & wine selections
- Family friendly, although I would argue that the Hollywood location's target audience was adults, due to location
- Oversaw training of the new staff including hosts, street team, servers, cocktail waitresses & bar staff
- Making sure they can fully run shifts alone, reviewing menu, service steps, company guidelines & culture by teaching classroom style & on the job training
- Training & development of current staff by establishing focus points for each quarter & worked closely with management to uphold standards & maintain quality FOH staff
- Worked alongside Events/Sales Manager to facilitate sales process, paperwork & execution for private contracted events from birthday parties up to buyout for clients like Disney & the Lakers franchise.
Assistant Manager
Crumbs Bake Shop
05.2013 - 01.2014
- Small corporate boutique cupcake shop serving fresh cupcakes, pastries, coffee & tea beverages in outdoor high volume mall
- Reviewing financial statement, sales activity reports (SPT/UPT) to measure productivity & store goal achievement, compared to regional and YTD statistics
- Managing staff, preparing schedules according to staffing needs, considering volume & budget assigning tasks on shift
- Ordering & receiving food and beverage deliveries, ensuring accuracy of shipment, verifying quality & quantity
- Managing till & arranging drop to bank, coordinating with Brinks to facilitate transfer of monies
- Coordinating with Caruso Mall management & concierge to produce joint promotions to drive business.
Education
Bachelor's - Hospitality & Tourism
California State University-Northridge
Los Angeles, CA11.2014
Skills
- Servsafe
- Servsafe Alcohol
- POS Systems & Back Offices
- OpenTable/Resy
- TIPS Certification
- Bartending
- Training & Development
- Events Management
- Administration & Accounting
- Guest Services
- Profit & Loss
- Restaurant Management
Certification
- ServSafe Food Handler
- Food Handler Certification
Assessments
- Customer focus & orientation, Proficient, 09/01/21, Responding to customer situations with sensitivity
- Management & leadership skills: Impact & influence, Proficient, 02/01/22, Choosing the most effective strategy to inspire and influence others to meet business objectives
- Customer service, Proficient, 06/01/20, Identifying and resolving common customer issues
- Sales skills, Proficient, 07/01/20, Influencing and negotiating with customers
- Bartending, Proficient, 05/01/20, Understanding, pouring, and mixing drink orders
- Supervisory skills: Motivating & assessing employees, Proficient, 02/01/22, Motivating others to achieve objectives and identifying improvements or corrective actions
Timeline
Service & Bar Manager
Intercontinental Hotel Group/ The Americano
02.2022 - Current
Server/Bartender
Boccalupo
12.2019 - 02.2022
Private Events Lead
Bulla
09.2018 - 03.2019
Server/FOH Service Lead
King & Duke
09.2016 - 11.2018
Server
Del Frisco's
10.2015 - 09.2016
Bartender/Events Assistant
Strip Steakhouse
03.2015 - 10.2015
Assistant Manager
Crumbs Bake Shop
05.2013 - 01.2014
FOH Trainer/Events Assistant
Dave & Buster's
08.2012 - 02.2015
Bachelor's - Hospitality & Tourism
California State University-Northridge
- ServSafe Food Handler
- Food Handler Certification
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