Matthew Hays
San Diego,CA
Summary
Dedicated 17 years of fine dining service with progressive leadership experience. Driving exceptional guest satisfaction, operational consistency, and high performing hospitality teams such as Disney and Four Seasons. Expert in menu fluency, sales-driven service, and communication that builds lasting guest relationships. Passionate about elevating the guests journey through genuine care, polished service standards, and a culture of accountability.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
Work History
Bar Manager/FOH Manager
The Victorian at Hill Street
Oceanside, CA
06.2025 - Current
- Designed and executed seasonal craft cocktail menus with house made ingredients. Strengthened brand identity and guest engagement. Curated a refined wine list aligned with the food menu. Enhancing overall beverage profitability.
- Directed full beverage program including purchasing, vendor negotiations, product costing, and inventory control.
- Trained staff in fine dining service techniques, pairing expertise, and guest-focused communication.
- Developed labor-efficient schedules and managed payroll accuracy, for all FOH team members.
- Led pre-shift meetings to reinforce product knowledge, service priorities, and hospitality culture.
- Provided on floor leadership presence to optimize pacing, table flow, and overall guest satisfaction. Ensuring FOH had resources, tools, and necessary guidance.
- Maintained alignment with brand standards while proactively resolving guest concerns to protect reputation and ratings.
Bartender
The Marine Room
La Jolla, CA
08.2024 - 06.2025
- Providing my knowledge and skillset at a much higher volume at the historic restaurant. Created seasonal cocktail menus and been apart of selecting wines for our list. Bringing fine dining service to the bar guests.
Lead Bartender/Sommelier
The Four Seasons Resort Aviara
Carlsbad, CA
11.2023 - 09.2024
- Led the bar team with a focus on consistency, efficiency, and elevated guest service.
- Oversaw inventory control, cost tracking, and product purchasing to support profitability.
- Organized and hosted cocktail making classes as well as weekly wine tastings for hotel guests for brand loyalty.
Dining Room Captain/Jr. Sommelier
The Bridges Country Club
02.2021 - 11.2023
- Trained staff to a more elevated service verses a clubhouse atmosphere establishing a more fine dining culture.
- Created a new approach to enhance workflow for bartenders by initiating a system to improve consistency and performance to provide a more timely service
- Supported wine list purchasing and curation alongside the sommelier. We also conducted wine tastings for members which they could purchase bottles. That system became more profitable than the whole F&B as a whole.
Server
Montage at The Studio Restaurant
05.2019 - 04.2020
- Using my Knowledge from Napa Rose while expanding my growth through the excellence from this team. Unfortunately, that was cut short due to Covid.
Host/Food Expeditor/Server
The Walt Disney Company - Napa Rose Restaurant
03.2008 - 05.2019
- Advanced from host to food expeditor to server while also picking up bar shifts. Learning through coworkers and Forbes fine dining training. 11 years of learning and honing in skills.
- Achieved my level 2 sommelier through The Court of Master Sommeliers led by our GM Master Sommelier Michael Jordan.
- Achieved my Cicerone Certification
Education
BS Communication -
University of La Verne
Skills
- Level 2 Sommelier
- Cicerone Certified
- Forbes Fine Dining Trained
- Knowledge of Excel, PowerPoint, Toast, Micros
- Team Leadership and Staff Development
- Multidepartment Coordination
- Hotel and Resort Experience
Timeline
Bar Manager/FOH Manager
The Victorian at Hill Street
06.2025 - Current
Bartender
The Marine Room
08.2024 - 06.2025
Lead Bartender/Sommelier
The Four Seasons Resort Aviara
11.2023 - 09.2024
Dining Room Captain/Jr. Sommelier
The Bridges Country Club
02.2021 - 11.2023
Server
Montage at The Studio Restaurant
05.2019 - 04.2020
Host/Food Expeditor/Server
The Walt Disney Company - Napa Rose Restaurant
03.2008 - 05.2019
BS Communication -
University of La Verne
Accolades
- 2-time employee of the month with Four Seasons
- Increased Revenue Numbers with Bar to 88% Profit Margins
- Dozens of personalized 5-star reviews on OpenTable, Yelp, and Google with name recognition
- Over 2 Million Views on my TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@sommhays?_r=1&_t=ZT-91vp7oy3QXO
@Sommhays on TikTok and @TenderBarMatt on Instagram
- Elevated Guest Satisfaction to 4.8 Star Reviews on OpenTable and Yelp 4.9 Stars on Google