Max Bauer

As the flagship property for Stonebridge Companies, The Jacquard Hotel and Rooftop is a social hub within the Cherry Creek community. The 200 room Autograph Collection hotel is home to Narrative, Kisbee on the Roof and a flourishing banquet and catering department utilizing 12,000 sq feet of beautiful glass encased event space. I took over an restaurant that had been in decline for close to a year, culminating in reduced dinner revenue of $70,000 year over year in the month of July. Within 2 months, I had the restaurant back to a peak business comp of revenue experienced in 2022. In that same 2 months, I was able to turn around an operation that had fallen to 137th out of 147 in brand. Today, our F&B operations rank 21st in brand worldwide for restaurant service and food quality.

As a lifestyle brand within Marriott portfolio, The Renaissance Hotel is driven by an exceptional guest experience for both business and leisure travel. In the past year, we have had the honor of hosting David Marriott, the NBA Finals media, American Express, Ice Cube, Ludacris, Constellation Brands and Viacom's production team for the South Park 25th Anniversary.

Our Food and Beverage department consists of the Range Restaurant, Teller Bar, Illy Espresso branded coffee shop, club lounge and a strong banquet department. In 2022, we were able to achieve #3 in brand for restaurant service and food quality while also partnering to be acknowledged as #2 in brand for elite appreciation. We have achieved these distinctions by providing outstanding service and great offerings to meet the desires of our patrons in an elevated, honest and guest forward environment.

Osteria Marco, located on Lamimer Square in downtown Denver, has served as a hot spot for both tourists and the local community for the past 19 years. Serving northern Italian cuisine with an all Italian wine list and hand crafted cocktails, Osteria Marco is an elevated high volume restaurant that seeks to provide the finer touches of service with engaging products and price point. As the General Manager of a high profile restaurant during the Covid pandemic, my job has been to grow the business while navigating both limited and no indoor dining. We have succeeded with every pivot required to remain both compliant with current restrictions while continuing to control costs and labor along the way. I have also taken advantage of every opportunity to grow, building and executing a self delivery model, creating a To Go alcohol sales program and launching virtual experience opportunities for our guest. While my responsibilities as a General Manager have overall scope, my passion and focus over this time has been in building and cultivating a fun and engaging beverage program and staff from scratch. This has been an exciting opportunity as we fight for the livelihood of our industry during these challenging times.

Gaylord Hotels serve as the Meeting and Convention brand within Marriott's portfolio. With over 1500 rooms, Gaylord Rockies Resort is the largest hotel and resort in the state of Colorado. Old Hickory Steakhouse is the premier fine dining restaurant at Gaylord Rockies Resort focusing on exceptional guest accommodation and an expansive wine program within a high volume setting. As General Manager, my focus is to accommodate our hotel and convention guests at the highest level while also positioning the restaurant for growth within the local markets of Aurora and Denver. My responsibilities encompass all aspects of strategic, financial and operational management while directly involved in execution of service and walking the floor as a Sommelier. As a newly opened resort, one of my firsts tasks was to create and establish a high end, guest focused, "Yes" driven culture within the restaurant. In addition to planning and oversight, I am responsible for all staffing, on boarding, staff training, scheduling, conflict resolution, direct booking of events, business projections, labor cost, food and beverage cost, product sourcing and continued eduction of the staff while maintaining Marriott's employee driven culture.

As one the the flagship concepts for Frank Bonanno and Bonanno Concepts, Luca offers rustic, elevated Italian food complimented by an all Italian wine list and craft beverage program. Situated in the historic Capital Hill neighborhood, Luca fuses fine dining standards with fun, warm and engaging service. As General Manager, I was responsible for all aspects of restaurant operations to include hiring, training, product sourcing, projections, budgeting, execution of service and creation of an evolving customer base. In a short period of time at Luca, I was able to optimize and increase profitability by controlling beverage, labor and operational cost utilizing techniques that maximize business efficiency. With it's commitment to outstanding food and wine, Luca was recently awarded the 2019 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence.

As General Manager, my day to day focus is on all aspects of restaurant operations. It is my passion to help shape all aspects of food and beverage, with emphasis on local relationships and training. As the trophy outlet for the largest conference center in the Midwest, Aerie focuses on fresh and locally sourced in a vibrant fine dining setting. As Wine Director, it was my focus to build a Wine Spectator Award winning list that is both refined and engaging while paying homage to the innovators of the industry. We were humble recipients of the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2017, 2018 and 2019. In addition to Aerie, I built fun, fresh and profitable beverage programs in the hotel's other F&B outlets including the golf clubhouse, sports bar, lobby bar and award winning Spa.

I shaped and managed the beverage program for a restaurant that grossed over $5 million dollars annually. Involved in all day to day operations including hiring, training, staff incentive programs, property management, source and manage inventory, redevelopment of the wine program, installation of a craft cocktail program, floor management and establishing relationships with local vendors and producers.

Part of the opening team for the 1st cigar bar in northern Michigan. Established pairings for all wine and craft cocktails in a new and progressive niche market to the area.

Severed as the beverage manager for an all-Tuscan restaurant with an emphasis on Italian wine and fresh, foraged ingredients. Scheduled and directed staff in daily work assignments to maximize productivity. Built and fostered relationships with local vendors and the surrounding community. Part of a team that ultimately build a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence list consisting of all Tuscan wines and dessert spirits. Led all training, staffing, coaching, sourcing and execution of service in a fine dining environment

Learned and practiced organic, biodynamic farming and low input practices, while producing elegant, old world wine that is unrefined and gravity racked Responsible for racking, blending, bottle and corking, labeling, tasting room.