Maxwell Clark

Bit Bar Salem is an arcade, restaurant and bar, co-founded by myself and several other partners. Although I was the member of the team with the most experience in restaurants and hospitality, I kept my day job at Trident and worked to build Bit Bar in my off time.
After the initial incubation period where we nailed down the general concept, we decided we had to attract investors by proving the market. Bit Bar began its life as Bit Fest, a popup arcade event that took place at a number of local breweries (Including Aeronaut and Night Shift) over the winter of 2014/ summer of 2015. After attracting a sufficient number of investors and nailing down the location, I hired the General Manager, Executive Chef, and all FOH staff and began training them in earnest to prepare for opening. I created all in-house manuals, policies, procedures and In June 2016 we opened our first location at the historic Salem Jail in Salem, Massachusetts.
Our lease at the Jail was due to end in July 2021 and we decided to leave and move into the nearby empty space on Derby Street previously operated by Salem Beer Works. I began working here full time in May of 2021. I do my best to ensure that everyone has a good time in a comfortable environment that feels welcoming to all.

- Created organization's mission and vision statements
- Conducted target market research to scope out industry competition and identify advantageous trends
- Represented organization at industry conferences and events
- Formulated and executed strategic initiatives to improve product offerings
- Developed unique events and special promotions to drive sales; created and monitored promotional approaches
- Managed day-to-day FOH operations to drive quality, standards, and meet customer expectations
- Kept facility compliant with health codes, sanitation requirements and license regulations
- Managed staff schedules and maintained adequate coverage for all shifts
- Demonstrated leadership by keeping up with cleanliness and organization and delegating roles to employees
- Maintained positive team environment through example and constructive discipline and precise, honest praise and assessment
- Resolved guests complaints while maintaining positive customer environment, with a focus on making genuine connections that encourage returning customers
- Performed cash handling activities and secured nightly bank deposits
- Developed and maintained relationships with vendors and other business partners to establish trust and build rapport
- Collaborated with chefs to create seasonal menus and promotional offers

To date, Bit Bar Salem has generated over $8,543,649 in sales.

Trident Booksellers and Cafe is an independent bookstore and restaurant in Boston's Back Bay area.
I began my career as an assistant bookstore manager, then took over managing duties for the restaurant and bookstore, and eventually adopted the hybrid position of Operations Manager - a jack of all trades. My favorite aspect of the job was talking to customers about books, and trying to find the right book to recommend to them based on their individual taste(s). I also started a weekly Trivia game, which I wrote and hosted. The event was so successful year round and became such a part of the Trident brand that even after I departed another bookseller was hired to write and host Trivia in the exact same style that I had created. Many of the duties I performed at Trident as Cafe Manager would be repeated at Bit Bar Salem.

- Supervised staff and kept employees compliant with company policies and procedures
- Developed systems and procedures to improve operational quality and team efficiency
- Managed inventory and supply chain operations to achieve timely and accurate delivery of goods and services - in this case, books
- Led hiring, onboarding and training of new hires to fulfill business requirements
- Managed day-to-day FOH operations to drive quality, standards, and meet customer expectations
- Kept facility compliant with health codes, sanitation requirements and license regulations
- Demonstrated leadership by keeping up with cleanliness and organization and delegating roles to employees
- Maintained positive team environment through example and constructive discipline and precise, honest praise and assessment
- Resolved guests complaints while maintaining positive customer environment, with a focus on making genuine connections that encourage returning customers
- Performed cash handling activities and secured nightly bank deposits
- Wrote and hosted weekly Trivia game, which was the primary driver of Friday night sales during my tenure