RYAN O'HANLON
Williamsburg,VA
Summary
Experienced food and beverage service professional
Experienced in various sales environments
Specializes in fine dining
Greets new responsibilities with enthusiasm
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
Work History
Rockefeller Room Server
Colonial Williamsburg Company
01.2020 - 10.2026
- Bussed and reset tables to keep dining room and work areas clean.
- Cultivated warm relationships with regular customers.
- Used slow periods to restock supplies, ice, trays, and delivery bags.
- Explained menu items and suggested appropriate options for food allergy concerns.
- Worked with POS system to place orders, manage bills, and handle complimentary items.
- Maintained clean and organized dining areas to uphold restaurant hygiene standards.
- Set positive tone for entire dining experience as first point of contact for incoming guests.
- Utilized communication practices with kitchen staff to deliver customer meals in timely manner.
Server
Amber Ox Public House
04.2018 - Current
- Deep knowledge of a constantly evolving menu and guidance of patrons with a vast spectrum of familiarity of both traditional southern inspired cuisine elevated with contemporary culinary techniques and classical treatments, along with beer, craft cocktails and, specifically, Virginian wine. As a scratch kitchen supplied overwhelmingly by local farmers, fishermen, and cheesemakers, a communicable understanding of on-premises production is a large part of an expansively detailed culinary service culture, along with a working knowledge of the greater mid-atlantic local food production ecosystem, and the rapidly maturing and deepening American small-brewing/fermenting/distilling industrial craft.
- Amber Ox Public House, one of the area's highest acclaimed new destination restaurants, has crystallized the interest of the burgeoning Williamsburg brewing and food festival scene, of which they're now high praise for each entry, into a casual dining and brewpub experience of constant evolution and carefully cultivated menus. Amber Ox, along with its sister project Precarious Beer Project and associated Beer Hall and Electric Circus Taco Bar, now folded into its newly established parent company Against The Grain, continues to innovate and grow in size and scope while increasing the fidelity of their product and reputation for excellence in food, beer, craft cocktails, and service. This has firmly established an impressive reputation in a very short time as not only a reliably innovative gastronomic experience, but also, with continued growth and refinement, a dedicated vanguard for the expansion and enrichment of culinary excellence as a tourist draw in itself, for Williamsburg.
Server / Bartender
Colonial Williamsburg Company
11.2010 - 2025
- Williamsburg Lodge Garden Lounge and Traditions Dining Room - engaged with new and legacy hotel guests, fashioned original cocktails in the Garden Lounge and supported the wait staff in Traditions dining room with bartending, cashier and wine presentation duties. Additionally assisted in epicurean appreciation events including Wine, Wit & Wisdom seminars.
- Chowning's Tavern - entertained a broad demographic with ranging from touring families to corporate retreats with humor and historicity as a server in the original reconstructed tavern envisaged by John J Rockefeller to present the commoner's way of life on the cusp of American revolution.
- Banquet Dept - finely detailed and attentive fine dining service to usually large events routinely in the hundreds, diligent anticipation of guest needs and preparation to see them met before they are mentioned remains essential. Adaptability and cooperation are indispensable for the smooth operation of these logistically complex and demanding events.
- The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation operates the world's largest living history museum in Williamsburg, Virginia—the restored 18th-century capital of Britain's largest, wealthiest, and most populous outpost of empire in the New World.
Server
Opus 9 Steakhouse
06.2017 - 04.2018
- Presentation and education of customers, in the course of 30 steps of table service, of the qualities of the beef cuts and signature preparations, along with wine and cocktail pairings to complement an experience blending traditional steakhouse service with modern accents.
- Opus 9 Steakhouse, as the premier steakhouse in Virginia south of the Capital region, winning consecutive annual awards for best steakhouse and best overall restaurant three years running, features vacuum-sealed 30+ day wet aged Black Angus steaks served on sizzling plates along with signature seafood dishes in a composer-themed assemblage of dining rooms to the tune of Sinatra-inspired sets from the player piano. An open-concept wine cellar on display throughout the dining rooms and the draft wine tap at the bar sets the tone for the service which ranges the dining spectrum from family/casual to traditional silent service.
Server
Fat Canary
06.2014 - 06.2017
- Providing impeccable service, principally as a table attendant, familiarizing guests with eclectic menu elements, and pairing suggestions from a frequently alternating wine and craft cocktail selection.
- The Fat Canary, a family owned and operated restaurant in the heart of Merchant's Square in Williamsburg VA, has consistently rated as a culinary destination for over a decade with its highly acclaimed New American menu that has been granted the AAA four Diamond award consecutively since the doors opened in 2003.
Bartender
Triangle
06.2015 - 12.2015
- As lead bartender for restaurant opening, collaborated with management team on bar procedures, service training, and product education for staff. Assisted with general procedures refinement for initial opening phases.
- Triangle, a locally owned, tapas-menu inspired live music venue, craft beer, classic cocktail and whiskey bar continues to innovate with its menu and refine and expand its performance format to an expanding and loyal clientele of widely eclectic interests.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Political Science
University of South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina, SCSkills
- Fine-dining expertise
- Bar terminology
- Wine pairings/service
- High volume dining
- Kitchen staff coordination
- Banquet service
- Menu memorization
- Effective customer upselling
- Wait staff training
Accomplishments
Achieved a perfect score during a 5-star inspection blind inspection by Forbes Travel Guide
Timeline
Rockefeller Room Server
Colonial Williamsburg Company
01.2020 - 10.2026
Server
Amber Ox Public House
04.2018 - Current
Server
Opus 9 Steakhouse
06.2017 - 04.2018
Bartender
Triangle
06.2015 - 12.2015
Server
Fat Canary
06.2014 - 06.2017
Server / Bartender
Colonial Williamsburg Company
11.2010 - 2025
Bachelor of Arts - Political Science
University of South Carolina