Founding Team Bartender

Haven • Blowing rock, NC

13d • Onsite

About The Position

Haven is a chef-driven restaurant opening in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, seeking founding front-of-house team members. Backed by Chetola Resort, Haven offers the excitement of a new restaurant with the stability of an established hospitality destination. The role is more than a typical bartender position; it's an opportunity to join before opening and help shape the beverage program, bar standards, guest experience, culture, and identity from the ground up. Haven's menu is rooted in Appalachian cuisine, showcasing hyper-seasonal ingredients with global influences. The beverage program will reflect this philosophy, featuring seasonal, intentional, and approachable drinks that complement the food. Bartenders are seen as crucial to the guest experience, blending craftsmanship with conversation and hospitality.

Requirements

• Previous bartending experience in a full-service restaurant, craft cocktail bar, hotel, or hospitality environment.
• Genuine warmth and a natural desire to take care of people.
• Strong foundational knowledge of classic cocktails, spirits, beer, and wine.
• An understanding of balance, dilution, temperature, texture, and presentation in cocktail execution.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• The ability to read a guest and adapt service style to different preferences, occasions, and levels of beverage knowledge.
• Curiosity about food, beverage, ingredients, seasonality, and culinary technique.
• The ability to learn and confidently communicate detailed menu and beverage knowledge.
• Strong organization and the ability to remain composed under pressure.
• Attention to detail and pride in polished, consistent execution.
• A collaborative mindset and respect for both front- and back-of-house teammates.
• Reliability, accountability, and a strong work ethic.
• Comfort receiving feedback and a genuine desire to improve.
• Commitment to responsible alcohol service and guest safety.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in craft cocktails, fine dining, tasting menu, farm-to-table, wine-focused, or other chef-driven restaurants.

Responsibilities

• Create warm, genuine, and memorable guest experiences at the bar and throughout the restaurant.
• Prepare and serve cocktails with consistency, precision, balance, and care.
• Execute classic cocktails confidently while developing deep knowledge of the restaurant’s signature beverage offerings.
• Guide guests thoughtfully through cocktails, wine, beer, spirits, and non-alcoholic options.
• Develop strong knowledge of the food menu, ingredients, sourcing, preparation methods, and the stories behind the dishes.
• Understand how beverage selections complement and interact with the restaurant’s small plates and tasting menu experience.
• Make thoughtful recommendations based on guest preferences, dietary considerations, and the flow of the dining experience.
• Explain unfamiliar ingredients, spirits, techniques, and flavor profiles in an engaging, approachable, and non-pretentious manner.
• Prepare and maintain bar mise en place, including juices, syrups, infusions, garnishes, and other beverage components.
• Follow recipes, specifications, portion standards, and presentation expectations accurately.
• Maintain awareness of pacing, timing, guest cues, and the overall atmosphere of the bar.
• Collaborate closely with culinary, service, host, and support teams.
• Maintain a clean, organized, efficient, and professional bar.
• Monitor product quality, freshness, inventory levels, and responsible product handling.
• Support thoughtful inventory practices and minimize unnecessary waste.
• Participate in pre-opening training, tastings, mock services, and ongoing beverage education.
• Provide thoughtful feedback as cocktails, workflows, service standards, and bar systems are developed and refined.
• Uphold the highest standards of hospitality, professionalism, sanitation, food safety, and responsible alcohol service.

Benefits

• Opportunities for advancement as the restaurant grows
• In-depth menu, ingredient, wine, spirits, cocktail, and beverage education
• Access to exceptional local and regional products and producers
• A professional restaurant environment focused on hospitality, learning, excellence, and teamwork
• Meaningful input into the systems, standards, and culture we build together
• Ongoing opportunities to deepen your knowledge of cocktails, wine, spirits, food, and hospitality
• The opportunity to contribute to a thoughtful, evolving beverage program
• Scheduling practices designed to support work-life balance whenever operationally possible
• The opportunity to be part of a new restaurant from the very beginning

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed