Beverage Manager

Elk Ave Hospitality

Do You Love Great Beverage Programs, Leadership, and Mountain Living as Much as We Do?

Work Hard. Play Hard. Live Fully in Crested Butte.

At Elk Ave Hospitality, we are building teams for people who want more than just a job. We are looking for leaders who want to manage strong beverage programs, develop teams, maintain high standards, and support multiple hospitality concepts throughout the Gunnison Valley.

If you love great beverages, enjoy coaching teams, and understand how consistent execution, purchasing, inventory, training, sales, and cost control work together, we want to hear from you.

Whether your passion is skiing first tracks, biking wildflower-lined trails, fishing alpine waters, or simply soaking in the beauty of the Rockies, this is an opportunity to build a meaningful hospitality career while enjoying the lifestyle of one of Colorado’s most remarkable mountain communities.

What You Can Expect

• A positive, team-oriented leadership environment
• Responsibility for beverage execution across multiple concepts
• Ongoing professional development and advancement opportunities
• Employee housing opportunities, depending on availability
• Competitive compensation
• Health benefits
• Paid time off
• A leadership role on the Elk Ave Hospitality Shared Services team
• The opportunity to live and work in the Gunnison Valley

This is a full-time salaried management position.

Who We’re Looking For

You may be a strong fit if you:

• Take pride in maintaining strong, profitable beverage programs
• Understand cocktails, wine, beer, spirits, and beverage service
• Enjoy training bartenders, servers, bar leads, and managers
• Balance product quality with organization, cost control, and consistency
• Understand beverage sales, purchasing, inventory, and margin
• Can manage beverage execution for restaurants and large-scale events
• Have a strong eye for quality control
• Can create and maintain useful training materials
• Communicate clearly with venue managers, culinary teams, and Shared Services leadership
• Can move comfortably between different concepts and service styles
• Are committed to continued education within the beverage field

Our core values are Communication, Humility, Accountability, Integrity, and Respect, and we are looking for a manager who will model those values throughout the organization.

What Will Be Expected of You

In this role, you will be expected to:

• Maintain regular presence in the bars and restaurants you support
• Ensure established beverage standards are consistently executed
• Manage menus, recipes, pricing, inventory, ordering, and product availability
• Train and coach beverage and service teams
• Monitor beverage quality and correct execution issues
• Review beverage sales, costs, and margins with the Profitability Manager
• Coordinate beverage needs for private events and large-format functions
• Maintain organized, clean, efficient, and service-ready bar operations
• Communicate issues, opportunities, and recommendations to the Director of Operations
• Step into service, training, or operational support when needed
• Pursue sommelier certification and remain committed to continued learning

About Elk Ave Hospitality

Elk Ave Hospitality is a growing family of restaurants and hospitality businesses in Crested Butte and the Gunnison Valley. Our concepts range from elevated dining to high-volume casual hospitality, historic mountain-town service, destination dining, events, bakery, market, and provisions.

Our portfolio includes Elk Prime, Bruhaus, Wooden Nickel, Bar 47, Mule’s Ear Market and Provisions, and a growing events operation.

We believe hospitality can be both a craft and a career. With multiple concepts, varied service models, and meaningful opportunities for advancement, we are building a company for people who want to work hard, contribute to a strong culture, and grow their skills over time.

About Shared Services

The Group Beverage Manager is part of Elk Ave Hospitality’s Shared Services team and supports beverage operations across the portfolio rather than managing a single venue.

The position reports to the Director of Operations and works directly with the Profitability Manager on beverage sales, purchasing, inventory, costs, and margin performance.

The Beverage Manager also works closely with General Managers, bar leads, culinary leadership, and the Events Department to ensure company beverage standards are executed consistently at the venue level.

Position Summary

As Group Beverage Manager, I manage the day-to-day execution of Elk Ave Hospitality’s beverage programs across multiple concepts.

I am responsible for maintaining beverage menus and recipes, beverage sales execution, purchasing, inventory, margin control, training, quality control, bar logistics, and event beverage packages.

I spend time in our operations observing service, coaching teams, auditing standards, reviewing performance, solving problems, and ensuring our beverage programs are being executed as intended.

I work directly with the Profitability Manager to understand beverage performance and report to the Director of Operations on execution, challenges, and opportunities for improvement.

Benefits and Perks

• Competitive compensation
• Health benefits
• Paid time off
• Employee housing opportunities, depending on availability
• Opportunities for growth and advancement within Elk Ave Hospitality
• Support for continued beverage education and sommelier development
• The opportunity to work across multiple hospitality concepts
• The chance to live and work in one of Colorado’s most remarkable mountain communities

Key Responsibilities

Beverage Menus, Recipes, and Daily Execution

• As Group Beverage Manager, I manage beverage menus and recipes across Elk Ave Hospitality.
• I maintain current recipes, builds, portions, garnishes, glassware, presentation standards, and pricing.
• I ensure bartenders and managers have accurate and accessible beverage specifications.
• I coordinate seasonal menu changes and approved product updates with venue leadership.
• I ensure menu changes are properly entered, communicated, trained, stocked, and ready before launch.
• I routinely observe service to confirm beverages are being executed to standard.
• I identify execution problems and work with venue leadership to correct them quickly.

Beverage Sales Management

• I monitor beverage sales across concepts and review performance regularly.
• I track sales mix, beverage capture, average check, and category performance.
• I identify opportunities to improve beverage sales through better product knowledge, menu placement, features, and service execution.
• I coach service teams on responsible beverage sales and product recommendations.
• I communicate sales opportunities and performance concerns to venue leadership and the Director of Operations.
• I follow through on approved sales initiatives and measure their effectiveness.

Purchasing, Ordering, and Inventory

• I manage beverage purchasing and ordering practices across the company.
• I maintain appropriate product pars based on concept, season, sales volume, and upcoming events.
• I coordinate ordering with venue managers and bar leads.
• I ensure products are received, stored, rotated, and accounted for correctly.
• I oversee regular beverage inventory counts and ensure counts are accurate and completed on schedule.
• I investigate inventory variances, waste, breakage, comps, over-ordering, and stock-outs.
• I maintain relationships with distributors and vendors and communicate purchasing opportunities to the Profitability Manager and Director of Operations.
• I ensure approved purchasing decisions are implemented consistently across the group.

Margin and Cost Management

• I monitor beverage costs and margins with the Profitability Manager.
• I maintain accurate recipe costing and confirm menu pricing supports established margin expectations.
• I review pour cost, product usage, waste, comps, breakage, and inventory variance.
• I investigate performance outside established expectations and determine the operational cause.
• I implement corrective actions with venue leadership and follow up to ensure results improve.
• I communicate meaningful cost or margin concerns promptly rather than waiting for the end of a reporting period.

Beverage Training and Development

• I manage beverage training across Elk Ave Hospitality.
• I create and maintain beverage guides, recipes, product information, service standards, quizzes, tests, and reference materials.
• I coordinate beverage onboarding for new bartenders, servers, and managers.
• I conduct ongoing training in wine, beer, spirits, cocktails, non-alcoholic beverages, responsible service, and beverage sales.
• I work with General Managers and bar leads to identify training needs within their teams.
• I conduct tastings, classes, menu rollouts, and refreshers as needed.
• I track training completion and evaluate team knowledge through observation and testing.
• I update training materials when menus, products, recipes, or standards change.

Quality Control

• I am responsible for beverage quality control across the concepts I support.
• I routinely taste and inspect cocktails, wine service, draft beer, spirit pours, and non-alcoholic beverages.
• I verify recipe adherence, portioning, glassware, garnishes, temperature, presentation, and service.
• I inspect product storage, rotation, freshness, cleanliness, and equipment condition.
• I identify inconsistencies and coach employees and managers toward immediate correction.
• I follow up after corrections to ensure standards remain in place.
• I communicate recurring quality issues to the Director of Operations.

Event Beverage Packages and Execution

• I manage Elk Ave Hospitality’s approved event beverage packages and keep package information, pricing, products, and recipes current.
• I work with the Events Department to match beverage packages to weddings, private dinners, corporate functions, and large-format events.
• I confirm package pricing and product costs with the Profitability Manager to protect established margin expectations.
• I review BEOs and confirm guest counts, bar locations, service style, timelines, staffing, products, glassware, equipment, ice, and other beverage requirements.
• I calculate product pars and place or coordinate beverage orders for upcoming events.
• I coordinate with Banquet Captains, venue leadership, and event teams to ensure bars are set and ready for service.
• I support specialty cocktails, wine selections, pairings, welcome beverages, and approved upgrades.
• I review event consumption and sales after significant events to improve future ordering and execution.
• I ensure event beverage service meets the same quality and responsible-service standards as our restaurants.

Bar Logistics and Readiness

• I regularly inspect bar setup, organization, equipment, storage, glassware, product placement, and service flow.
• I ensure each bar has appropriate pars and is stocked for anticipated business.
• I identify equipment, storage, or workflow problems affecting execution.
• I coordinate solutions with venue leadership and the appropriate Shared Services team member.
• I maintain standards for bar opening, closing, stocking, cleaning, and organization.
• I support major menu changes, events, seasonal transitions, and high-volume service periods with additional onsite presence when needed.

Responsible Alcohol Service and Compliance

• I manage beverage-service compliance standards across the concepts I support.
• I reinforce company expectations for ID verification, responsible alcohol service, and intoxication awareness.
• I ensure required beverage certifications and training are completed and current.
• I monitor execution of company alcohol policies during regular venue visits.
• I address compliance concerns immediately with venue leadership and escalate significant issues to the Director of Operations.

Shared Services, Reporting, and Communication

• As a Shared Services manager, I maintain regular communication with the venues I support.
• I work directly with the Profitability Manager on inventory, purchasing, beverage sales, costs, and margins.
• I report operational issues, performance trends, and recommendations to the Director of Operations.
• I maintain beverage documentation, recipes, costs, training materials, and operational standards.
• I attend applicable operational, Shared Services, events, and financial meetings.
• I maintain clear action items and follow through until identified issues are resolved.

Continued Beverage Education

• I am committed to continued professional beverage education.
• I am willing to pursue sommelier certification.
• I continue developing my knowledge of wine, spirits, beer, cocktails, purchasing, cost control, and beverage service.
• I bring relevant learning back to the teams through practical training and improved day-to-day execution.

Qualifications

• Beverage or hospitality management experience required
• Beverage Manager, Bar Manager, Assistant Beverage Manager, or comparable experience strongly preferred
• Strong working knowledge of cocktails, spirits, wine, beer, and beverage service
• Experience training bartenders and service teams
• Strong understanding of beverage inventory, ordering, recipe costing, and margin management
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Ability to manage responsibilities across multiple locations
• Clear written and verbal communication skills
• Strong problem-solving skills and willingness to address issues directly
• Ability to coach teams while maintaining accountability
• Commitment to continued beverage education and willingness to pursue sommelier certification

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Multi-unit beverage or restaurant management experience
• Experience maintaining beverage menus and recipe systems
• Experience with wine programs
• Experience managing event beverage packages and execution
• Experience creating and maintaining beverage training materials
• Experience with strategic purchasing and vendor relationships
• Familiarity with Craftable or similar inventory management software
• Proficiency with Toast POS or similar point-of-sale systems
• Comfort with Microsoft Office, spreadsheets, scheduling, and reporting tools
• Experience with recipe costing and margin analysis
• Alcohol-service certification or ability to obtain required certification
• Ability to communicate in Spanish is appreciated

Physical and Position Requirements

• Must be 21 years of age or older
• Must be able to stand and move for extended periods
• Must be able to walk, bend, reach, stoop, and lift throughout the workday
• Must be able to work efficiently in busy bar and restaurant environments
• Must be able to lift and carry beverage products, cases, kegs, glassware, and supplies as needed
• Must be able to work evenings, weekends, holidays, and extended hours when required
• Must be able to travel regularly between Elk Ave Hospitality concepts

Important Position Information

This is a full-time salaried Shared Services management position with health benefits and paid time off.

The Group Beverage Manager reports to the Director of Operations, works directly with the Profitability Manager, and manages the day-to-day execution of beverage programs across Elk Ave Hospitality.

What Success Looks Like in This Role

Success means our beverage programs are executed consistently every day.

I ensure menus and recipes are current, products are available, inventory is accurate, margins are monitored, event bars are prepared, employees are trained, and beverage quality meets expectations.

I spend time where the work happens. I identify problems, coach teams, follow through on corrections, and communicate clearly with venue leadership, the Profitability Manager, and Director of Operations.

Because of my management, our bars are organized, our teams understand the products they sell, our event beverage packages execute smoothly, our costs remain controlled, and guests receive a consistent beverage experience across Elk Ave Hospitality.