Job Description:

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Amara, located at 670 N Midvale Blvd in Madison, WI, is seeking a Server to join our team.

 

Amara is our take on contemporary coastal Italian cuisine featuring sharable small plates and bites, hand-crafted pastas, and entrées showcasing the bounty of Madison Wisconsin. Our wine list will feature cutting edge Italian and Italian-inspired artisan wines farmed by hand and made with classical methods. Our bar will showcase the art of Italian drinking including aperitifs, negronis, cocktails and espresso​. Amara will open its doors in the late summer of 2022.

 

The name Amara derives from the Ancient Greek ‘Amáranthos’, which means ‘everlasting flower’. Amore in Italian, Amará in Spanish, and Amara in Arabic all refer to love. Yet, Amara in Italian means bitter, conjuring some of the hallmarks of Italian cooking and drinking, where herbs, bitter greens, and digestivi are celebrated for their health benefits and healing botanical qualities. Bitter and sweet are often found together, and at the same time, and couldn't be more relevant to us now as we move forward with purpose and intention seeking balance, healing, health, sustainability, and love.

 

Server - Amara - Madison, WI

 

RESPONSIBILITIES

Our servers’ primary focus is on the guest experience while mastering steps of service to make our guests repeat customers.

 

Menu and Product Knowledge

Be knowledgeable about every menu item served: what it tastes like; ingredients listed on the menu; where it comes from, and be able to translate that into 3 selling points for each menu item.

 

Customer Service / Sales

• Master the Steps of Service: 1. The Welcome, 2. The Order, 3. Firing, 4. Guest Awareness, 5. Checking Back, 6. The Farewell

• Help patrons select food and beverages by presenting menu; explaining the chef's specialties if applicable; answering food and beverage questions

• There are two types of servers- the salesperson and the order taker. 

  • The order taker will just serve whatever the customer asks for.  

  • The sales person will read the guest and help them find the best dish using the 3 selling points for each menu item as described above. 

  • Amara’s servers are expected to be salespersons, providing phenomenal experiences to our guests through food and drink

• Be able to “read” your guests.

  • Servers should be able to judge the level of involvement the particular guest desires and adjust their style of service to accommodate.

  • Servers should  act as a gracious host to all their guests and help to guide them through the dining experience.

• Stay updated on current menu choices, specialties and menu deviations; knowing if the kitchen staff is running out of any items, etc.

• Submit orders to the bar and kitchen by recording guests' choices and identifying any special dietary needs and special requests.

• Promptly address customer service issues and refer customers to management when necessary.

 

Floor Operations

• Gain knowledge to be able to use restaurant point-of-sale (POS) and reservation software.

• Memorize table and seat numbers.

• Facilitate to-go orders accordingly through phone orders, 3rd party platforms, etc.

• Record orders accurately and immediately submit them into POS.

• Process payments and responsibly handle cash: 

  • Accept guest payment, process credit card charges, and make change if necessary. 

  • Sanitize handhelds, POS screens, pens and check presenters periodically, and after contact with guests.

• Communicate with server assistants to clear used plates, utensils and menus from tables, and maintain a clean environment for guests at all times.

• Provide guests with clean plates, utensils, menus and condiments as needed.

• Prepare the dining room by setting tables after they are cleared and sanitized.

• Organize and stock server stations.

• Keep kitchen staff informed by noting timing of meal progression and maintaining clear communication with the expeditor.

• Manage your Schedule:

  • Responsibly handle on-call shifts, time-off requests, getting shifts covered, and manager communications.

• Protect establishment and patrons by adhering to sanitation, safety, and alcohol beverage control policies.

• Perform basic cleaning tasks and sidwork as needed or directed by supervisor.

 

General Product and Industry Knowledge

• Gain an understanding of the DNA of cocktails and how ‘mixology’ works at a base level, including:

  • The Classic Cocktail terminology of “Strong/Weak & Sweet/Tart”

  • The roles of base, modifier, and accent in a cocktail

  • The major cocktail types

• Basic wine knowledge of the effect of region, grape and year; and how to perform proper wine service.

• General knowledge of major beer types and serving styles.

• The server is expected to be aware of all the biological elements of serving alcohol: the way alcohol is processed by the human body, the Blood Alcohol Concentration, the nature of overindulgence; the factors that affect alcohol absorption; the principles of pragmatic responsible drinking.

• Know how eating habits, the industry, and drinking and dining culture have evolved and are evolving in order to serve it properly to the guest.

 

Benefits:

• Competitive wages

• A flexible and predictable schedule that is posted two weeks in advance

• 50% dining discount for your friends and family

• Free and healthy GF Vegetarian or Regular staff meal

• Access to Amara's online classroom with training materials, recipes, and checklists.  After full orientation, we offer weekly paid training opportunities to taste wine, spirits and food with industry experts

• Our mission is centered around treating each other and ourselves well through our love of food, drink, and community.

• Sustainability must be possible and attainable in our industry!

• All employees are offered health, dental and vision insurance

• Paid time off

• 401k contribution

• The chance to work in a brand new clean facility with state of the art new equipment

• The chance to contribute to one of the most dynamic restaurant groups in the region

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Our ideal Server has:

• 2+ years of serving experience. Casual fine dining experience is a plus.

• The ideal server has excellent personal qualities, is polite, confident, a great sense of humor and above all, enjoys dealing with people.

• The server should be warm and genuine using verbiage and vocabulary that is guest-focused and positive

• Able to thrive in a team environment as a reliable and trustworthy player on the floor.

• Servers need to be able to multitask and remain organized in a fast-paced environment. Staying calm and collected is key.

• The server, along with all staff members, is expected to be clean, neat and tidy in their personal appearance and also in their working habits; they shall also maintain the highest standards of hygiene in their workplace.

• The server, along with all staff members, is expected to embody the organizational mission and caring, inclusive, and authentic values in terms of who we are and what we believe.  

 

REPORTING

The role will report to Shift Leads, the Front of House Manager, the Assistant General Manager, and the General Manager of Amara.

 

RNO is a mission-driven lifestyle company dedicated to creating spaces for celebrating and treating each other and ourselves well.  We seek to provide warm, fun and an endlessly interesting mix of inspired programming that challenges, invigorates and delights our guests by celebrating our craft, who we are, what we do and what we believe. As a community-driven hospitality management organization, we are active in social causes supporting women, Black, LGBTQ+, and Indigenous communities everywhere. Cook It Forward is a non-profit advocacy arm of Rule No One Hospitality, Inc. with a mission to address ongoing inequities in our food systems. We are all working collectively on social entrepreneurship, social equity, and social justice-- one meal at a time.

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Our Values:

• Inclusivity.  We will establish a culturally diverse and  inclusive environment, one that specifically supports minorities, all genders, and those historically underrepresented in our industry.

• Humility. We are modest about capabilities, admit mistakes, and create the space for others to contribute.

• Effective Collaboration. We are a team centered around positivity, that stands for one message which involves empowering others, empathizing with each other, and uplifting others as a collective.

• Respect and Justice / Health and Well-Being. All team members need to be treated respectfully and fairly.  This pertains to equity in pay, and specific attention to physical/mental health, well-being and safety.

• Positivity and Love of Food and Community. Cooking and serving others is a powerful act of caring and love for one another.  Let us work together to bring our community together through the power of food and drink

 

Pay Rate:

$22-$28/hr total compensation, $8/hr base rate + tips

 

Amara is an equal opportunity employer, with a mission to support women, Black, LGBTQ+ applicants.  As an organization, we support a minimum wage of $16/hour.

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