Tasting Room Manager

JOB SUMMARY

This position is responsible for the total customer experience in the Benziger Family Winery Tasting Room, delivering on wine and non-wine sales and club acquisition goals while providing a rewarding work environment and best-in-class service in a high volume, customer centric environment. The Tasting Room Manager coordinates all aspects of the Tasting Room and will be expected to be a leader in the following areas:

• Managing and coordinating all daily consumer facing activities on property, including providing various tastings and tours experiences, wine education, tasting room events and staffing
• Driving sales and club acquisition results within all sales and experience venues (i.e., Tasting Room main bar, seated tastings, other on-site tasting spaces and tours)
• Creating memorable, world-class experiences for all guests via small and large group wine tastings and events, winery tours, educational experiences, and Wine Club offerings/spaces
• Remaining focused on sales and margin, while not losing focus on excellent customer service and experience
• Recognizing how to match the diverse individual customer types with the customer experiences that will deliver the greatest margin for the company
• Managing monthly inventory process for Tasting Room
• Assembling and developing a high performing staff and providing consistent training, analytics, motivation, and other activities required to drive success
• Working alongside and overseeing staff in the Tasting Room to create a warm, welcoming environment. Set high standards and hold staff accountable to those standards
• Collaborating and working well within the overall retail sales team management to coordinate consumer, trade, VIP, Wine Club, groups, Tasting Room events and other visits to assure high quality service and successful execution
• Developing and building partnerships within the company, including Imagery Estate Winery Tasting Room, Hospitality and Special Events, Direct Sales and Wine Club, Marketing, Retail Merchandising, Winemaking/Production, Accounting, as well as the community
• Identifying successful strategies and developing and implementing tactical plans to impact change when needed
• Understanding and identifying with sales reporting
• Reports to: Director of Sales and Hospitality
• Reporting to this position: Benziger Family Winery Tasting Room Full-time staff; Supervisor and Full-time Wine Specialist(s)

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Meet/Exceed sales goals: Wine and non-wine merchandise
• Drive volume and margin while managing product mix
• Increase average sales per visitor and average bottle price
• Upsell guests into elevated experiences
• Set annual Tasting Room plans and budgets, and participate in monthly budget and benchmarking reviews
• Cultivate a high performing sales organization
• Recruitment, motivation, and training (e.g., sales, promotions, club offerings, experiences)
• Mentor and review Tasting Room staff, addressing complaints and resolving conflicts
• Schedule and conduct regular staff meetings, tastings, seminars, and other events to enhance communication and teamwork
• Develop and implement effective sales incentives, and manage monthly sales commissions, tipping programs and approve club commissions
• Manage an efficient labor budget to include assigning/directing work and managing and mitigating overtime
• Review and approve weekly timecards for direct reports
• Develop effective sales promotions and policies (in conjunction with cross-functional teams)
• Floor promotions and discount policies
• Wine Club and seasonal programs
• Events
• Increase customer acquisition
• Drive wine club member acquisition
• Ensure name/email capture
• Provide referrals to Imagery Estate Winery
• Execute best-in-class wine club, tour and tasting experiences, and Tasting Room events
• Customer satisfaction and loyalty
• Elevate staff’s wine knowledge, specific to Benziger Family Winery and general wine knowledge where appropriate (i.e., Burgundy, Bordeaux, etc.)
• Ensure sales staff understands and communicates brand messaging
• Ensure appropriate staffing/schedules and communicate schedule to staff
• Retail Operations
• Opening and closing, cash management, etc.
• Manages end of day reporting and ensures safe handling of cash deposits

QUALIFICATIONS

• Must be 21 years of age
• High School Diploma or Equivalent required
• College degree in retail/business management or hospitality, or equivalent experience strongly preferred
• Must hold a valid driver’s license
• 4+ years of prior relevant experience in a managerial role is required; candidates with Tasting Room retail, direct to consumer sales, restaurant or hotel experience will be preferred
• Must be available to work weekends, special events and holidays
• Excellent communication, organizational and interpersonal skills are a must
• Superior customer service skills and service driven
• Friendly, positive, and professional disposition when dealing with guests, vendors, and team members
• Demonstrated ability to multi-task, follow-up, and work in a fast-paced environment under pressure
• Must have strong attention to detail
• Pro-active and thorough in completing existing tasks and pursuing new assignments
• Ability to work independently with minimal direct supervision
• Demonstrated reliability, punctuality, and adherence to all safety regulations and operating procedures
• Maintain a professional appearance at all times
• Enthusiasm for wine and interest in expanding expertise

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Must be able to frequently lift and carry weights of up to 40 pounds at varying frequencies
• Ability to operate various types of machinery to include, but not limited to, lift trucks, hand trucks, dishwashers etc.
• Ability to perform tasks requiring bending, stooping, standing, and twisting

At The Wine Group, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and we are committed to an environment of mutual respect, diversity, and inclusion. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristic protected by law.
 
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