Beverage & Banquet Manager

About Cream City Concepts

Cream City Concepts is a Milwaukee hospitality group focused on engaging entertainment spaces, quality food and beverage, memorable guest experiences, and continued operational growth. Its portfolio includes Oak Barrel Public House, Who’s on Third, Who’s on Layton, Cream City Catering, and related hospitality ventures.

The Beverage & In-House Banquet Manager is the hands-on operational leader of Oak Barrel Public House’s beverage program. This role combines high-volume bartending, bar-team leadership, beverage preparation, inventory control, quality assurance, training, and beverage execution for Oak Barrel’s in-house banquets, private parties, and onsite events — this is onsite banquet work at Oak Barrel. The manager ensures that all active bars are organized, stocked, staffed, compliant, and prepared to deliver fast, consistent, hospitality-focused service.

The Beverage Manager works closely with the Assistant General Manager, restaurant leadership, Human Resources, the Events Director, kitchen leadership, vendors, and ownership. This person is expected to lead by example while also completing the administrative and financial work required to protect and grow the beverage program.

• Lead day-to-day beverage operations across all active bars and event spaces.
• Inspect bar readiness, assign stations and duties, manage workload, and adjust deployment during service.
• Monitor ticket times, drink quality, cleanliness, guest engagement, and bartender urgency.
• Verify opening, transition, weekly cleaning, and closing responsibilities are completed to standard.
• Provide hands-on bartending and operational support during peak volume.

• Maintain beverage prep lists, production schedules, pars, recipes, shelf-life standards, and responsible ownership.
• Oversee juices, syrups, batches, infusions, garnishes, fruit, herbs, mixers, and specialty ingredients.
• Verify all prepared products are accurate, labeled, dated, stored, and rotated using FIFO.
• Adjust prep quantities using sales trends, forecasted volume, events, waste, and shelf life.
• Maintain organized storage and restocking systems for all bars, coolers, liquor storage, beer storage, and beverage work areas.

• Audit beverage recipes, measurements, glassware, ice, garnish, temperature, and presentation.
• Taste and approve batches and specialty preparations before service.
• Coach recipe and service inconsistencies immediately and document repeated concerns.
• Promote hospitality-first service, product knowledge, recommendations, and timely guest recovery.
• Identify and address equipment, setup, or workflow issues that affect quality or speed.

• Recruit, onboard, train, coach, and develop bartenders and bar leaders in partnership with management and HR.
• Oversee Bartender in Training progression, practical drink tests, and station-readiness assessments.
• Lead beverage pre-shifts, menu training, whiskey education, responsible-service refreshers, and skills development.
• Assign responsibilities to the Bar Supervisor, Head Bartender, Lead Bartenders, and Banquet Beverage Leads.
• Provide performance feedback, recognize strong execution, document meaningful concerns, and recommend promotions, retraining, or corrective action.
• Maintain professional boundaries, consistent accountability, and a respectful team culture.

• Complete approved routine beverage orders and maintain appropriate pars and stock levels.
• Verify deliveries, pricing, substitutions, damage, organization, and product security.
• Review Bevinco results, sales mix, waste, comps, mis-rings, substitutions, transfers, and inventory variance.
• Investigate discrepancies and implement corrective actions.
• Identify slow-moving and dead-stock products and recommend features, promotions, transfers, or purchasing changes.
• Support beverage COGS, sales, profitability, and inventory goals established by leadership.

• Protect approved cocktail recipes and presentation standards.
• Support beverage…