Bar Manager

Location: Cincinnati, OH, 45227

Location Detail: Suzu Cincinnati • Madisonville

Status: Full-time • Salaried • Exempt

Schedule: Nights, weekends & holidays, peak-service presence required

Reports To: General Manager

Direct Reports: Bartenders • Barbacks

Coordinates With: Assistant GM • Chef Makoto • Beverage partners

The Role

At Suzu, the bar is not a side stage; it is a program: a considered world of specialty cocktails, sake, Japanese whisky, wine, beer, and non-alcoholic drinks that must be as intentional as anything on the pass. The opening menus will be developed by Chef Makoto and our beverage partners. The Bar Manager is responsible for turning that vision into a disciplined, profitable, and teachable operation, with exacting execution, warm hospitality, and systems that hold up at peak volume.

What You'll Own

The Beverage Program

• Execute and maintain the opening cocktail, sake, Japanese whisky, wine, beer, and non-alcoholic programs developed by Chef Makoto and our beverage partners, ensuring every recipe, specification, price, vessel, and presentation is followed.
• Steward the sake program in service: correct storage, rotation, temperatures, vessels, presentation, and staff education across the range.
• Maintain standards for Japanese whisky, highballs, wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages; provide operational feedback and recommendations as the program evolves.
• Design the operating systems for speed and consistency, including batching, prep, station setup, well organization, glassware, and service-ready pars.

Cost & Inventory

• Achieve pour-cost targets; run weekly inventory, ordering, pars, transfers, and variance reporting with a clean, repeatable method.
• Manage distributor and vendor relationships, receiving, product availability, and substitutions; support the GM and ownership with Ohio licensing and compliance requirements.
• Control waste, breakage, complimentary pours, and over-pour; reconcile inventory accurately and investigate variances.

Team

• Partner with the GM to recruit and hire, then schedule, train, coach, and develop bartenders and barbacks.
• Create and maintain bar training materials; certify staff on recipes, sake and whisky service, wine basics, allergy awareness, and responsible alcohol service before they pour.
• Set and hold standards for speed, consistency, cleanliness, product knowledge, and hospitality at the bar.

Service & Hospitality

• Work the well during peak services and lead from behind the bar while maintaining awareness of the full operation.
• Build guest loyalty through precise drinks, thoughtful recommendations, and a bar experience that feels welcoming rather than performative.
• Partner with the AGM and floor team so beverage and service move as one.

Compliance & Safety

• Own bar compliance with Ohio liquor law, responsible alcohol service, sanitation, storage, and equipment-safety standards; keep required certifications current.

What Success Looks Like

• First 30 days - the finalized opening menus are fully operational: recipes, batch sheets, pars, ordering, inventory controls, station setup, and training materials are in place.
• By 60 days - the bar team is hired, trained, and certified against the program; inventory is clean and pour cost is tracking to target.
• By 90 days - the bar executes consistently at peak volume without depending on the manager at the well, and guest feedback reflects the strength of the program.

What You Bring

Required

• 4+ years of bartending experience in craft, upscale, or fine-dining settings, including at least 2 years leading a bar team or program.
• Proven ability to execute complex beverage specifications, train a team, and translate finalized menus into efficient, repeatable service systems.
• Command of inventory, purchasing, pour cost, variance control, and bar financial performance.
• Ohio-eligible responsible alcohol-service certification, or the ability to obtain required certification before opening.

Preferred

• Sake expertise (Sake Professional or WSET Sake preferred) and genuine passion for the category.
• Wine-service knowledge and comfort with a serious list.
• Experience in Japanese concepts, including shochu, Japanese whisky, highballs, and umami-forward flavor profiles.
• Pre-opening experience and familiarity with Ohio liquor regulations; experience contributing operational feedback to menu development is a plus.

Physical & Schedule

• Regular availability for nights, weekends, and holidays, including peak services.
• Ability to stand and move throughout full shifts, lift up to 40 lbs, and safely move heavier items using appropriate equipment or assistance, with reasonable accommodation where required.

Compensation details: 55000-65000 Yearly Salary

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