Barback
Culinary Agents
Chicago, IL, USA
USD 15-15 / hour
Posted 6+ months ago
Job Details
Queen Mary Tavern, a neighborhood cocktail bar in the Ukrainian Village, is hiring an experienced barback for 1 shift per week, plus the option to pick up more shifts, prep hours and so forth as opportunities arise. The shift we are hiring for is every Friday, 2pm to close (we are normally finished by 2:30am), so applicants should have availability in their schedule on Fridays.
We are both a cocktail bar and a neighborhood bar. Cocktails are the centerpiece of our beverage program, with special focuses on gin, rum, Scotch whisky and fortified wines. We have a rich and unusual backbar, offering something new to even the most seasoned guests; we seek to uphold the highest possible standards of quality in every drink we serve; and we aim to offer guests a cocktail experience the equal of any in the world. At the same time, however, our bar has a strictly casual atmosphere; we have options in every price range; we extend warm and gracious hospitality to every guest; we strictly avoid stiffness and formality; we get to know our guests and cultivate regulars.
In other words, we strive to make cocktails as well as they can possibly be made, but for us that is no big deal: our standard is offhand excellence.
Barbacking at Queen Mary is not what is sometimes called a “head down” job. It does involve all the standard barback tasks — bussing tables, washing, polishing and restocking glassware, restocking ice, making fresh citrus juices, and so on. But it also requires considerable guest interaction, especially serving drink and food orders, and even sometimes taking orders. We have a small staff, and our barbacks are a central part of our team.
So, the ideal candidate will have experience in working in a bar or restaurant and in standard barback tasks; but will also be friendly, personable and good at communicating, for the guest-facing parts of the job.
The job is moderately physical and requires some heavy lifting — of buckets of ice, cases of citrus, cases of liquor, full garbage cans, empty kegs, that sort of thing. It also requires the ability to go up and down a flight of stairs (to our basement).
Barbacking at a cocktail bar involves doing a lot of small tasks in a very specific way, every time, without fail, so exceptional attention to detail and consistency are critical. We are happy to train staff in the details that matter to us, as long as they have the patience and commitment to learn them.
The pace of service can vary widely, from low to high volume, depending on day and time. On the whole, we are a growing business and expect our growth to continue in the coming year.
It is common for barbacks at Queen Mary to transition ultimately to bartending, and while we don’t require barbacks to be aspiring bartenders, this path is always available. We can’t guarantee that a bartending position at Queen Mary will become available on any particular timeline — in the past it has taken as little as a year and as much as three — but barbacking for us will prepare you well to apply for bartending jobs elsewhere, if that is your goal.
Compensation is hourly (tipped minimum wage) plus tips; our tip average is generally quite strong, and we are happy to provide tip estimates for each shift based on past experience. All other working hours outside of regular shifts, including prep, staff training and so forth, are paid at highly competitive hourly rates. Health, dental and vision insurance, with a significant company contribution, are available to employees who work 30 hours a week or more.
If you work a stage (tryout shift for both you and us) as a part of your interview process, we will pay you for your time at $15/hr.
Thank you in advance for your interest, and we look forward to hearing from you!
We are both a cocktail bar and a neighborhood bar. Cocktails are the centerpiece of our beverage program, with special focuses on gin, rum, Scotch whisky and fortified wines. We have a rich and unusual backbar, offering something new to even the most seasoned guests; we seek to uphold the highest possible standards of quality in every drink we serve; and we aim to offer guests a cocktail experience the equal of any in the world. At the same time, however, our bar has a strictly casual atmosphere; we have options in every price range; we extend warm and gracious hospitality to every guest; we strictly avoid stiffness and formality; we get to know our guests and cultivate regulars.
In other words, we strive to make cocktails as well as they can possibly be made, but for us that is no big deal: our standard is offhand excellence.
Barbacking at Queen Mary is not what is sometimes called a “head down” job. It does involve all the standard barback tasks — bussing tables, washing, polishing and restocking glassware, restocking ice, making fresh citrus juices, and so on. But it also requires considerable guest interaction, especially serving drink and food orders, and even sometimes taking orders. We have a small staff, and our barbacks are a central part of our team.
So, the ideal candidate will have experience in working in a bar or restaurant and in standard barback tasks; but will also be friendly, personable and good at communicating, for the guest-facing parts of the job.
The job is moderately physical and requires some heavy lifting — of buckets of ice, cases of citrus, cases of liquor, full garbage cans, empty kegs, that sort of thing. It also requires the ability to go up and down a flight of stairs (to our basement).
Barbacking at a cocktail bar involves doing a lot of small tasks in a very specific way, every time, without fail, so exceptional attention to detail and consistency are critical. We are happy to train staff in the details that matter to us, as long as they have the patience and commitment to learn them.
The pace of service can vary widely, from low to high volume, depending on day and time. On the whole, we are a growing business and expect our growth to continue in the coming year.
It is common for barbacks at Queen Mary to transition ultimately to bartending, and while we don’t require barbacks to be aspiring bartenders, this path is always available. We can’t guarantee that a bartending position at Queen Mary will become available on any particular timeline — in the past it has taken as little as a year and as much as three — but barbacking for us will prepare you well to apply for bartending jobs elsewhere, if that is your goal.
Compensation is hourly (tipped minimum wage) plus tips; our tip average is generally quite strong, and we are happy to provide tip estimates for each shift based on past experience. All other working hours outside of regular shifts, including prep, staff training and so forth, are paid at highly competitive hourly rates. Health, dental and vision insurance, with a significant company contribution, are available to employees who work 30 hours a week or more.
If you work a stage (tryout shift for both you and us) as a part of your interview process, we will pay you for your time at $15/hr.
Thank you in advance for your interest, and we look forward to hearing from you!