Tasting Room Manager

Position SummaryThe Tasting Room Manager (TRM) is the manager on duty for all tasting room hours of operation at The Private Rickhouse. This person owns the guest experience from the moment someone walks in the door, leading the bar, retail, host, server, and tour teams, personally conducting tours and tastings, and flexing into any of those roles as staffing requires. The TRM is also responsible for the operational backbone of the tasting room: ordering and inventory for the bar and retail area, cash and POS reconciliation, staff scheduling, and TABC compliance on the floor. This is a hands-on leadership role suited to someone comfortable both working the floor and running the business behind it.Key ResponsibilitiesFloor Leadership & Guest ExperienceServe as manager on duty for all tasting room hours, opening and closing the space and holding responsibility for the guest experience start to finish.Directly supervise bartenders, servers, host staff, retail staff, and tour guides during each shift..Flex personally into the server/host role on Wednesdays and Sundays, when no dedicated server or host is scheduled, working alongside the bartenders.Flex into the retail role on days when a dedicated retail person is not scheduled.Personally conduct tours and tastings as volume requires, and deliver TPR's brand storytelling to a consistent standard.Handle guest issues, complaints, and service recovery in real time; know when to escalate to the DO.Enforce responsible alcohol service and the tasting room's TABC-compliant service policy, including ID verification and refusal-of-service judgment calls.Team ManagementBuild and publish the weekly staff schedule across bartenders, servers, host, retail, and tour guides, matching coverage to expected volume, private events, and the Wed/Sun and retail flex gaps.Participate in hiring, onboarding, and training of tasting room staff; own new-hire ramp-up on TPR's product knowledge, tour script, and service standards.Set and enforce grooming, uniform, and conduct standards; conduct informal coaching and, when needed, document performance issues for the DO.Track and approve staff hours; coordinate time-off requests and shift coverage.Ensure every staff member who serves alcohol holds current TABC seller-server certification and maintains records of certification dates.Inventory, Purchasing & Vendor ManagementOrder all bar consumables and ingredients (mixers, garnish, glassware, bar smallwares) to keep the bar fully stocked without overordering perishables.Order and manage retail inventory (bottles, merchandise, packaging) in coordination with the gift shop merchandising plan.Conduct regular physical inventory counts for both bar and retail, reconcile against POS/Shopify records, and flag shrinkage or variance to the DO.Manage relationships with bar and retail vendors/distributors; negotiate terms and delivery schedules.Track waste, spillage, and comp pours, and look for cost-control opportunities without compromising guest experience.Cash, POS & AdministrativeOwn POS operations (Shopify) for the tasting room, including opening/closing till procedures, cash handling, and daily reconciliation.Prepare daily and weekly sales/labor reports for the DO (covers, average check, retail attach rate, labor cost as a percent of sales).Ensure compliance with the rolling 4-bottle/30-day direct-to-consumer sales cap and other TABC recordkeeping requirements at the point of sale.Maintain the tasting room's day-to-day compliance posture — age verification logs, incident reports, and coordination with TPR's TTB/TABC SOP.Facilities, Safety & StandardsMaintain cleanliness, organization, and presentation of the bar, retail floor, and guest-facing spaces to TPR's brand standard.Perform or delegate opening/closing checklists covering security, equipment, and stock.Report maintenance issues and coordinate repairs with the DO and facilities contacts.Ensure compliance with food/beverage handling, fire, and occupancy safety requirements for the space.Events, Membership & Marketing SupportServe as the on-site lead for private events, group tastings, corporate bookings, and barrel pick events hosted in the tasting room.Support The Rickhouse Society, Cask Society, and Vault membership programs at the point of guest interaction — enrollment conversations, member recognition, and member-exclusive experiences.Coordinate with the DO and marketing on tasting room content for social media and promotions and flag opportunities for guest-generated content.Gather and relay guest feedback to the DO to inform tours, menu, and retail assortment.Schedule & FlexibilityBase schedule is Wednesday through Sunday as outlined above, totaling roughly 39 scheduled hours per week. As a salaried, exempt manager, the TRM is expected to flex additional hours around private events, holidays, seasonal volume, and staffing gaps (callouts, vacancies) as needed to keep the tasting room fully covered.Qualifications2+ years of experience managing a bar, restaurant, tasting room, winery, or similar hospitality venue, including staff supervision and scheduling.Current (or ability to obtain immediately) TABC seller-server certification; strong working knowledge of Texas alcohol service and DTC sales regulations.Comfortable and confident presenting to groups — this person will personally lead tours and tastings, not just manage those who do.Hands-on experience with a modern POS system; comfortable with basic inventory and reconciliation processes (Shopify experience a plus).Whiskey/spirits knowledge and genuine interest in craft spirits and hospitality; willingness to learn TPR's production story in depth.Strong organizational skills — this role owns scheduling, ordering, and reporting in addition to floor leadership.Ability to stand for extended periods, work evenings and weekends as a standing requirement, and lift/move cases of product and bar supplies (up to ~40 lbs).Compensation & BenefitsBase salary: $65,000/year, exempt.Sales commission opportunity — structure to be finalized, but intended to reward for growth in retail attach rate, private client/membership conversions, and/or overall tasting room revenue against target No benefits at hire; limited benefits (e.g., PTO, healthcare stipend) anticipated as the business matures.