AMANDA B. CAIRO
• ***********@*****.***
**** * ******* ***** #*** • Palm Springs, CA • 312-***-****
OBJECTIVE
To obtain a management position that will utilize my knowledge of operations, sales/catering expertise & guest services to
further my career in the food & beverage industry.
EXPERIENCE
November 2012 Present
Renaissance Palm Springs Hotel, Remington Hotel CorporationPalm Springs, CA
Assistant Beverage & Food
Oversee 4 Outlets (Date Restaurant, Rocks Bar, Pool Deck, In Room Dining.) Monitors work of Manager
employees to ensure that established policies and procedures are being followed. Assist the
Outlets Manager with the day to day operation of the beverage & food department in accordance
with established policies and procedures. Uphold both Remington and Renaissance Brand
August 2012 November 2012
standards.
Zini Café Mediterrano Palm Springs, CA
Table Touches/Guest Interaction on a daily basis. Communicated well & used strong
interpersonal skills to establish positive relationships with guests.
Manager
Maintains an efficient program of scheduling to ensure a high standard of service with the use of
Responsible for staff management and accountability during dinner service, demonstrated proper restaurant closing
minimum man hours.
procedures in addition to running the door & supervising dining room nightly.
Acts immediately on any guest complaints to ensure that corrections are made when possible.
Implemented steps of service, training manuals, job descriptions, menu descriptions, weekly, daily & running side work for
all staff at a local existing restaurant. Administered payroll for both company restaurants ZIN American Bistro and Zini
Provides constant leadership, counseling, advice and feedback to ambassadors. Provides an
Café employees.
environment of openness and trust, with constant feedback and performance coaching.
Created an organized inventory for all wines by the glass & bottle lists.
Participates in the hotel MOD program.
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July 2012 October 2012
Assists Outlets Manager & Food and Beverage Director in beverage inventory for all outlets and
The Saguaro Hotel
the banquet department., Tinto and El Jefe Restaurants, Garces Group/Joie De Vivre Hospitality Palm Springs, CA
Interim Catering Sales Manager, Consultant
Creates monthly staff incentive sales contests to help push product, increase revenue & create
Utilizing talents from my previous employment at an Iron Chef Garces establishment in Chicago, I was brought on as the
goals for staff in a team building manner.
interim Sales and Catering Manager for the newly opened property. Promptly generated revenue & achieved forecasted
sales goals in the months of July through October.
Crafts specialty cocktails for Rocks Bar weekly.
Executed a shot list & directed a 2 day photo shoot of the property to better promote sales and revenue for the company.
The photos were used as collateral & imaging for sales packets demonstrating optimal settings of event space at the
Saguaro Hotel & Tinto.
Created social media pages for Tinto & El Jefe. IE designed, administered & updated all Facebook, Twitter & Pinterest
accounts. Created a fan base that tripled within 1 month of construction.
February 2008 May 2012
Renaissance Blackstone Hotel, Mercat a la Planxa, Sage Restaurant Group Chicago, Illinois
Food & Beverage Manager, Sales and Events Manager
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Hired as Lead Host in 2008, a member of the opening staff. Implemented training materials, and addendums to the
company’s host manual. Spearheaded Mercat’s Loyalty Program, gaining over 2,000 members in the first year of
business.
Received (Closing) Manager position after 1 years of employment. Oversaw 4 outlets (Mercat’s dining room, 2
separate Lounges & In Room Dining) for the Renaissance Blackstone Hotel. Duties included: Server checkouts, staff
accountability, various closing procedures such as: tip allocation, money handling, sales & accounting reports &
securing the restaurant nightly. Maintained a positive attitude, worked well with employees, and skilled in assisting all
FOH positions during service if needed. Significantly improved GSS scores for In Room Dining, bringing the
department from 80/81 to 41 in the Brand. Diligently worked on improving profit for the Food & Beverage department
by closely managing staff, creating incentives, holding staff wine and food tastings, providing necessary tools for up
selling and holding daily and monthly department meetings.
Prepared and coordinated the periodical performance reviews of assigned personnel. Counseled, guided and instructed
assigned personnel in the proper performance of their duties.
Interviewed potential employees that had been recommended by HR.
Established and administered training programs within the outlets, including new employee orientation. Directed the
development and administration of controls for all phases of the outlets in an economical and profitable manner while
maintaining established standards.
Coached and counseled ambassadors, and issued disciplinary actions. Maintained records of personnel performance,
labor cost, sick time and overtime in the department. Responsible for weekly scheduling of FOH staff of 25, while
managing labor & meeting budget requirements.
Promoted to Sales & Events Manager the following year. Built a solid client base, planned and executed all events sold
[from 12 250 guests] Brought in 350k in sales at the close of the calendar year (August December) exceeding all
previous revenue goals. Managed buyouts for companies including Wynn Las Vegas, Miller Coors, Bon Appétit
Magazine, and various in house & off site events with Iron Chef Jose Garces.
Implemented a new BEO procedure to better relay private dining event details to restaurant & hotel management.
Assigned to the Renaissance Providence Hotel for 2 weeks as a Task Force Manager to train new management and lend
expertise in operational procedures, inventory, POS knowledge, menu development & steps of service.
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March 2007 February 2008
Room 21 Chicago, Illinois
Food & Beverage Manager
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Assisted in opening the 6,000 square foot restaurant.
Participated in interviewing and hiring all FOH staff, service training, and preparing all new hire documents.
Maintained the office manager position during pre opening and beginning months of operation.
Created the opening 200 bottle wine list, as well as a craft beer and spirit list. Assisted in all wine and liquor inventory,
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as well as purchasing product.
Placed in special event coordination two months after the opening of the restaurant.
Acted as floor and host manager during service. Held daily pre shift meetings, conducted performance reviews, crafted
weekly staff quizzes on the current wine list and menu descriptions.
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April 2005 January 2007
Butter Chicago, Illinois
Maitre D’/Assistant to Executive Chef
Began tenure at Butter as Maitre D’ and went on to hold positions as Back Server, Captain & Chef’s Assistant in a fine
dining atmosphere.
Engaged in daily contact with local concierges via phone conversations & visits to surrounding Chicago hotels, in turn
establishing lasting relationships & welcoming their guests into the restaurant.
Maintained the restaurant’s flow, working closely with the FOH staff and Chef/Expeditor to perpetuate open
communication during service.
Thorough knowledge of menu items including specialty cocktails and wine pairings. Responsible for expediting courses
and marking each table during service. Ability to multitask, up sell and provide accurate service while maintaining high
check averages.
Responsible for all recipe organization, menu verbiage, drop phrase manuals and specialty menu production for Exec.
Chef.
Scheduled and supervised up to 8 other hostesses. Trained host staff in customer relations & Open Table, telephone
communications, reservations & seating procedures in a professional manner while supervising all entrances and exits in
a busy fast paced environment.
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EDUCATION
DePaul University Chicago, Illinois
English Literature & Communications Major
SPECIAL SKILLS
Proficient in Microsoft Office, Open Table, ADP Time Saver, Aloha, Micros, Delphi/Citrix, Opera, Social
Media/Marketing, Union Negotiation, Phone Sales, Staff Training, Service & Floor Management, Expediting, Food
Knowledge, ServSafe and TIPS certified in Illinois & California. Currently studying for level 1 Sommelier Exam.
Completed an intensive 3 day sales seminar with Vector Marketing.
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