Justin Forde
Bridgetown
Summary
Experienced with providing attentive and personalized service to guests in bustling restaurant setting. Utilizes strong multitasking abilities to manage tables and deliver prompt service. Track record of maintaining welcoming atmosphere and addressing guest needs efficiently.
Hardworking Sommelier skilled in sales, communication and organization. Experienced at building customer base and improving overall wine offerings. Committed to food and beverage safety.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
Work History
Sales Associate
Solid Gold
11.2017 - 03.2018
- Greeting Customers: Welcoming customers as they enter the store
- Point-of-Sale Transactions: Working at the point-of-sale counter to process transactions, including handling cash, credit card payments, and returns
- Product Assistance: Assisting customers in locating specific products by navigating the inventory
- Inventory Management: Keeping records of special orders, monitoring merchandise, and notifying supervisors when items need restocking
- Building Customer Relationships: Maintaining positive interactions with customers and suggesting new items based on their preferences
Waiter
Lucky Horseshoe/Paul's Enterprise
11.2018 - 03.2019
- Greeting and escorting customers to their tables
- Presenting the menu and providing detailed information when asked (such as portions, ingredients, or potential food allergies)
- Preparing tables by setting up linens, silverware, and glasses
- Informing customers about daily specials
- Taking accurate food and drink orders using a POS ordering system, order slips, or memorization
- Communicating order details to the Kitchen Staff
- Serving food and drink orders promptly and efficiently
- Although my time at Lucky horseshoe was cut short due to unforeseen circumstances, Half of my time spent there I was nominated as the employee of the month by the branch manager for my exceptional work ethic, which increased my knowledge and experience of customer service to another level
Waiter
Surfside Bar & Restaurant
11.2018 - 03.2019
- Greeting and escorting customers to their tables
- Presenting the menu and providing detailed information when asked (such as portions, ingredients, or potential food allergies)
- Preparing tables by setting up linens, silverware, and glasses
- Informing customers about daily specials
- Taking accurate food and drink orders using a POS ordering system, order slips, or memorization
- Communicating order details to the Kitchen Staff
- I was recommended by my previous employer to the owner of the restaurant
- During my time working here I learn how to demonstrate fast paced and exceptional customer service skills while being under extreme pressure, workloads of orders and unethical work conditions
Waiter
Naru Bar & Restaurant
08.2019 - 02.2023
- Greeting and escorting customers to their tables
- Presenting the menu and providing detailed information when asked (such as portions, ingredients, or potential food allergies)
- Preparing tables by setting up linens, silverware, and glasses
- Informing customers about daily specials
- Taking accurate food and drink orders using a POS ordering system, order slips, or memorization
- Communicating order details to the Kitchen Staff
- Serving food and drink orders promptly and efficiently
- My time working at Naru gave me the opportunity to work on personalizing my customer service skills to give customers the best experience possible
- The General Manager admired my ambition and efforts to improve service and relayed most of the training and oversight of new staff members to me
Wine Sommelier
The Cliff Barbados
11.2023 - Current
- Evening Prep: Fill refrigerators with bottled waters, set up Wine bar and champagne trolly, set up ice buckets and cleaning the wine cellar
- During Service: Greeting Guests and presenting wine list and water of preference, interact directly with guests, considering their food and taste preferences, budget constraints and making suitable recommendations (upselling) to elevate their dining experience
- Setting up suitable glasses for wine/champagne/grappa presentation and wine service
- After Service: Breaking down and tidy up work sections, Polishing Glasses, Returning wines/champagnes to refrigerator or wine cellar
- Moment of truth I did not apply for this position, It was bestowed upon me as an opportunity to prove I have what it takes to be successful at what I do. I was also informed that the position of Head or Back Waiter was filled and they needed someone with my attitude for learning and adapting to unfamiliar work environments quickly to fill the vacant position of sommelier, which shows my ability to be versatile.
- Although my knowledge of wines was quite shallow at the time and no certification I found myself adapting at a more moderate pace than I had anticipated, with over 650 different wines, 30+ different grape varietals and 50+ different appellations to learn from all over the world it's been a challenging learning curb.
- Now my knowledge of wines has piqued my interest after smelling and tasting complex wines, combining my knowledge of foods and learning how to formulate a descriptive pattern of characteristics to best describe and recommend (upsell) top quality wines best suited for the guests/customer's needs.
Education
Primary School -
Vauxhall Primary School
Vauxhall, Christ Church05.2011
High School - Accounting And Finance
St.Leonards Boys
07.2016
Skills
- Wine tasting expertise
- Wine service management
- Cellar management
- Supplier relationship management
- High volume dining
- Menu memorization
- Menu presentation
- Guest relations management
- Team supervision
- Wine pairing
- Table setting
Hobbies and Interests
- Reading
- Trading
- Music
- Investing
Additional Information
References:
Naru Bar & Restaurant: Nico Hutson 259-6691/228-6278
Gadal Model Management: Graham Edwards 840-7277
Tapas Bar & Restaurant: Marlon Gittens 822-5767
Timeline
Wine Sommelier
The Cliff Barbados
11.2023 - Current
Waiter
Naru Bar & Restaurant
08.2019 - 02.2023
Waiter
Lucky Horseshoe/Paul's Enterprise
11.2018 - 03.2019
Waiter
Surfside Bar & Restaurant
11.2018 - 03.2019
Sales Associate
Solid Gold
11.2017 - 03.2018
Primary School -
Vauxhall Primary School
High School - Accounting And Finance
St.Leonards Boys
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