Lead Bartender

Little Pine is a modern Northeastern Chinese–inspired restaurant in LES, with a casual and lively bar upstairs and an intimate cocktail-focused bar downstairs. We care about thoughtful drinks, warm service, and creating the kind of place people want to come back to every week, not just once for Instagram.

We’re looking for a Head Bartender to help build and run the bar program from the ground up.

Role Overview

You will:

• 
  Lead service behind the bar

• Design and maintain a balanced, profitable cocktail menu

• Train and mentor bartenders & barbacks

• Oversee prep systems, par levels, and ordering

• Work with ownership/management on costing and inventory
  
  

Program & Operations

• Develop and maintain the cocktail program:

  • Create seasonal menus, specials, and N/A options

  • Balance creativity with speed, approachability, and cost

• Build and update specs, prep lists, and SOPs for all bar items

• Plan and oversee daily/weekly prep:

  • Juices, syrups, infusions, batching, carbonation (if applicable), garnishes

• Manage inventory & ordering:

  • Set and maintain pars, place orders, receive and rotate stock

  • Track key items, manage 86s, reduce waste

• Work with ownership to:

  • Hit COGS targets and margins

  • Introduce new products/brands in a thoughtful way

  • Support menu costing and simple reporting

Service & Leadership

• Lead the bar during service:

  • Set the pace, standard, and tone every shift

  • Ensure all cocktails are to spec, consistent, and on time

• Train and coach bar team:

  • Onboard new bartenders and barbacks

  • Run tastings, technique sessions, and menu education

  • Give clear, constructive feedback and support growth

• Partner with FOH management to:

  • Align service standards between bar and floor

  • Keep communication tight during busy service

  • Handle guest issues with calm, hospitality-first judgment

• Maintain DOH and safety standards:

  • Cleanliness, labeling, storage, and checklists for opening/closing

• 5+ years in hospitality (restaurants, bars, hotels), with at least
  3+ years behind the bar in busy, cocktail-forward environments

• Proven experience developing cocktail programs:

  • You’ve created or co-created menus, not just followed specs

• Experience training bartenders and barbacks:

  • Comfortable teaching recipes, technique, and service standards

• Solid grasp of:

  • Classic cocktails & spirits

  • Prep workflows and batching

  • Basic inventory, ordering, and cost awareness

• Organized, reliable, and calm under pressure

• Professional communication with owners, managers, and teammates

• Night and weekend availability (holidays as needed)

• Experience with [Asian flavors, baijiu, etc.]
• Interest in low-ABV, N/A, and food-pairing cocktail design
• Basic comfort with spreadsheets/POS reports for inventory & costing