The Drake has been a part of the community and our guests’ lives since 2004. Celebrating its 22nd anniversary this year, The Drake is a growing Canadian hospitality brand focused on lifestyle hotels, food + drink and special events. To this day, we’re the destination for the curious. At The Drake, we celebrate emerging music and art, serve food and drinks that reimagine the classics, and inspire our team and guests to embrace fresh perspectives. We’re more than a place to sleep, eat + drink; we believe culture and community matter and are committed to an exceptional hospitality experience delivered in our signature style; one that is genuine, personal, memorable and embraces the energy of discovery. We value honesty and spontaneity because that's the stuff of real connection and believe that hospitality is an act of care. The Drake Hotel (Toronto), Drake Devonshire Inn (Wellington, Prince Edward County), and Drake Motor Inn (Wellington, Prince Edward County) are each reflective of their respective neighbourhoods as inclusive hubs for unique and diverse experiences through art, culture and hospitality with great seasonal menus, a robust cocktail list, carefully curated curiosities, and genuine hospitality excellence for all.

Working with The Drake means that you will have the opportunity to work alongside like-minded individuals in an inclusive, entrepreneurial, and team-oriented environment. As someone who is curious, collaborative and a continuous learner, you’ll have limitless opportunities to make an impact and to be recognized for it.

The Drake Hotel is looking for a Head Bartender to be part of the Front of House Team. They are consistently reliable and demonstrate a strong commitment to their craft, their colleagues, and ongoing professional growth. In addition to executing core bartending responsibilities at a high level, the Head Bartender plays a critical role in elevating service excellence and operational standards across all bars within the venue.

This position provides day-to-day leadership through presence on the floor, training, mentorship, and real-time coaching, ensuring Drake Standards are consistently upheld. While not a People Manager, the Head Bartender possesses deep product and technical knowledge and is empowered to guide the team, troubleshoot service challenges, and act as a key point of support for both staff and leadership. Creatively, they take a lead role in the cocktail program, with meaningful influence over wine and beer selection, contributing to the ongoing evolution and quality of the beverage experience.

Responsibilities:

• Uphold and maintain all systems, service standards, and procedures set by management and The Drake Service Standards.
• Lead, engage, and inspire the Bar Team by example, fostering clear communication, accountability, and teamwork.
• Oversee Bar team leadership, including mentoring, training, and onboarding new hires through dedicated training shifts, instill Drake Service Standards and procedures across the team.
• Drive beverage creativity and innovation by managing Bar teams creations, staying current with industry trends, and leading speciality cocktail menus, partnerships, pop-ups, and activations.
• Support menu rollouts and updates, including new menus, recipe changes, and product launches. Ensure accurate stocking, recipe, list updates, team communication, and training.
• Communicate new product information, recipes, and tasting notes to the Front of House Team via Silverware, emails, and/or Push Operations.
• Maintain accurate inventory controls, including wine bottle counts, low-stock reporting, and timely communication to the MODs and Receive. Manage non-alcoholic ordering during menu changes (juice, mixers, pop, produce, etc..)
• Oversee and delegate bar production, mise en place, and daily prep while ensuring efficiency and consistency.
• Maintain organization, cleanliness, and proper storage in bar prep rooms and beverage storage areas in accordance with Ontario Health and Safety standards.
• Ensure bar spaces meet all health code requirements, report deficiencies, enforce daily and weekly side duties, and organize quarterly deep cleans.
• Actively participate as a member of the Joint Health and Safety Committee, serving as a liaison for bar-related health and safety initiatives and reporting potential concerns.
• Practice a mindset of “inspect, don’t expect”, ensuring tasks are completed accurately through regular follow-up and attention to detail.
• Contribute ideas, feedback, and frontline insights, supporting open communication, and continuous improvement and development.
• Remain engaged in The Drake community and stay current on Drake offerings, events, art and culture, and Programming.

Qualifications:

• At least 5 years bartending experience in a similar high-volume cocktail driven environment, that includes a full-service wood and service bar
• Strong knowledge of wine, beer and spirits
• Passion for food, beverage and providing excellent customer service
• Is up to date on current cocktail trends and demonstrates ability to contribute to The Drake’s in-house cocktail program
• Experience leading a Bar Team, is team driven with extreme guest focus
• Able manage a volume of guests alone/with shared support
• Experience with private and corporate events
• Highly motivated, energetic personality, with a genuine desire to connect with team and guests
• Ability to multi-task, remain cool and keep up in a fast-paced environment
• Understand our culture and has a desire to be an ambassador for The Drake
• Enthusiastic about the Art + Culture offered at the Drake and is knowledgeable of the Drake Brand, Properties and Offerings
• Smart Serve Certification a requirement
• Degree/ Diploma in Hospitality, WSET, Prud’homme or equivalent considered an asset
• Availability to work varied shifts, including weekends and holidays

Benefits

We pride ourselves in providing strong leadership and development opportunities for passionate hospitality professionals who are looking to build rewarding, long-term careers. Drake offers a competitive compensation and benefits package, flexible scheduling, employee discounts, staff meals, training + development support and many other unique perks as a part of joining the Drake team.

The Drake is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering a positive, supportive, and creative environment at Drake Hotel Properties that promotes equity, inclusiveness and diversity. We welcome job applications from candidates of all backgrounds including, but not limited to, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour); refugees, newcomers and immigrant persons; two-spirit, LGBT2Q+ and gender non-binary persons, and persons with disabilities. Please advise us of any accommodations needed to ensure you can access and complete the submissions process.