Lead Server/Sommelier - Sitio El Tropicano | Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group

About Sítio El Tropicano

Sítio El Tropicano is a vibrant renewal of one of San Antonio's most iconic riverfront landmarks. An urban resort and members' club where hospitality, wellness, dining, and creativity flow together effortlessly, Sítio invites guests to linger, explore, and connect.

All food and beverage at Sítio El Tropicano is created and operated by Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group, carrying our commitment to local sourcing, seasonality, and genuine hospitality throughout the property. Our concepts include Barberry, a seasonally driven all-day restaurant; Flamingo Bar, a cocktail bar celebrating Texas spirits; Prado Provisions, a grab-and-go café; and Bar Nado, serving handrolls, bento boxes, and frozen drinks poolside.

About Barberry

Barberry is a seasonally driven neighborhood restaurant where Central Texas meets French farmhouse. Rooted in responsible Hill Country sourcing, our menu offers light, bright, seasonal dishes across breakfast, lunch, and dinner, alongside a seasonal cocktail program and a wine list focused on the United States and France.

We welcome both hotel guests and the local community with the same warmth and care, creating experiences that feel approachable, memorable, and rooted in a sense of place.

Position Summary

The Lead Captain / Sommelier supports the daily leadership of Barberry’s dining room while providing expert wine service and helping execute the restaurant’s beverage program. This position serves as a lead hourly presence on the floor, guides the service team during assigned shifts, manages the pacing and details of the guest experience, and provides approachable, knowledgeable wine recommendations.

Reporting to the F&B Manager, the Lead Captain / Sommelier works closely with outlet leadership, bartenders, servers, support staff, and culinary leadership to ensure seamless coordination between food, wine, and service. This position also partners with the Assistant Director of Food & Beverage on wine training, inventory, cellar organization, purchasing support, and the continued development of Barberry’s wine culture.

Dining-Room & Service Leadership

• Support the F&B Manager in leading daily dining-room operations across assigned service periods.
• Serve as a visible, hands-on leader on the floor while actively maintaining an assigned section or service responsibility.
• Assist with pre-shift meetings, section assignments, side work, breaks, opening procedures, and closing responsibilities.
• Review reservations, VIPs, large parties, celebrations, allergies, and special requests before service.
• Monitor the pace and sequence of service throughout the dining room.
• Coordinate with hosts, servers, bartenders, runners, and culinary team members to maintain smooth service flow.
• Help manage table pacing, course timing, resets, and guest transitions.
• Support synchronized service for large parties, VIP tables, and special events.
• Identify service concerns and intervene before they negatively affect the guest experience.
• Resolve routine guest concerns with professionalism and sound judgment, escalating significant matters to the F&B Manager.
• Assist with service recovery as directed by management.
• Help ensure dining-room and service-station cleanliness, organization, and readiness throughout the shift.
• Support an organized handoff between service periods and leadership shifts.

Wine Service & Guest Engagement

• Provide polished, knowledgeable, and approachable wine service to Barberry guests.
• Guide guests through the wine list based on their preferences, menu selections, experience level, and desired price range.
• Recommend thoughtful food-and-wine pairings that complement Barberry’s menu.
• Present, open, decant, and serve wine according to established service standards.
• Properly serve sparkling wine, large-format bottles, aged wines, and other specialty selections.
• Monitor wine service throughout the meal and maintain appropriate pacing and temperatures.
• Recognize cork taint, oxidation, heat damage, refermentation, and other common wine faults.
• Address wine concerns professionally and involve management when additional resolution is required.
• Use suggestive selling appropriately to increase wine engagement and beverage revenue without creating a pressured experience.
• Maintain discretion regarding guest spending, preferences, and purchasing decisions.
• Build relationships with repeat guests and maintain appropriate notes regarding wine preferences when authorized.
• Support wine service for VIPs, private dining, special dinners, and restaurant events.

Beverage Program Support

• Partner with the Assistant Director of Food & Beverage and outlet leadership to execute Barberry’s wine and beverage standards.
• Maintain current knowledge of the wine list, producers, regions, vintages, grape varieties, farming practices, and pricing.
• Assist with wine-list updates, vintage changes, product substitutions, and sold-out selections.
• Communicate low inventory, product concerns, guest feedback, and sales opportunities promptly.
• Support receiving, inspecting, organizing, stocking, and rotating wine deliveries.
• Maintain organized, secure, clean, and properly labeled wine-storage areas.
• Ensure wines are stored and served at appropriate temperatures.
• Assist with regular wine inventory and bin verification.
• Help reconcile physical inventory with the POS and inventory-management system.
• Follow established procedures for requisitions, transfers, breakage, spoilage, corked bottles, comps, and open-bottle tracking.
• Monitor by-the-glass wines for freshness, proper preservation, accurate pours, and appropriate presentation.
• Help maintain wine tools, decanters, glassware, preservation systems, ice buckets, and other service equipment.
• Assist with planning and executing wine dinners, tastings, producer visits, and beverage-focused events.

Team Training & Development

• Help build the service team’s confidence and knowledge of Barberry’s wine program.
• Conduct or support pre-shift wine education, tastings, producer discussions, and pairing exercises.
• Train team members on wine-list navigation, pronunciation, service techniques, glassware, and guest communication.
• Coach servers on making appropriate wine recommendations at different price points.
• Reinforce responsible alcohol service and established beverage procedures.
• Model exceptional hospitality, product knowledge, organization, and professional conduct.
• Provide real-time service coaching and constructive feedback to dining-room team members.
• Assist with onboarding and training new servers, captains, bartenders, and support staff.
• Communicate performance or conduct concerns to the F&B Manager rather than administering formal corrective action independently.
• Support a positive, inclusive, professional, and education-focused service culture.

Guest Experience

• Create a warm, polished, attentive, and personalized experience for every guest.
• Maintain awareness of guest needs throughout the dining room and respond proactively.
• Perform table touches and assist with VIP recognition, celebrations, and special occasions.
• Communicate confidently about the food menu, beverage program, ingredients, preparation methods, and restaurant concept.
• Support guests with varying levels of wine knowledge without judgment or unnecessary technical language.
• Coordinate wine delivery with the timing of each course.
• Anticipate additional glassware, decanters, ice buckets, service utensils, and other needs.
• Monitor guest feedback and communicate recurring concerns or opportunities to management.
• Protect guest privacy and exercise discretion regarding hotel guests, members, VIPs, and public figures.

Service & Administrative Responsibilities

• Support opening and closing procedures for the dining room and wine-service areas.
• Assist with server checkouts, shift reports, side-work verification, and end-of-night reconciliation when assigned.
• Ensure accurate POS use for wine orders, vintages, bottle sizes, pricing, discounts, comps, voids, and transfers.
• Verify that wine-list information and POS entries remain accurate and consistent.
• Follow all cash-handling, room-charge, discount, comp, and payment procedures.
• Assist with reservations, seating plans, large-party arrangements, and private-dining preparation when assigned.
• Monitor beverage sales, product mix, bottle sales, by-the-glass performance, and wine-related guest feedback.
• Participate in inventory counts, beverage meetings, menu tastings, and service-development sessions.
• Communicate shift results, service concerns, product shortages, and follow-up needs to the F&B Manager.
• Complete assigned reports and operational checklists accurately and on time.

Alcohol Compliance, Safety & Sanitation

• Follow all ERHG and hotel policies, TABC regulations, health department requirements, and responsible-service standards.
• Verify guest identification when required.
• Recognize signs of intoxication and notify management promptly when alcohol service should be slowed or discontinued.
• Never serve alcohol to an underage guest or a guest who has been restricted from further service.
• Maintain proper control and security of wine and other alcoholic beverages.
• Follow established procedures for handling broken glass, spills, damaged bottles, and unsafe conditions.
• Handle and polish wine glasses safely and maintain sanitary service practices.
• Ensure opened bottles are labeled, dated, preserved, stored, and discarded according to established procedures.
• Report accidents, injuries, alcohol-related concerns, and safety hazards immediately.
• Maintain current TABC and Food Handler certifications.

Standards & Conduct

• Uphold ERHG and Sítio El Tropicano’s image, values, hospitality standards, and professional expectations.
• Maintain a polished and professional appearance and demeanor.
• Demonstrate integrity, accountability, consistency, urgency, discretion, and sound judgment.
• Remain calm, organized, and solutions-oriented during high-volume service.
• Foster a harmonious, positive, inclusive, and professional dining-room culture.
• Arrive prepared and on time for every scheduled shift.
• Complete assigned responsibilities accurately and within established timelines.
• Perform additional duties as reasonably assigned based on operational needs.

Qualifications

• Three or more years of front-of-house experience in a chef-driven, fine-dining, luxury hotel, or similarly elevated restaurant environment.
• Previous Captain, Lead Server, Sommelier, Wine Steward, or comparable service-leadership experience preferred.
• Strong knowledge of wine regions, grape varieties, producers, vintages, styles, service temperatures, and food pairings.
• Demonstrated proficiency in proper wine presentation, opening, decanting, and service.
• Ability to lead and coach a service team while maintaining active guest responsibilities.
• Strong hospitality, communication, organization, sales, and guest-recovery skills.
• Ability to discuss wine confidently with both novice and experienced guests.
• Working knowledge of POS, inventory, reservations, and wine-preservation systems.
• Ability to remain composed and make sound decisions during high-volume service.
• Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers, WSET Level 2 or higher, or comparable wine education preferred.
• TABC and Food Handler certifications required or ability to obtain within the required timeframe.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods during service.
• Ability to lift and carry up to 50 pounds when necessary.
• Ability to safely carry wine bottles, decanters, glassware, plates, trays, and service equipment.
• Ability to perform frequent bending, reaching, twisting, pushing, pulling, and repetitive movements.
• Ability to safely navigate active dining rooms, bars, kitchens, wine-storage areas, service corridors, and hotel spaces.
• Ability to work around glassware, hot plates, wet floors, stairs, and active restaurant equipment.
• Ability to work mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, and extended hours based on operational needs.

Shift Leadership: Provides daily service direction, wine education, and floor support to Captains, Servers, Runners, Bartenders, and other assigned dining-room team members. This position does not independently administer formal corrective action.

Reports To: F&B Manager.

Beverage Partnership: Works closely with the Assistant Director of Food & Beverage on wine-program execution, education, inventory, and cellar organization.

This job description provides a general overview of the position and is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all responsibilities, duties, or qualifications. Responsibilities may evolve based on business and operational needs, and team members may be asked to perform other duties as reasonably assigned.

Compensation details: 35-50 Hourly Wage

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