Captain / Lead Server

About Dragonne

Dragonne is a contemporary New York bistro opening Fall of 2026 at 13 Barrow Street, in the heart of the West Village. Rooted in classical French technique, layered with subtle Asian influence, and shaped by a distinctly New York sensibility, the restaurant is designed to feel elegant yet deeply warm — grounded in hospitality, restraint, energy, and precision.

The food is seasonal and ingredient-driven, offered through a concise, focused à la carte menu designed to be shared. Seafood and vegetables anchor the menu, while exceptional meats appear thoughtfully and seasonally. The beverage program centers around wines from both classic benchmarks and thoughtful, low-intervention producers, select sake offerings, timeless cocktails rooted in classic structure and subtly reinterpreted through seasonality, and an evolving by-the-glass program designed to move naturally with the menu and the rhythm of the room.

The 61-seat dining room — 53 seats in the main room and 8 at the bar — is anchored by an open kitchen and intentionally scaled to feel intimate yet energetic. Dragonne will launch as a dinner-only experience Tuesday through Saturday, with measured expansion to seven-day service and brunch over time.

We are Captain / Lead Servers to join the opening leadership team and help lead the bar program and guest experience behind the bar from the ground up.

About the Role

The Captain / Lead Server will act as the primary ambassador of the Dragonne brand delivering an exceptional guest experience informed by the value of hospitality delivered with heart.

This role will require the ideal candidate to possess advanced food, beverage and wine knowledge. The Captain / Lead Server will be responsible for being able to sell both by the glass and by the bottle wine, and thus a strong interest in wine is integral to this role.

Responsibilities

Heart Led Hospitality & Guest Experience

• Lead and oversee the guest experience with consistency, professionalism, and warmth.
• Uphold high standards of craft, presentation, and guest experience at all times.
• Ability to accurately and consistently communicate with the kitchen regarding special requests, fire times, coursing, etc.
• Desire to cultivate and build strong regular guest relationships and build recurring clientele
• Work alongside other team members with curtesy, consideration, and collaboration.

Food & Beverage Knowledge

• Hold an intrinsic interest traditional French culinary technique, multi-cultural cuisine, and the international food & wine scene including both Michelin and James Beard recognized destinations.
• A strong understanding of food preparation, general cook times, temps, and common allergy & dietary restriction requests.
• Intermediate-Advanced wine knowledge-specifically for old world, low intervention wines, and rare wines.
• Intermediate wine service knowledge-presenting & opening wine, decanting technique, tasting for flaws, how to regulate temp, etc.
• Intermediate spirits and classic cocktail knowledge
• An interest in continuing knowledge in the area of wine, spirits & cocktails.

Service Skills

• Ability to delegate tasks effectively to support staff
• Fine Dining Service Technique & Understanding
• Wine Service (BTG, BTB, aged wines, etc.)
• Experience Handling Allergy & Dietary Restriction Requests

Qualifications

• Genuine passion for hospitality and guest experience.
• Strong floor leadership presence grounded in humility, professionalism, and craft.
• Calm, organized, and solutions-oriented under pressure.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• High-quality NYC restaurant or bar experience is strongly preferred.
• Experience leading or supporting restaurant or bar openings preferred.
• Minimum 3-5 years of fine dining experience preferred.
• Availability to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as required.

What We're Building

Dragonne is intended to feel timeless, intimate, and alive — a restaurant grounded in rigor without feeling rigid. We care deeply about atmosphere, rhythm, music, materiality, and emotional warmth just as much as technical execution.

This is an opportunity to join the opening leadership team of a chef-driven restaurant at a foundational stage and help shape its culture from the beginning.

Position Details

• Part-time / Full-time
• Tuesday through Saturday schedule to start
• Dinner service only at opening
• Competitive compensation based on experience
• Opportunities for growth within the company

Compensation & Benefits

Compensation: Competitive compensation based on experience.