Annual staff turnover in the hospitality industry has been topping out around 80% over the past two years. As one of the largest hidden costs in the hospitality industry, managing turnover is one of the biggest challenges for bar managers and owners.

This seminar is for anyone working on a bar team as a lead, manager, or owner (or who would like to be) where we address issues of staff retention and crafting workplace cultures that will help make your bar a success for years to come.

Featuring:
Courtney Blake, Owner & Managing Director, Pilot Light Consulting
Rosie Grillo, Project Director, Pilot Light Consulting
Miranda Escalante, Beverage Development & FOH Operations, Pilot Light Consulting

Courtney Blake, Owner & Managing Director, Pilot Light Consulting
Courtney Blake is the owner of Pilot Light Consulting. Before becoming a consultant, she worked with respected chefs in North Carolina, New York City, and San Francisco including chefs Nick Balla and Cortney Burns at the now shuttered Bar Tartine, Dan the Pig Man in Charlotte and the late Molly O’Neill in upstate New York. She was previously co-chef of Private Dining Room SF and is a partner at OWL Bakery in Asheville, NC.

Courtney holds an MBA with a concentration in Organizational Development from the University of San Francisco, a Masters Certificate in Hospitality Management with a focus in Foodservice Management from Cornell University, and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Leadership at Gonzaga University.

Rosie Grillo, Project Director, Pilot Light Consulting
Rosie Grillo began her career bartending at the Whiskey Flat Saloon in her hometown of Volcano, CA. In New York City, she opened EMM Group's original Catch as head bartender, won Best Team at the Spirited Awards for Holiday Cocktail Lounge, was voted one of the top 50 Bartenders by Time Out NY, and was a Speed-Rack contestant.

Rosie was most recently the General Manager at Point O’ Woods in Fire Island, New York and is now working on an Amaro with natural winery, End of Nowhere, in Amador County, CA.

Miranda Escalante, Beverage Development & FOH Operations, Pilot Light Consulting
Miranda Escalante worked in Asheville, NC, as the General Manager of Edison Craft Ales + Kitchen, as the Beverage Director and General Manager of the Montford Rooftop Bar, and on the bar team at Avenue M where she worked to revamp the bar program to match their Wine Spectator Award winning wine program. She is co-founder of “Purple Teeth,” a pop-up wine club.

Miranda is now on the steering committee of Asheville’s chapter of Restaurant Workers United and is pursuing her WSET (Wine Spirits Education Trust) Level 2 certification.


Leftbank Annex Class/Seminar/Experience for pre-assigned Student Pass holders and Bartender Pass Auditing.
Location: Leftbank Annex, 101 N Weidler St, Portland, OR 97227
Sponsored by: Lush Life Productions