Erika Switzer

Experience

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  Friendly Confines

  Jan 2002 - Jan 2007

  Bartender/Manager

  Chicago Cubs themed sports bar and grill

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  Ruth's Chris Steak House

  Jan 2007 - Oct 2008

  Admin & Sales Assistant/Corporate Host Trainer

  -Assisted Management Team and Executive Chef with daily administrative duties: reconciling sales and tip reports, taking inventory and preparing reports, answering phone and emails, placing and receiving vendor orders, writing daily floor plans, and taking and confirming all reservations.-Assisted Sales Manager in responding to event inquiries and booking new events, ensuring proper set up and menu preparations, assigning service staff and holding pre-shift event meetings, and overseeing event execution to ensure guest satisfaction and accurate billing.-Coached new host staff in flagship location and traveled for new restaurant openings. Trained new host teams Ruth’s culture, assisted in set up of hosting stations, and procure local vendor partnerships to assist in special guest requests. Show less

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  David's Bridal

  Nov 2008 - Sept 2011

  Assistant Store Manager

  -Managing staff of 15 sales, customer service, and alterations team members. Assisting team in closing sales of complete bridal outfitting.-Weekly inventory, loss prevention management, and cash handling.-Scheduling team and managing labor to meet payroll goals. Reviewing sales results and writing/delivering performance reviews when agents do not meet goals.-Captain of bridal show campaigns to engage potential customers and capture appointments and drive sales.

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  Royal Caribbean Group

  Sept 2011 - May 2014

  Certified Vacation Planner/Casino Royale VIP Agent

  -Hired as direct guest sales agent to receive incoming calls and assist guests with all aspects of vacation planning, including booking cruises, offering upscale package additions and onboard amenities, booking air, hotel, and transportation to and from the port, and securing excursions at ports of call. Consistently exceeded sales goals and Quality Assurance targets.-Earned sales agent of the year "Circle of Excellence" award for 2012.-Promoted to VIP Club Royale Agent as a direct contact for VIP casino guests to book their travel and redeem benefits from previous cruises. Direct point of contact for Mohegan Sun land-based casinos to book cross promotional cruise offers.-Assisted new hire training managers as Subject Matter Expert for sales agent classes, providing new agents information, experiences, and direction to succeed outside of the training environment.-During lower volume sales season, recruited by HR to assist in major hiring campaign. Reviewed new applicants and their online assessments, performed phone screen interviews, scheduled in person interviews for HR manager, communicated next steps, and completed all new hire paperwork and onboarding procedures. Show less

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  Ninkasi Brewing

  May 2014 - Apr 2018

  -Developed private event procedures, contracts, and sales goals for new Administration building. Worked with Senior Leadership Team to ensure events coordinated with daily operational business needs. Booked, planned, and executed private events such as weddings, holiday parties, non-profit fundraisers, family celebrations, and business meetings. -Responsible for all aspects of public Tasting Room. Scheduled food trucks, musicians, trivia nights, and monthly beer education courses to create excitement for the brewery and increase local business. Developed a calendar of public beer release celebrations to drive sales, engage community in fundraisers for local non-profits, and create super fans. Planned and executed all aspects of special events including coordinating with vendors, providing onsite team support, and engaging with customers. Partnered with local non-profits for bi-weekly Pints for a Cause donation events.-Worked with Marketing Department to increase public brewery tours and restructure VIP Tour & Sensory program for distribution partner visits and other special events (hosted Craft Brewers Conference activities and local Brewers Association meetings). Performed public and VIP tours weekly along with the Brewery Experience Coordinator.-Assisted CFO to create and successfully execute sales goals and budget for the Tasting Room. Managed merchandise development, inventory, ordering, online store, and sales reporting. -Led Tasting Room team of 7 and Brewery Experience Coordinator including recruiting, hiring, training, scheduling, and team development. Show less

  • Ninkasi Experience Manager

    May 2014 - Apr 2018

  • Brewery Experience Coordinator

    May 2014 - Mar 2015
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  Hilton

  May 2018 - May 2019

  Food And Beverage Supervisor

  -Hired by Hilton as Food & Beverage Supervisor to schedule and manage team of 20 staff for dining, barista station, concierge lounge, and room service. Responsible for all aspects of service and guest satisfaction. - Attended weekly BEO Meetings with Sales & Events Team to review upcoming conventions and events, determine the role the restaurant team would play in guest satisfaction, and convey all details to team members through daily standup meetings and communication boards. Coordinated delivery of VIP amenities to guest rooms.-Assisted Food & Beverage Director to coordinate use of restaurant and bar during large scale conferences and events.-During the renovation and transition from a Hilton to Graduate Hotel, created new service strategy, organization, rewiring of POS and phone systems.--Team contact for implementation of Digital Dining POS system. Assisted DD representative in uploading menu items, assigning user permissions, and creating floor plans. Continued team training and POS maintenance to increase efficiency and improve the user experience. Show less

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  WILDCRAFT CIDER WORKS INCORPORATED

  May 2019 - Aug 2019

  Cider Slinger

  Serving delicious wild crafted cider, scheduling tasting room team, managing in house draft and bottle inventory as well as vendor orders for beer, wine, kombucha, supplies, etc.

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  Victory Restaurant Group

  Aug 2019 - Jun 2020

  Event Sales Manager

  -Fielded all event requests for both Chicago locations of Victory Restaurants. Booked, planned, and took a hands-on, front line approach to ensure events were executed to the highest standard. Contracted local vendors for linen, beverage, party equipment, audio/visual, and other special requests for each event. Communicated event details to General Manager, Chef, and events team to ensure flawless event execution. Created guest feedback program, using positive results to recognize team members and negative results as coaching opportunities and operational feedback.-Exceeded previous year’s sales with a 40% increase. Implemented monthly and quarterly sales tracking to present results to management team and ownership.-Responsible for Catering program menu development, online ordering platform, customer orders, coordination, and execution.-Attended local networking events, coordinated with other local event managers, and developed sales plan with General Manager to drive business to each location.-Organized Point of Sale and all delivery platforms to ensure up to date pricing, menu availability, and promotional offers. Show less

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  Maple & Ash

  Jun 2021 - now

  Office Manager