In his eponymous restaurant, Chef Marc Forgione showcases his innovative yet approachable New American cuisine using the best seasonal and local ingredients. Opened in 2008 in TriBeCa Restaurant Marc Forgione attracts an eclectic mix of locals and visitors who come for the contemporary food and drink with friendly service in a comfortable setting.

In the spring of 2024 Marc Forgione moved his TriBeca staple to a new location right across the street from the one originally opened in 2008 and shortened the name to Forgione. 

As the son of renowned chef Larry Forgione, Chef Marc Forgione has been developing his skills in the kitchen since he was 16 years old, first at his father’s restaurant An American Place and then with notable chefs Kazuto Matsusaka, Patricia Yeo, Michel Guerard and Laurent Tourondel.   

From these varied experiences, Forgione has created a straightforward American style with bold flavors and playful touches. Menus change frequently to showcase fresh ingredients, local farmers and purveyors, and new twists on seasonal American favorites.

WINE DIRECTOR

Reports to: General Manager, Director of Operations & Apres Cru

Location: Forgione

Direct Reports: Hourly Staff

Position Scope:

The wine director is responsible for ensuring that Forigone’s wine program is best in class in hospitality, offerings, education, and profitability. They will work in tandem with partners, management, and the service team to create and develop a  wine program centered around thoughtful curated selections that align with the visions of the restaurant. 

This individual will oversee the wine lists, selections, inventories, and purchasing for Forgione , as well as train and lead a team of wine professionals who will be running service on a nightly basis. This person will work closely with operators and line staff on implementing and maintaining best practices through hands-on involvement and support from pre-opening (when needed) to day to day operations. Structured education for all team members will be essential for both cultural and financial success. Development of programming and events will also be crucial to drive awareness to each of the restaurants as  top wine destinations, relevance in the wine community, and profitability.

This role is a managerial position based out of Restaurant Marc Forione and will be actively involved in working service. 
The ability to be a collaborative leader is critical to ensure alignment between the partners, support teams, and operators on all wine department initiatives. Financial acumen is essential to ensure the program is profitable and that it offers the highest quality of wine to our guests while still retaining our value proposition and point of view of our program. They will work closely with the operators to identify opportunities and implement solutions to achieve our goals and targets. The ongoing monitoring and analysis of sales trends and data is essential for a proactive response to identify potential challenges as well as creating programs to maximize profitability. This individual will be responsible for the constant evolution of our programs and creating a beverage culture that enhances the experience of our guests, employees, suppliers, and our investors. 

Key Responsibilities

Menu & Operations

• Is a core part of the management team at Forgione and active in service including opening and closing procedures
• Work with the partners to develop and maintain a focused point of view for wine at each concept
• Coordinate new restaurant opening tasks and timelines to ensure a smooth and successful launch of the wine programs and the restaurant at large
• Place  orders and handle all receiving and organization for wine 
• Ensure restaurant has an up to date wine menus at all times (including in-house and online)
• Development and roll-out of wine service manuals and standards across the restaurant
• Work with partners on standardized purchasing, receiving, inventory management, and pricing protocols across the business 
• Create and execute on-brand wine events and initiatives to drive awareness, guest engagement, and revenue.
• Development, implementation, and oversight of all wine opening and closing duties
• Monitor and ensure consistency of wine service

Training and Development

• Recruit great people, interview, and select individuals that live our core values and will stop at nothing to serve our guests
• Ensures wine training materials for the teams are current, relevant, and adhered to for all existing and new hires
• Train and develop staff to ensure wine knowledge and best service practices are being upheld
• Create and deliver structured regularly scheduled wine training for all restaurant employees
• Coach and mentor sommeliers to create a culture of education, professionalism, wine knowledge, and business acumen
• Create an overarching beverage culture built around sales driven by hospitality and education

Profitability

• Responsible for ensuring that all wine program financial targets are achieved
• Proactively drill down and play an active role in developing, implementing and maintaining solutions for when the program is off target or is heading in that direction
• Analyze an action plan based on menu sales mix and COGS to increase profitability while maintaining value for our guests
• Negotiate pricing for wine when possible to fit the needs of the program and drive profitability
• Responsible for the the purchasing and inventory of Liquor and Beer. 
• Maintain Bevager ensuring accurate recipes, up to date pricing, portioning, and costing of all beverages prior to going on the menu
• Reconcile  invoices and COGS variances on a weekly basis.
• Monitor and reconcile beverage COGS vs. theoretical and budget on a weekly and monthly basis
• Develop and ensure procedures are followed to protect the company’s inventory and assets, as well as all activities related to risk management and safety
• Ensure compliance with all state and federal liquor laws

Additional Skills + Responsibilities

• Exude excellence in hospitality both for internal and external guests
• High level of professionalism with a keen sense for positive coaching, mentoring, and management
• Possess excellent strategic planning skills, with an emphasis on delivering, executing and assessing action plans
• Excellent time management, organizational and problem-solving skills
• Ability to adapt and lead through change
• Passion for exceptional hospitality, food and beverages
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment

 Work Conditions

• Work managerial shifts in the restaurant, opening and closing as needed
• May be required to lift, carry, push or pull heavy objects up to 50 lbs
• Kneel, bend or stoop, ascend or descend stairs; reach and grasp objects

Experience/Education

• Minimum 2 years management experience in full-service restaurants
• Minimum 2 years of wine/beverage purchasing experience (including purchasing, budgeting, costing, and inventory management)
• Bachelor’s Degree preferred
• Proficient in a variety of technology systems, especially Microsoft Office and Google Workspaces