With beer brewing underway and construction of the bar in process, Grand Rapids' newest brewpub,
ELK Brewing, is ready to hire key people to get the place ready for opening in April.
The brewpub will serve site-made beers brewed in a 100-gallon, three-barrel system. The renovation of a building at 700 Wealthy St. SE
has been in process since fall 2011, but has hit some snags along the way. As of last week, brewing has begun and final interior construction, such as building the serving bar, is underway.
Eric Karns, who owns ELK Brewing with his wife Lisa Karns and partner Taylor Carroll, says filling the full-time bar manager position and brewing assistant are his first goals. After that, he aims to fill about 10 part-time wait staff jobs.
"Taylor and I don't have bar experience, we've never worked in bars, so we're looking for an experienced bar manager to step up and help us run our bar smoothly," says Eric Karns. "We want to be as successful as possible, and hiring the right people is how we think that will be accomplished."
Karns says he's hiring now for bar manager and brewing assistant. He'll hire wait staff in about three weeks.
"I want wait staff to know about craft beer, I want them to like it for one thing," Karns says. "You can't sell a product you don't like. I want them to know the differences between porters and stouts and IPAs, and want them to be able to explain it to somebody that drinks commercial brands."
Karns says the goal is to create a friendly, neighborhood watering hole that people can walk to, bike to, and drive to with ease. He wants staff who will create an atmosphere that patrons are attracted to, and that will make them want to hang around once they get there.
To apply for the positions, please visit ELK Brewing's
Facebook page here.
Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor
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