Experienced Bartender

The Talbot is a proper South London local and proudly independent. We're a food-led pub with a serious Sunday roast, a busy newly refurbished dining room, garden cabins and tipi space, and a bar that looks after everyone from after-work pints to late night Negronis. We pour local beer (Toast, Villages, Gipsy Hill, Small Beer, Forest Road and more), we champion wine, and we make our own house infusions for cocktails.

We're looking for a Bartender who can deliver warm, confident service, move fast without losing standards, and help guests feel like regulars on their first visit.

Job title:
Bartender

Reports to:
General Manager / Duty Manager

Location:
The Talbot, Brockley SE41QG

Contract:
Rota including evenings, weekends, bank holidays

Your ResponsibilitiesGuest Experience

• Welcome every guest straight away, keep an eye on the door, clock who needs what next.
• Talk confidently about our beer board (especially local/rotating guests), our wines by the glass, and our house cocktails.
• Make recommendations that match what they're eating – e.g. which red with the beef roast, which lager with tacos in summer, which low/no for drivers.
• Handle complaints or concerns in a calm, human way and flag anything serious to the manager on duty.

Bar service

• Set the bar for service: ice, citrus, herbs, garnishes, syrups, clean glassware, tills online, allergen book in place.
• Serve guests quickly, accurately, and with consistency – correct measures, clean pours, no sloppy glassware.
• Work the bar and floor together during busy garden service, so no one is stood waiting, and tables feel looked after.

Cellar and beer quality

• Support with cellar tasks: accepting deliveries, rotating stock, line cleaning, checking cask and keg temperatures, logging issues.
• Pour a correct pint every time – proper glassware, correct head, no overspill, and never serve anything you wouldn't drink.
• Protect the Talbot reputation for good pints. If a line tastes off, you pull it, you tell us.

Cocktails, wine and coffee

• Build our house cocktails and classics to spec (measure, shake/stir, dilution, garnish, presentation).
• Talk guests through our wines by the glass with confidence, with personality – not snobby.
• Make consistent coffees during the day trade to our standard (grind, extraction, milk texture).

Cleanliness, compliance and safety

• Keep the bar, back bar, fridges, floor and glass-wash area spotless. No dirty glass mountains.
• Follow daily / weekly cleaning schedules and sign-offs.
• Follow Challenge 25 and responsible service. No exceptions.
• Support allergen compliance (know the garnishes, know what's in the syrups).
• Report accidents, breakages, or anything unsafe immediately.

Stock and cash

• Record wastage and breakages honestly.
• Rotate and label anything prepared in-house.
• Cash handling and till work must be accurate; follow manager sign-off procedure for refunds, comps and voids.
• Help with stock counts and keep an eye on anything running low in service so we never 86 key lines without telling the kitchen / floor.

Being part of the team

• Communicate constantly with the floor team, runners, food pass and kitchen so guests aren't sat missing drinks.
• Support the garden/tipi bars when they're live in summer and during events.
• Help train new starters on how we pour, how we talk to guests, how we keep standards. Lead by example.

What you bring

Must have

• Previous bar experience in a busy pub/bar/restaurant.
• Confident pouring cask and keg, serving wine, and making basic cocktails properly.
• Good under pressure.
• Guest-first mindset: you genuinely care if someone's had a good time.
• Comfortable on tills and payments with minimal mistakes.
• Able to work evenings, weekends, Sunday roast shifts, and key dates.

Nice to have

• Cellar experience including line cleaning.
• Basic barista skills.
• Knowledge of London independent breweries / English wine.
• Any formal training (WSET, beer, cocktail, etc.) or appetite to do it with us.

What good looks like in this role

• Bar guests greeted and served quickly, even at peak.
• Pints and cocktails consistently to spec.
• Positive guest feedback mentioning "service," "welcome," or you by name.
• Clean bar
• Responsible alcohol service documented (Challenge 25 done properly).
• Honest communication with managers about stock, problems, guest issues.

What you get

• Staff food on shift.
• Team discount across the Little and Large Pub Company sites.
• Proper training: cellar, wine, cocktails, coffee.
• Real progression: Bartender → Senior Bartender → Bar Supervisor if that's where you want to go.