Guest Experience Associate

Location: AUREA, NUS
Employment: Full-time / Part-time
Reports to: Restaurant Manager / Operations Manager

The Purpose of the Role

You are not simply taking orders and serving food.

You are the face of AUREA — responsible for making every guest feel welcomed, understood and well cared for, while helping the restaurant grow through excellent service and thoughtful recommendations.

We are looking for someone who is warm, attentive, energetic and willing to learn.

1. Guest Experience

• Welcome and acknowledge every guest promptly and warmly.
• Guide guests through the dining experience from arrival to departure.
• Understand guest needs and make appropriate recommendations.
• Maintain attentive but unobtrusive table service.
• Anticipate guest needs rather than waiting to be asked.
• Handle guest questions, requests and complaints professionally.
• Remember regular guests and their preferences where possible.
• Ensure tables, dining areas and service stations are always clean and presentable.

Standard:
Guests should leave thinking:

“They really took care of us.”

2. Food & Beverage Knowledge

The staff member will progressively learn:

Food

• AUREA's menu and ingredients
• Signature dishes
• Allergens and dietary requirements
• Basic food-and-wine pairing
• How to describe dishes attractively

Wine

• Basic wine terminology
• Major grape varieties
• Old World vs New World
• Basic Champagne knowledge
• Basic wine service
• AUREA's wine list
• Recommended pairings

Coffee & Beverages

• Espresso basics
• Americano
• Latte
• Flat white
• Cappuccino
• Other core beverages
• Basic coffee bean knowledge

Goal:
Every service staff member should eventually be able to confidently answer:

“What would you recommend?”

3. Sales & Revenue

Service staff are expected to contribute to AUREA's revenue.

They should learn to:

• Recommend appropriate starters, mains, desserts and beverages.
• Introduce wine naturally rather than aggressively.
• Recommend wine by glass where appropriate.
• Upsell through better choices, not pressure.
• Introduce special events, wine talks and promotions.
• Encourage repeat visits.
• Identify opportunities for group dining, celebrations and private events.

Important principle

We don't want hard selling.

We want:

Good service → trust → recommendation → higher spend → repeat customer.

4. Service Operations

Responsible for:

• Table setup and resetting
• Taking orders accurately
• POS operation
• Food running
• Beverage service
• Clearing tables
• Maintaining service equipment
• Coordination with kitchen and bar
• Opening and closing duties
• Stock replenishment
• Maintaining hygiene and food-safety standards

5. Teamwork

AUREA should operate as one team, not separate departments.

The staff member must:

• Communicate clearly with kitchen and bar.
• Help colleagues during busy periods.
• Never say “that's not my job” when the restaurant needs help.
• Communicate problems early.
• Support new staff.
• Respect colleagues at every level.

6. AUREA Brand Ambassador

Every employee represents the brand.

The successful candidate should demonstrate:

Warmth
Professionalism
Curiosity
Discipline
Confidence
Attention to detail

They should understand that AUREA is trying to become more than a restaurant — including food, wine education, experiences and relationships with guests.

7. Performance KPIs

I would keep the KPI system simple.

Guest experience

Guest feedback / complaints

Service Order accuracy & service standards

Sales and Average spend per guest

Wine & beverage know how

Repeat business frequency and Returning customers

Attendance & Punctuality & reliability

Teamwork

Learning and applying new skills

Completion of food, wine & coffee training

Initiative

Ideas that improve revenue/service

Bonus opportunity

Staff who consistently exceed targets can participate in AUREA's performance/profit-sharing system, rather than receiving only a fixed salary.

8. Candidate Profile

Minimum requirements

• Customer-service experience preferred
• Restaurant/hospitality experience preferred
• Good communication skills
• Basic English
• Mandarin speaking is a plus
• Positive attitude
• Reliable and punctual
• Comfortable working evenings/weekends/public holidays
• Willing to learn

We value attitude over experience.

9. Ideal Personality

I would specifically look for someone who is:

Warm — naturally friendly
Observant — notices what guests need
Curious — wants to learn wine, coffee and food
Confident — comfortable speaking to guests
Commercial — understands that sales matter
Disciplined — follows standards
Energetic — can handle busy service
Team-oriented — helps others
Ambitious — wants to progress

Career Path

Service Staff → Senior Service Staff → Captain → Supervisor → Assistant Manager → Restaurant Manager

“We are looking for people who don't just want to serve food — we want people who want to learn, grow and create memorable experiences for our guests.”