Founding Team Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Description

HELP BUILD SOMETHING SPECIAL IN THE HIGH COUNTRY

Haven is a chef-driven restaurant coming to Blowing Rock, North Carolina, and we're assembling our founding front-of-house team. 

Built with its own distinct culinary identity and backed by the support and resources of Chetola Resort, Haven combines the excitement of a restaurant opening with the stability and opportunities of an established hospitality destination.

We believe exceptional hospitality begins with exceptional people. We're building a service team where professionalism, curiosity, warmth, and continuous learning come together to create remarkable experiences for our guests-and an outstanding place to build a career.

This is more than a typical server position. It's an opportunity to join before opening day and help shape the service standards, guest experience, culture, and identity of Haven from the ground up. As a founding team member, you'll play an important role in bringing our vision to life and setting the tone for every team member who follows.

At Haven, our menu is rooted in Appalachian cuisine and the incredible farms, foragers, and producers of the region. Through a small plates and tasting menu experience, we'll showcase hyper-seasonal ingredients while drawing inspiration from global culinary traditions and modern techniques. The result is thoughtful, ingredient-driven food that feels both familiar and unexpected.

We're looking for servers who believe exceptional hospitality is about more than taking orders and delivering plates. It's about reading the table, anticipating needs, understanding the story behind the food, and creating an experience that feels polished without ever feeling scripted.

You don't need to know everything on day one-but you do need curiosity, warmth, humility, attention to detail, and a genuine desire to grow.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Create warm, genuine, and memorable guest experiences from arrival through departure
• Guide guests confidently through a small plates and tasting menu experience
• Develop deep knowledge of the menu, ingredients, sourcing, preparation methods, and the stories behind the dishes
• Explain unfamiliar ingredients and techniques in a way that is engaging, approachable, and never pretentious
• Make thoughtful recommendations based on guest preferences, dietary needs, and the flow of the dining experience
• Develop strong knowledge of wine, beer, spirits, cocktails, and non-alcoholic offerings
• Communicate clearly and collaborate closely with culinary, bar, host, and support teams
• Anticipate guest needs and maintain awareness of pacing, timing, and table dynamics
• Execute service with accuracy, urgency, attention to detail, and care
• Maintain clean, organized, and professional dining and service areas
• Participate in pre-opening training, menu tastings, mock services, and ongoing education
• Provide thoughtful feedback as service systems, standards, and procedures are developed and refined
• Uphold the highest standards of hospitality, professionalism, food safety, and responsible alcohol service

Requirements

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• Previous serving experience in a full-service restaurant environment
• Genuine warmth and a natural desire to take care of people
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• The ability to read a table and adapt your service style to different guests and occasions
• Curiosity about food, beverage, ingredients, seasonality, and culinary technique
• The ability to learn and confidently communicate detailed menu knowledge
• Strong organization and the ability to remain composed under pressure
• Attention to detail and pride in polished execution
• A collaborative mindset and respect for both front- and back-of-house teammates
• Reliability, accountability, and a strong work ethic
• Comfort receiving feedback and a genuine desire to improve

Experience in fine dining, tasting menu, farm-to-table, wine-focused, or other chef-driven restaurants is a plus-but it is not required. Most importantly, we're looking for people who care deeply about hospitality, support their teammates, and want to help build a great restaurant culture from day one.

WHY JOIN THE FOUNDING TEAM

Joining during the opening phase means you'll have the opportunity to do more than simply step into an existing restaurant. You'll help create what comes next.Founding team members may have opportunities to:

• Help shape service standards, opening procedures, and the overall guest journey
• Provide input as service steps, table touches, workflows, and systems are refined
• Participate in menu tastings, beverage education, mock services, and ongoing hospitality training
• Learn directly from culinary and beverage leaders about ingredients, sourcing, techniques, and pairings
• Build close working relationships with the opening culinary and front-of-house teams
• Help define how the story of the restaurant, the region, and the food is shared with guests
• Grow into expanded responsibilities, training roles, and leadership opportunities as the restaurant develops
• Help establish the culture future team members will join

WHAT WE OFFER

• Opportunities for advancement as the restaurant grows
• In-depth menu, ingredient, and beverage education
• Access to exceptional local and regional products and producers
• A professional restaurant environment focused on hospitality, learning, excellence, and teamwork
• Meaningful input into the systems, standards, and culture we build together
• Ongoing opportunities to deepen your knowledge of food, wine, spirits, and hospitality
• Scheduling practices designed to support work-life balance whenever operationally possible
• The opportunity to be part of a new restaurant from the very beginning

THE KIND OF RESTAURANT WE'RE BUILDING

This isn't a high-volume, transactional restaurant where success is measured by how quickly you can turn a table. We're building a place where hospitality is thoughtful, personal, and deeply connected to the food. A restaurant where servers are trusted to be knowledgeable guides, attentive hosts, and genuine ambassadors for the experience. We want service to feel polished but never stiff. Knowledgeable but never pretentious. Attentive but never intrusive. We're building a team where standards are high, feedback is direct and constructive, and every team member is expected to contribute to both the guest experience and the culture. If you're ready to grow, contribute, and help build one of the High Country's most exciting new culinary projects, we'd love to meet you.