Meet Tom, The Alchemist’s Longest Serving Bartender

The Alchemist is known for its eye-catching cocktails, stylish décor and state of the art dining experiences. Five years on from their grand opening at Media City in Salford, The Alchemists longest serving bartender is dazzling customers with everything you’d expect when visiting this unique venue; service with a smile, attentive, charismatic – traits almost unrecognisable from when his journey started with Pure Innovations.

Tom joined Pure’s Supported Internship programme in 2017 and completed three different placements whilst on board. It was at Tom’s final employer where he really began to flourish and feel at home, growing in confidence and developing a whole host of transferable skills. The Alchemist were so impressed with Tom’s attitude and natural ability that he was offered a 20-hour contract after a successful working interview.

Since joining the team, Tom has excelled and become an integral part of The Alchemist family. Barry, General Manager calls Tom a ‘delight to work with’, noting that he always comes in on time with a smile on his face, which lifts the spirits of the entire bar team:

“He is now the longest serving of our bar team & is a real asset to his department. Tom never shy’s away from getting involved. He is an absolute delight to work with, always coming in on time and cracks on with his tasks for the day.”

Tom has made a real positive impact since securing his role, not only on the organisation, but with his colleagues who he now considers friends. Despite being the longest serving member of the team, his infectious enthusiasm continues to rub off, describing the opportunity to learn the cocktail menu as ‘being like Christmas’. One colleague recalled Tom choosing to spend his birthday in work, because that was where he would be able to see the largest group of his friends.

“He’s always keen on learning new things about the bar, whether it’s prep in the back or a new cocktail at the front. He’s happy to be here after so many years which feels like a rarity in this industry.” – Conor, Senior Bar In-Store Trainer

Pure’s partnership with the Alchemist demonstrates the value of supporting young people with disabilities or additional learning needs into customer facing, technical roles. Tom has proved that with the right support network and opportunities, a happy and exciting career is just around the corner. Barry agrees, reflecting on their work together so far:

“I can’t speak highly enough of Pure Innovations & everything that they do to provide opportunities for young people in the workplace. They have been supportive of putting their students in place to begin with but continued to help with any further learning outside of the classroom.”