Beverage manager vs general manager

The differences between beverage managers and general managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a beverage manager, becoming a general manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a general manager has an average salary of $71,581, which is higher than the $53,129 average annual salary of a beverage manager.

The top three skills for a beverage manager include wine, customer service and BARS. The most important skills for a general manager are customer service, cleanliness, and food safety.

Beverage manager vs general manager overview

	Beverage Manager	General Manager
Yearly salary	$53,129	$71,581
Hourly rate	$25.54	$34.41
Growth rate	10%	6%
Number of jobs	90,318	442,690
Job satisfaction	-	4.25
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	39	44
Years of experience	4	6

What does a beverage manager do?

A beverage manager oversees the beverage programs of dining and drinking establishments, from planning to execution. Their job is to manage the day-to-day operations, supervise and delegate responsibilities among staff, organize schedules and activities, set objectives and guidelines, monitor inventories to ensure an adequate supply of beverages, and coordinate with suppliers to purchase orders, building positive business relationships in the process. Moreover, a beverage manager monitors operations and resolves issues promptly and professionally, all while implementing policies and regulations.

What does a general manager do?

A general manager is responsible for handling the overall operations in the business. General managers manage the staff tasks efficiently, monitor the productivity and efficiency of the work environment, implement new strategies to improve the business performance, recognize the team's best efforts, and effective allocation of budget resources. A general manager must have excellent communication, decision-making, and critical-thinking skills to identify areas of improvement in handling customer complaints, connecting with vendors and other lines of businesses that will direct the company towards its successful objectives.

Beverage manager vs general manager salary

Beverage managers and general managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Beverage Manager	General Manager
Average salary	$53,129	$71,581
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $72,000	Between $40,000 And $126,000
Highest paying City	Atlantic City, NJ	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Hawaii
Best paying company	PalmerHouse Properties	NVIDIA
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Manufacturing

Differences between beverage manager and general manager education

There are a few differences between a beverage manager and a general manager in terms of educational background:

	Beverage Manager	General Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Cornell University	University of Pennsylvania

Beverage manager vs general manager demographics

Here are the differences between beverage managers' and general managers' demographics:

	Beverage Manager	General Manager
Average age	39	44
Gender ratio	Male, 69.0% Female, 31.0%	Male, 70.7% Female, 29.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 8.4% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between beverage manager and general manager duties and responsibilities

Beverage manager example responsibilities.

Lead bartenders in everyday functions and assist with inventory control.
Work closely with management to develop departmental goals, product quality, and brand standards; assure department appearance and cleanliness.
Familiarize myself with bartending in a casual, fine, and banquet setting.
Adhere to local and government cleanliness restrictions in order to run a clean and health department abiding facility.
Utilize POS system to accurately charge customers, track revenue reports and ensure timeliness of food and beverage.
Participate in the selection, design, development of new POS system and are in charge of weekly inventory.

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General manager example responsibilities.

Generate positive EBITDA and improve cash flow by managing costs and inventory.
Manage all recruiting and training efforts, and develop systems to track ROI comparison results.
Work as a FOH AGM and train to manage all staff functions including training, hiring, food and labor controls.
Develop yearly budget for multiple hotels that include revenue, labor, fix and variable costs to achieve overall EBITDA goal.
Task primarily with building logistics infrastructure, managing operational expenses, and supporting start up strategies.
Train and manage FOH staff and improve overall quality, organization and professionalism of restaurant and bakery.

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Beverage manager vs general manager skills

Common beverage manager skills

Wine, 18%
Customer Service, 10%
BARS, 9%
Guest Service, 4%
Beverage Service, 4%
Guest Satisfaction, 4%

Common general manager skills

Customer Service, 20%
Cleanliness, 18%
Food Safety, 7%
Guest Service, 4%
Payroll, 4%
Math, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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