Cocktail waitress vs fine dining server

The differences between cocktail waitresses and fine dining servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a fine dining server has an average salary of $32,140, which is higher than the $26,819 average annual salary of a cocktail waitress.

The top three skills for a cocktail waitress include customer service, drink orders and non-alcoholic beverages. The most important skills for a fine dining server are wine, fine dining, and cleanliness.

Cocktail waitress vs fine dining server overview

	Cocktail Waitress	Fine Dining Server
Yearly salary	$26,819	$32,140
Hourly rate	$12.89	$15.45
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	77,429	77,549
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	28	28
Years of experience	-	-

What does a cocktail waitress do?

A cocktail waitress, or often called a cocktail server, is a female server who serves alcoholic beverages and food to patrons in nightclubs and bars. Cocktail waitresses are required to interact with customers by taking their food orders, serving them food and drinks, and then processing payments. To serve proper alcoholic drinks to customers, cocktail waitresses must be well informed about the drinks they serve, such as wine, beer, and cocktails. They also assist in checking identification to ensure that customers are of legal age to buy alcoholic drinks.

What does a fine dining server do?

Fine dining servers the people who make your stay at a restaurant enjoyable. They deliver well-written orders for the kitchen to prepare and bring your food and beverage. Being a fine dining server is no easy task, as certain skill sets need to be met in order to become an effective dining server. An efficient server is detail-oriented, observant to the needs of the diners, and intuitive. An extensive knowledge of wines and other specific food categories may be required depending on the restaurant.

Cocktail waitress vs fine dining server salary

Cocktail waitresses and fine dining servers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cocktail Waitress	Fine Dining Server
Average salary	$26,819	$32,140
Salary range	Between $19,000 And $36,000	Between $21,000 And $47,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between cocktail waitress and fine dining server education

There are a few differences between a cocktail waitress and a fine dining server in terms of educational background:

	Cocktail Waitress	Fine Dining Server
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Cocktail waitress vs fine dining server demographics

Here are the differences between cocktail waitresses' and fine dining servers' demographics:

	Cocktail Waitress	Fine Dining Server
Average age	28	28
Gender ratio	Male, 5.7% Female, 94.3%	Male, 39.6% Female, 60.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 21.6% Asian, 7.8% White, 53.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 8.2% White, 54.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between cocktail waitress and fine dining server duties and responsibilities

Cocktail waitress example responsibilities.

Offer first--class customer service to ensure VIP guests enjoy their club experiences in very fast--pace environment.
Relay orders to bar and kitchen quickly and accurately recording guest selections and keying into the POS system.
Assist bar tenders in peak hours and cash out customers as they exit the restaurant (POS cash register system).
Serve customers alcoholic beverages and accommodate VIP and special requests
Establish a positive relationship with co-workers and managers through a solid work ethic, positive attitude, punctuality and dependability.
Uphold a high level of professionalism, service, and attentiveness to guests.

Fine dining server example responsibilities.

Schedule and prioritize workload while managing multiple tasks as a representative of this distinctive establishment frequent by wine enthusiasts.
Maintain Microsoft windows base computer system.
Work closely with management to implement new organizational systems to facilitate efficient wine service and inventory.
Craft featured cocktails and signature drinks when bartending.
Inform chefs if guests have any allergies or other requests.
Maintain cleanliness of work areas, china, glass, etc., throughout the day.

Cocktail waitress vs fine dining server skills

Common cocktail waitress skills

Customer Service, 29%
Drink Orders, 10%
Non-Alcoholic Beverages, 8%
POS, 8%
Beverage Orders, 5%
Bartending, 4%

Common fine dining server skills

Wine, 27%
Fine Dining, 24%
Cleanliness, 7%
Customer Service, 5%
Beverage Orders, 4%
POS, 4%

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Cocktail Waitress vs Fine Dining Server

Updated January 8, 2025

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