Cocktail waitress vs restaurant server

The differences between cocktail waitresses and restaurant servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a cocktail waitress has an average salary of $26,819, which is higher than the $24,558 average annual salary of a restaurant server.

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

Cocktail waitress vs restaurant server overview

	Cocktail Waitress	Restaurant Server
Yearly salary	$26,819	$24,558
Hourly rate	$12.89	$11.81
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	77,429	141,250
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
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 restaurant server do?

Also called food servers, restaurant servers perform food preparation, cleaning duties, and customer service in casual dining eateries and restaurants. The food servers stock supplies, handle credit cards and the cash register, and clean restaurant counters and tables. They provide assistance to restaurant patrons to take orders, deliver food, and answer customer questions. The skills they need include trustworthiness, organization, customer relations, and communication skills.

Cocktail waitress vs restaurant server salary

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

	Cocktail Waitress	Restaurant Server
Average salary	$26,819	$24,558
Salary range	Between $19,000 And $36,000	Between $15,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	-	Agriculture

Differences between cocktail waitress and restaurant server education

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

	Cocktail Waitress	Restaurant Server
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Cocktail waitress vs restaurant server demographics

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

	Cocktail Waitress	Restaurant Server
Average age	28	28
Gender ratio	Male, 5.7% Female, 94.3%	Male, 40.8% Female, 59.2%
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, 10.9% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 9.4% White, 52.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between cocktail waitress and restaurant 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.

Restaurant server example responsibilities.

Demonstrate adequate culinary and Italian wine knowledge through suggestive selling.
Input orders in micros and issue guest check for each order.
Prepare the groceries for the customer in their request baggage handing.3.
Maintain clean, sanitize FOH area and ensure health & safety and hygiene procedures and standards are meet.
Work with operations manager in ordering and setting up all FOH systems need in opening a new restaurant.
Provide thorough knowledge of the restaurant's menu to make recommendations or answer questions, and enter POS charges.

Cocktail waitress vs restaurant server skills

Common cocktail waitress skills

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

Common restaurant server skills

Wine, 28%
Exceptional Dining, 6%
Guest Satisfaction, 5%
Cleanliness, 5%
POS, 5%
Food Service, 5%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Cocktail Waitress
Cocktail Waitress vs Restaurant Server

Updated January 8, 2025

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