Head bartender vs banquet bartender

The differences between head bartenders and banquet bartenders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a head bartender and a banquet bartender. Additionally, a head bartender has an average salary of $89,366, which is higher than the $27,094 average annual salary of a banquet bartender.

The top three skills for a head bartender include customer service, wine and bartending. The most important skills for a banquet bartender are wine, bartending, and cleanliness.

Head bartender vs banquet bartender overview

	Head Bartender	Banquet Bartender
Yearly salary	$89,366	$27,094
Hourly rate	$42.96	$13.03
Growth rate	18%	18%
Number of jobs	34,561	58,519
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	34	34
Years of experience	2	2

What does a head bartender do?

A head bartender is responsible for monitoring bar operations, assisting the bar staff, and ensuring the highest customer satisfaction by addressing the guests' needs and concerns. Head bartenders usually mix drinks, requiring them to have excellent knowledge of the drink mixing industry, experimenting on the menu, and researching current bar drinks to attract and meet guests' demands. The ultimate goal is to generate more revenues and bar patrons. They also monitor stock inventories, coordinate with the manager to request for supplies, and perform administrative duties as needed.

What does a banquet bartender do?

A banquet bartender is primarily in charge of managing bar counters and serving beverages at banquets, ensuring client satisfaction. Besides mixing, preparing, and serving drinks, they are also responsible for answering inquiries, recommending beverages, following recipes in crafting drinks, processing payments, and handling credit transactions. They function under the guidelines set by the manager and enforce policies and regulations, such as not serving alcoholic drinks to minors. Moreover, they must also be proactive in dealing with issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently.

Head bartender vs banquet bartender salary

Head bartenders and banquet bartenders have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Head Bartender	Banquet Bartender
Average salary	$89,366	$27,094
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $168,000	Between $17,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between head bartender and banquet bartender education

There are a few differences between a head bartender and a banquet bartender in terms of educational background:

	Head Bartender	Banquet Bartender
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Head bartender vs banquet bartender demographics

Here are the differences between head bartenders' and banquet bartenders' demographics:

	Head Bartender	Banquet Bartender
Average age	34	34
Gender ratio	Male, 49.5% Female, 50.5%	Male, 55.2% Female, 44.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 3.7% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.6% Asian, 3.5% White, 63.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between head bartender and banquet bartender duties and responsibilities

Head bartender example responsibilities.

Direct bartending operations and manage inventory for the bar area.
Manage payroll and timekeeping including completion of proper paperwork for new hires and terminations.
Input data for POS systems, including monthly inventory, and maintaining all POS systems.
Certify trainer, responsible for weekly bar inventory for restaurant purchases, highly focuse on upselling.
Handle all POS operations, including starting tabs, handling cash, closing the drawer, and accounting for all transactions.
Boost revenue significantly by upselling signature drinks.

Banquet bartender example responsibilities.

Manage business operation initiatives, including payroll, invoicing, inventory, and human resource relate matters.
Serve alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, such as water, soda, wine, mix cocktails, bottle or draft beer.
Work extensively with POS and billing systems.
Take orders and enter into the POS system, communicate with kitchen staff to ensure customer satisfaction.
Assist in maintaining cleanliness and care of equipment and furnishings, reporting necessary repair or breakage to direct supervisor.
Assist with event setup by putting bars in ideal locations and stock bars for events per client's request.

Head bartender vs banquet bartender skills

Common head bartender skills

Customer Service, 19%
Wine, 18%
Bartending, 10%
Non-Alcoholic Beverages, 6%
Craft Beer, 6%
POS, 6%

Common banquet bartender skills

Wine, 23%
Bartending, 18%
Cleanliness, 8%
BARS, 6%
Guest Service, 4%
Bartenders, 4%

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Head Bartender
Head Bartender vs Banquet Bartender

Updated January 8, 2025

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