Informal waiter/waitress vs cocktail waitress

The differences between informal waiter/waitresses and cocktail waitresses 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 $24,354 average annual salary of an informal waiter/waitress.

The top three skills for an informal waiter/waitress include beverage orders, waiter and customer service. The most important skills for a cocktail waitress are customer service, drink orders, and non-alcoholic beverages.

Informal waiter/waitress vs cocktail waitress overview

	Informal Waiter/Waitress	Cocktail Waitress
Yearly salary	$24,354	$26,819
Hourly rate	$11.71	$12.89
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	3,660	77,429
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Average age	28	28
Years of experience	-	-

What does an informal waiter/waitress do?

An informal waiter/waitress is primarily in charge of serving patrons in coffee shops, fast-food chains, and other similar dining establishments, ensuring efficiency and customer satisfaction. Their responsibilities revolve around coordinating with kitchen and management staff, greeting and welcoming customers, providing menus and answering inquiries, offering suggestions, and serving the customers' orders promptly and accurately. They may also process payments or provide other assistance as needed. Furthermore, an informal waiter/waitress must maintain the cleanliness of tables and workspaces, ensuring a safe and healthy environment for everyone.

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.

Informal waiter/waitress vs cocktail waitress salary

Informal waiter/waitresses and cocktail waitresses have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Informal Waiter/Waitress	Cocktail Waitress
Average salary	$24,354	$26,819
Salary range	Between $16,000 And $36,000	Between $19,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	Saratoga Springs, NY	-
Highest paying state	New York	-
Best paying company	Aspen Snowmass	-
Best paying industry	Hospitality	-

Differences between informal waiter/waitress and cocktail waitress education

There are a few differences between an informal waiter/waitress and a cocktail waitress in terms of educational background:

	Informal Waiter/Waitress	Cocktail Waitress
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Informal waiter/waitress vs cocktail waitress demographics

Here are the differences between informal waiter/waitresses' and cocktail waitresses' demographics:

	Informal Waiter/Waitress	Cocktail Waitress
Average age	28	28
Gender ratio	Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7%	Male, 5.7% Female, 94.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.8% Asian, 8.7% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	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%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between informal waiter/waitress and cocktail waitress duties and responsibilities

Informal waiter/waitress example responsibilities.

Train in bartending duties, knowledgeable of preparation of alcoholic beverages.
Request and record customer orders, and totale orders using the POS system.
Help bartending when staff are short.
Fix POS computers, printers, and credit card systems above and beyond job responsibilities.
Start as a busboy and are quickly promote to a waiter when a spot are made available.
Develop relationships with regular patrons; develop an understanding of their personal needs and expectations, including preferences and food allergies.

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.

Informal waiter/waitress vs cocktail waitress skills

Common informal waiter/waitress skills

Beverage Orders, 48%
Waiter, 18%
Customer Service, 12%
Food Service, 9%
Fine Dining, 3%
Wine, 2%

Common cocktail waitress skills

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

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Informal Waiter/Waitress
Informal Waiter/Waitress vs Cocktail Waitress

Updated January 8, 2025

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