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The differences between restaurant managers and beverage managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a restaurant manager and a beverage manager. Additionally, a beverage manager has an average salary of $53,129, which is higher than the $52,202 average annual salary of a restaurant manager.
The top three skills for a restaurant manager include customer service, guest satisfaction and food handling. The most important skills for a beverage manager are wine, customer service, and BARS.
| Restaurant Manager | Beverage Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $52,202 | $53,129 |
| Hourly rate | $25.10 | $25.54 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 225,340 | 90,318 |
| Job satisfaction | 1 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A restaurant manager is responsible for handling the overall restaurant operations. These include monitoring revenues and daily restaurant sales, checking inventories and supplies, negotiating with third-party vendors, and managing customers' inquiries and complaints. Other duties include creating promotional offers, developing and improving sales strategies, organizing staff duties, maintaining the highest sanitary standards for everyone's strict compliance, and controlling operational expenses. A restaurant manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills and exceptional knowledge of food industry management.
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.
Restaurant managers and beverage managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Restaurant Manager | Beverage Manager | |
| Average salary | $52,202 | $53,129 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $69,000 | Between $39,000 And $72,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Atlantic City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Hampshire | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Hillstone Restaurant Group | PalmerHouse Properties |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a restaurant manager and a beverage manager in terms of educational background:
| Restaurant Manager | Beverage Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Cornell University | Cornell University |
Here are the differences between restaurant managers' and beverage managers' demographics:
| Restaurant Manager | Beverage Manager | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 54.5% Female, 45.5% | Male, 69.0% Female, 31.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 9.4% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |