Sommelier vs cocktail server

The differences between sommeliers and cocktail servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a sommelier has an average salary of $40,584, which is higher than the $26,178 average annual salary of a cocktail server.

The top three skills for a sommelier include wine, fine dining and POS. The most important skills for a cocktail server are wine, cash handling, and beverage orders.

Sommelier vs cocktail server overview

	Sommelier	Cocktail Server
Yearly salary	$40,584	$26,178
Hourly rate	$19.51	$12.59
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	1,802	74,674
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
Average age	28	28
Years of experience	-	-

Sommelier vs cocktail server salary

Sommeliers and cocktail servers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Sommelier	Cocktail Server
Average salary	$40,584	$26,178
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $68,000	Between $16,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	New York	Washington
Best paying company	Del Frisco's Restaurant Group	Aspen Snowmass
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Media

Differences between sommelier and cocktail server education

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

	Sommelier	Cocktail Server
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Sommelier vs cocktail server demographics

Here are the differences between sommeliers' and cocktail servers' demographics:

	Sommelier	Cocktail Server
Average age	28	28
Gender ratio	Male, 68.3% Female, 31.7%	Male, 13.0% Female, 87.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 21.5% Asian, 9.0% White, 51.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 22.8% Asian, 8.1% White, 51.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between sommelier and cocktail server duties and responsibilities

Sommelier example responsibilities.

Manage sales and inventory for premier wine destination restaurant.
Wine, spirits and fine products sale.
Direct guest interaction and up-sell of wine and spirits.
Inventory, purchasing and cost control monitoring, transaction reconciliation, POS programming, payroll, sommelier work.
Purchase wines for one of the largest menu varieties in NYC.
Market wine selections with sales team through upselling or pouring wine product samples for testing.

Cocktail server example responsibilities.

Ensure club cleanliness and provide amazing customer service to every individual.
Experience handling money and using a cash register, as well as the micros systems.
Take customers' orders and input into POS, run food, bus tables, help other servers as needed.
Provide a fun, safe and friendly atmosphere for customers, while providing excellent service serving cocktails, wine and beer.
Greet guests, take orders, correctly enter food and beverages into POS terminal, and ensure efficient delivery of both.
Fluctuate between all shifts and floors, assist in bartending, and becoming a top selling server within a few months.

Sommelier vs cocktail server skills

Common sommelier skills

Wine, 44%
Fine Dining, 13%
POS, 5%
Culinary, 5%
Spirits, 4%
Sommeliers, 3%

Common cocktail server skills

Wine, 13%
Cash Handling, 7%
Beverage Orders, 6%
Cleanliness, 6%
Guest Satisfaction, 6%
Customer Service, 5%

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Sommelier
Sommelier vs Cocktail Server

Updated January 8, 2025

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