Sommelier vs server

The differences between sommeliers and 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 $29,901 average annual salary of a server.

The top three skills for a sommelier include wine, fine dining and POS. The most important skills for a server are wine, customer service, and guest satisfaction.

Sommelier vs server overview

	Sommelier	Server
Yearly salary	$40,584	$29,901
Hourly rate	$19.51	$14.38
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	1,802	162,734
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	28	28
Years of experience	-	-

Sommelier vs server salary

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

	Sommelier	Server
Average salary	$40,584	$29,901
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $68,000	Between $21,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New York	New York
Best paying company	Del Frisco's Restaurant Group	Dell
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Hospitality

Differences between sommelier and server education

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

	Sommelier	Server
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Sommelier vs server demographics

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

	Sommelier	Server
Average age	28	28
Gender ratio	Male, 68.3% Female, 31.7%	Male, 32.0% Female, 68.0%
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, 12.0% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 8.2% White, 54.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between sommelier and 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.

Server example responsibilities.

Manage expediter window paying close attention to garnishes and presentation.
Provide exceptional customer service, while frequently checking for food allergies, by utilizing excellent communication and multitasking skills.
Maximize profits by upselling food and alcoholic beverages and utilizing excellent customer service skills to ensure guests repeat business.
Clean bars, work areas, and tables.
Provide exceptional service to guests with charm, professionalism, respect, and bright personality.
Embrace serving on a more personal level due the quaint, small-town charm of the location.

Sommelier vs server skills

Common sommelier skills

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

Common server skills

Wine, 15%
Customer Service, 10%
Guest Satisfaction, 8%
Cleanliness, 7%
Cash Handling, 7%
POS, 6%

Sommelier vs. similar jobs

Sommelier related careers

Sommelier related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Sommelier
Sommelier vs Server

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse food preparation and restaurant jobs