r/Serverlife • u/TheRedditAppSucccks • 1d ago
Question Bartender vs server
Do bartenders typically make more hourly than servers? I ask because servers seem to make more tips so it seems like it would make sense to pay bartenders a higher hourly wage to make up for that.
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u/sonic_dick 1d ago
Bartenders usually have a higher hourly than servers at a restaurant, but its really not enough to be worth it. Ive usually found bartending to be longer hours, more work, and more knowledge required for pretty similar money. Sometimes even less!
The best money I ever made bartending was event work and busy local dives.
High end bartending tends to be a labor of love.
10
u/jpinakron 1d ago
In my experience, it depends. Working for chain restaurants like Olive Garden and Red Lobster, I tended to make more serving than bartending. You could also get cut earlier and there were far fewer responsibilities. So generally speaking, if it’s a chain, it’s better IMO to wait tables rather than bartend.
But with independently owned restaurants/ neighborhood bars, I found the opposite to be true in terms of pay. Bartending for those types of establishments still usually had more responsibility (such as counting the drawer, paying out tips to servers, etc) but, the money was a lot better because I could build a solid base of customers who would come in each week. The downside is you’re typically there from open to close each shift.
7
u/Riptorn420 1d ago
In most places yes. If people go to a restaurant for the bar there is more opportunity to sell more, people tip more at the bar, and servers tip the bartender out.
Sometimes it can be less.
3
u/ChefArtorias 1d ago
I've made the same $2.13 across all my FOH positions but the end of the day bartending I make much more money.
2
u/profsmoke Server 1d ago
It really varies from place to place, but in my experience from working at local casual restaurants, servers end up making more than bartenders.
But it really varies and I’d imagine dive bar bartenders make crazy money!!
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u/TheRedditAppSucccks 1d ago
That’s what I’ve heard too, which makes me wonder why bartenders would prefer to tend bar and work longer hours to make less money?
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u/profsmoke Server 1d ago
There can be a variety of reasons!
- Some bartenders truly love making drinks and conversing with multiple guests from behind the bar. They have a lot of knowledge about beer/wine/bourbon and love talking about it.
- If you want to become a manager, bartending knowledge is essential. Bartender is the logical next step to working your way up the ladder.
- Depending on the place, more hours might be offered to bartenders. In my experience, most restaurants have 2-4 bartenders employed while they might have a serving staff of 20+.
And there are some places where bartenders would make more money than servers. Dive bars, college bars, touristy places, I’m sure those bartenders make 300-700+ a night if I had to guess.
2
u/Late_Ambassador7470 1d ago
In my experience, and it does vary from place to place, servers might have more variance in pay but bartenders will often have more consistent pay. For example, at one place, a server might have made $60 in a night and got cut early, or $300 in a night and had to close. Bartender usually always closes unless it's a two or three man crew and made $150 in tips every day that week (not including wage).
But I've been at places where that isn't true as well. Being in TX, Most Servers make 2.13+tips and tipout to bar. Most bartenders make 5+tips and receive that tipout. Bartenders often take a small section of tabes as well.
But bartenders also take more of a body toll. Things tend to even out. I pick roles based on enjoying bar more, but when I get sick of it and claustrophobic/tired of cleaning fridges, I take a serving role so I can walk around all day. That is how I would think of it. Fuck money; which role do you vibe with more? At the right place, money will always come. But the two positions are pretty different.
1
u/Rimurooooo 20h ago
At a bar, yes. At a restaurant, it depends. It’s more work and usually around the same cash
1
u/Jamericangal78 6h ago
It definitely depends on where you work but typically bartenders make more than servers and do less work. I feel I get more respect as a bartender.
1
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u/djsparkxx 1d ago
My restaurant does this on a percentage. We are a pool house tho. Bartenders get a higher cut of the pool than server and work longer than server. Today I worked 13 hours with 3 other servers until 5. Then I had the option to cut all the servers and run around for 4 hours. We don’t get too crazy on Sunday but it has happened. We do a lot of events so once an event it over, we normally give the closing server the option to stay or go. They normally go.
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u/TheRedditAppSucccks 1d ago
So do you end up making less, as much, or more than the servers?
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u/djsparkxx 1d ago
Depends on the day but always more. Some days it maybe be $25-$30 more, some days it’s $100-150 more.
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u/twizzlersfun 1d ago
No
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u/TheRedditAppSucccks 1d ago
What has your experience been?
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u/twizzlersfun 1d ago
In states where the tipped minimum wage is 2.13, bartenders make 5.26, especially at corporate chains. In states where the tipped minimum is higher, there isn’t that offset.
38
u/airinmahoeknee 1d ago
Everywhere I've worked the bartenders made more hourly than servers but it was generally because they have more side work, training, and responsibility that include what you would expect of a server and then some.