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Beverage Director
Food ServiceYou oversee the entire drink program — cocktails, wine lists, beer selections, and the bar P&L across one or more venues. You're part sommelier, part mixologist, part businessperson, and you spend your days negotiating with distributors, training bar teams, and tasting things professionally. Yes, you taste alcohol for a living. No, it's not as fun as it sounds when the spreadsheets are due.
Salary Range
Low
$55k
Median
$78k
High
$130k
10-Year Growth
5%
US Workers
25K
Education
No formal education required (sommelier certification or hospitality degree valued)
Environment
indoor
Tools & Technical Skills
- ▸Wine & spirits program development
- ▸Cocktail menu design & recipe costing
- ▸Beverage cost analysis & margin optimization
- ▸Distributor contract negotiation
- ▸Sommelier-level wine knowledge
- ▸Multi-unit bar operations oversight
- ▸Staff training curriculum development
People & Mindset Skills
- ▸Leadership
- ▸Creativity
- ▸Strategic thinking
- ▸Communication
- ▸Negotiation
- ▸Attention to detail
- ▸Relationship building
What you'll actually do
- 01Design seasonal cocktail menus and wine lists that pair with the food program
- 02Negotiate pricing and contracts with distributors — every dollar per case matters
- 03Train bar staff across multiple locations on new recipes and service standards
- 04Analyze beverage cost reports and figure out where the margin is disappearing
- 05Attend tastings and industry events (the part everyone thinks is your whole job)
- 06Collaborate with the executive chef on pairing menus and special events
- 07Manage bar inventory across locations and catch discrepancies before they become problems
Related Shifts
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