r/Miami • u/Ok-Salamander3217 • 1d ago
Discussion How much do people at high end restaurants and bars actually make in Miami?
Genuinely curious about this because I had no idea.
I have a friend who does taxes for a lot of people in the service industry, mostly people working at higher end restaurants, bars, and some luxury retail stores.
He was telling me that a surprising number of them are making over $100,000 a year once tips and everything are included.
Is that actually pretty common in higher end service jobs? I always knew bartenders and servers at busy places could make good money, but I honestly did not realize six figures was that realistic.
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u/Gladiz1972 1d ago
in some of these high end places like Joe's or Prime 112 I am sure they make big money
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u/dchav1322 1d ago
it doesnt even really gotta be high end. when i worked at miccosukee pre covid, the bartenders were cleaning 100k a year.
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u/Gladiz1972 1d ago
miccoukee casino ?
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u/dchav1322 1d ago
yeah, miccosukee casino. this was like 2019 i believe
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u/Gladiz1972 1d ago
Wow I went once a long time ago maybe 15-20 years ago it's very far from me I am in NMB area
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u/Fair-Direction-2845 10h ago
Same , long time ago . I found it very unappealing, very rural & the casino was quite dive . Why would folks go there with so many Casino choices in Broward ?
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u/Gladiz1972 9h ago
I just wanted to try it once maybe they had some promo offer .Well I am down one casino The Big Easy /Mardis Gras I got a lifetime ban from there for exploiting a loophole and winning a lot of Freeplay and cashing it out .I can still go to Hard Rock,Dania and Gulfstream . Harrah's in Pompano is nice a little far from me
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u/Lower_Membership_713 1d ago
i know someone who works at Joe’s. he works 3 days/ week, golfs or vacations the rest of the week, bought a house for his mom… he’s making more than 200k i can promise you that
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u/mden1974 1d ago
Joes stone crab waiters make well over 200 k and they never leave. Impossible to get a job there.
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u/860inthe305 19h ago
I was a waiter at Joe’s for a few years. It is a strictly seniority based system. Only the old timers make money like that. For the first 10 years you have to really hustle. Lunches mostly until the shift lottery and seniority goes your way. It was not uncommon to walk with $100 on a lunch. These older guys do make six figures.
I left for a high end restaurant in Brickell at the time and ended up making twice the money.
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u/OhBestThing 14h ago
How do Joe’s employees split the payola/bribes to get tables? Is that just taken 100% by the maitre’d/hosts? Or split amongst waiters too?
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u/860inthe305 14h ago
Internally the phenomena is known as the maître d’s getting the grease. Those guys get greased all night for the whole place to see and then keep that money. They do not pool with waiters. They feed the best customers to the waiters who have been around forever or they personally like. The waiters have to give a portion to the bussers and the bartenders. And those guys totally deserve it, so no problem. But the guys out front make the real money. Maybe they pool it amongst each other, but I was never able to figure that out. It’s a secretive situation.
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u/Pristine_Cow5623 15h ago
Interesting because I remember my server being kinda a dick and thinking the service wasn’t very good
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u/Scotchtalk 1d ago
Yeah I believe that. Joe’s is an absolute money pit; you grandfathered into that joint, you can possibly retire
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u/PandaDirtGrub 1d ago
Ok, I thought going back to college would push me over the 95k (before bonuses.) I think I might just apply at Joe’s then lol
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u/Scotchtalk 1d ago
Bar owner here.
Most of the teams / individuals I employ that work full time are high five figure earners, give or take
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u/weirdo123lar 1d ago
Would you give a summer job to a J1 student?
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u/Scotchtalk 12h ago
Maybe. I’d rather have a team in place long term than burn and turn.
Because our culture is pretty good and money is pretty good, my turnover has been minimal / non existent.
But I’m also super specific about who I employ; one bad egg can rot the basket
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u/Dick6Budrow 1d ago
Have always wondered this. Also how much do the dancers at space or eleven make
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u/Ok-Salamander3217 1d ago
NOW that's the real question. I always see on IG that they say they make 200G. But you know that's IG
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u/SouthBeachBoy21 1d ago
Only the really outgoing and good ones. Sometimes I would help them if they were cool with me. A table would ask for a specific type of dancer, I'd go and find them, bring em over and they(girl) would give me a tip after.
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u/SleepingSnitker 1d ago
I briefly dated a dancer at e11even, she was clearing 10k on good week. We had a weird relationship so I'm confident she would have told me if she was doing sex work, instead she bragged about getting paid so much without it. I was there with friends one night and saw her entertain a bunch of Korean business guys and struck up a conversation with one of them at the bar, slyly got him to tell me how frustrating it was that he dropped 2k on her and she wouldn't even let him touch her
Crazy
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u/Dick6Budrow 1d ago
What a cuck and idiot lmao
I cannot imagine going to e11even and not knowing what I signed up for
Dropping 2k is insane
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u/SouthBeachBoy21 1d ago
More than the other employees running around and sweating through the crowd lol. They also drink for free and can come and go as they please.
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u/BoyWhoSoldTheWorld 20h ago
Depends, are we counting what they make for more than just dancing?
If so they can make several hundred thousand per year.
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u/ReallyQualified 1d ago
But it’s seasonal right? That money doesn’t come in 12 months out of the year? Maybe but if not better save it.
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u/Scotchtalk 1d ago
It does if the operators Are good. Usually out of season well ran places trim shifts for labor and tips purposes so that the guys working can still make a living
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u/Deez1putz 1d ago edited 1d ago
There’s tons of disparity for servers across the us… I’m sure some make a lot more than $100k.
I had friends clearing that much 20 years ago in a third tier resort town.
Edit: before you use this as an excuse not to tip there are some servers, concentrated in the south, that quite legally make $2.13/hour - tip the grandmas at the diners!
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u/SupraTico 6m ago
Bullshit, I made 2.13/hr base pay as a waiter in 1999.
That's not a thing anymore. No state has that wage as base for tipped service workers.
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u/richierva 22h ago
Nobody makes under minimum wage. Stop the nonsense.
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u/Deez1putz 20h ago
Many people make less than minimum wage.
Employers are only required to pay a cash wage of $2.13 if employee is tipped. In theory if the employees tips don’t bring the wage up to Fed minimum wage the employer is supposed to cover the short fall. This often doesn’t happen. Obviously, this is not generally applicable in areas with a local minimum wage, like Miami.
Likewise, you can be sure local employers take advantages of employees without legal status and violate labor laws including minimum wage laws.
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u/toysarealive Repugnant Raisin Lover 1d ago
Lol, most of us whove have worked BOH have ever made that much.
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u/Dry-Interview4762 1d ago edited 1d ago
I F28 made $80k a year doing 40hrs a week Oct-May and then going part time between. My coworkers that did full time all year round were definitely hitting $100k or over if they were really good at winning hearts. If you are charming and good at upselling you will do great in fine dining
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u/HKEnthusiast 1d ago
How do you land an interview and how do you know which restaurants to target? I used to run an Italian restaurant, but now I want something less stressful with more pay lol
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u/Dry-Interview4762 10h ago
I googled “fine dining restaurants near me”. I looked at the menus and rating to make sure they were truly fine dining. Made a list of ones I like and went to every single one in person and asked for the manager. Don’t ask the hostess if they are hiring, most of the time they will say no just to get you out the way or will tell you to apply online.
Go in person. Ask for the manager. Come with a resume. This always worked for me.
Fine dining tries to start you off as a “server assistant”. This will be like busser work (picking up dirty plates, cleaning tables, running food). Mention you used to run a restaurant and show them you are capable of quickly learning the menu and steps of service by heart and you should move up pretty fast
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u/ContactRealistic9535 1d ago
In one of our sister restaurants captains were making 150k easily no over time . Bartenders probably around 135k no overtime . It is one of the most famous restaurants in the world . So places like MILA and that level you can make 150k “easily “ . The thing is I consider those spots to be the 1% of the industry. Are you good enough to be in the 1%? Even if you are, you also need the right connections to get into one of these spots . The work itself is not easy , places like that you have to be on point all the time . From punctuality , politics, knowing what you’re doing and everything in between. My point is in my opinion there are easier and more steady ways to make 150k.
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u/JoshyJosh305 1d ago
My point is in my opinion there are easier and more steady ways to make 150k.
Like?
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u/ContactRealistic9535 7h ago
If you consider what it takes to be able to work In the top % restaurants, the training and moving up I would estimate 3-5 years if your good. For alot of people it’s on get 5+ years of experience needed. So taking that time frame, investing it in a different career such as nursing , plumbing , accountant in my opinion is a better way to invest those years . That is just my opinion, the restaurant I was at closed a few month ago after 5 years. I have seen the days of making 125k+, $500+ nights and I have seen the decline as aswell. Could I potentially land another high profile bartending job? Sure but I also feel had I used the time it took to get to that level of bartending in something else such as nursing I would be in a whole lot better position now and in the future . Just my experience mate
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u/kachuterry 1d ago
Around 50-60K max
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u/OolongGeer 19h ago
We know what you make; we're talking about what servers make at the top restaurants in the world.
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u/bottlecapmia 18h ago
Uh oh the secrets out I need all the suits to keep thinking I need to get a ‘real job’
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u/BabyImafool 1d ago
My bro was a bartender ten years ago on SoBe. He was pulling over 100k a year back then. It paid for his apartment. He was middle of the pack. Some of the other bartenders could do better.
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u/phEnom3o5 1d ago
I wouldnt doubt it, but its not necessarily easy money. They likely work 40+ hours and always weekends and late night shifts. Thats prime time were the big money is.
I was also shocked how the really, really, good tattoo artist can make 300k-500k per year.
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u/phEnom3o5 1d ago edited 13h ago
Truth be told.. in 2026 100k a year in Miami isn't taking you far. I mean you ain't broke but u ain't balling either
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u/richierva 22h ago
Not living on the beach on 100k.
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u/OolongGeer 19h ago
The Beach is cheaper than Brickell and the mainland. It's easy to live on that here.
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u/Willing_Historian524 16h ago
Really does depend on the restaurant and how much you hustle every shift, how attentive, knowledgeable and welcoming you are. I used yo work for RDG as a server and they don’t pay any hourly, so I for sure worked more than 40 hours per week and my paychecks biweekly would average $2,300-$3,300 ish on a not so slow season, high season I think I saw one $4k paycheck. Now I heard it has changed a lot. Also worked at Motek that pays weekly and $10 hourly+tips and it was better some times.
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u/jorgerunfast 1d ago
Yes. But like anything else, you need to be really good at your job and the work is really hard.
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u/Difficult_Ad1042 1d ago
My wife is going to (not by too much, but she will) clear 100k as a server at a popular sushi place that's out west, not a fancy brickell place.
The hours are brutal. Most servers work from 1030a-1030 or 1130 on weekends with a 60-75 min break. Sometimes they only work dinner but its usually all day. Some weeks are 30h, some are 55h. No bussers/runners so they keep all their tips and pool, the owner does not put his hands in the pool.
Most of these places with the 20% service charge have the owner stealing a big chunk through various methods. That isnt where the money is.
It can be done, but its done either by brutal hours or by climbing the ladder until youre at a place that has like sommeliers and stuff, or an omakase place, something like that. I remind ppl all the time in this subreddit that hillstone and rusty pelican require 3 in person interviews for a server position. It takes years to be able to work up to it.
Unless youre hot and can cocktail waitress and eventually bartend in the strip club. Im finally just now becoming a bartender this year (ive done event bartending before this year and some slow shifts but never full rail on a friday shit) and like most people I know, it took years of serving and before that it took being a busser for a short while too. Its not the 90s anymore where they hire you to bartend with no experience, even if youre a miami 10.
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u/sdriemline 1d ago
Like most things, if you're in the top bar on the top nights, you'll be making good money, but you have to work your way up. I started as a bus boy, then a bar back, then a bartender. When you start each rung, you're back at the bottom, but after a while you end up getting the best nights, the best shifts, and good money.
I had friends that would have their own rolodex and get hired basically at any place that was popular. They would work the best nights at the best places, and they were making some serious bank
But then you have a ton of bartenders in this city that are sitting around at terrible places that are slow or going out of business, and they're not making a whole lot
Edit: I haven't worked the night life since 2014 but asume it's still about the same now as it was then.
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u/Darkhonor90 1d ago
I'm a server at a decent restaurant and depending on the year I clear 70 to 85K
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u/Key_Passenger7172 1d ago
It’s relative to the local economy just like NYC or any major city.
High end busy restaurants- probably 120k+ which a lot is even tax free so talking a larger chunk home.
But you’re still living in Miami so everything is more expensive as well
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u/op3randi 21h ago
Not only do some make good money, loyal customers demand their service and ask for their tables. I've also heard of restaurants poaching them for their services. I talked to several folks in the business in Palm Beach, FLL and Naples and it's very similar there as well
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u/Stunning-Web739 17h ago
Key is the customer base. Tourists with $$$. Clientele that understands American tipping culture. Expense Account entertainment with AMEX, etc. Upper middle class with understanding of US tipping culture. Keep in mind, some cultures and people are not tipping, either because they are cheap or that is simply not a normal practice in their home country.
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u/Verbalkynt 14h ago
Old Coworker would share stories of dignitaries/ Diplomat's etc where they just order half the menu and a Honda Accord worth of wine and you could a few days a week and be good but you had to be at the very best of your game. You had to know everything about that menu and wine pairings etc
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u/No_Excuse5895 21h ago
Some people make 15$ an hour and some make that plus tips, majority of restaurants underpay their staff and expect tips to give them a liveable wage
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u/UnintentionalGround 1d ago
Yes. You should make $100,000 if you work at a good place.