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Restaurant Sommelier job description: This position helps a hospitality employer guide guests through the approved wine program, maintain cellar controls and support responsible, informed beverage service. Use the role-specific hiring tool below to edit responsibilities, customize working conditions, preview the job advertisement and export a personalized description.
Restaurant Sommelier Job Description Builder
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Restaurant Sommelier job description template (copy and customize)
This is a complete starting advertisement for employers. Replace bracketed fields with confirmed vacancy details and remove any responsibilities that do not apply before publishing.
Job title: Restaurant Sommelier
Property/company: [Approved employer name]
Location: [City and state]
Workplace type: Restaurant, hotel fine-dining outlet or licensed beverage venue
Reports to: Restaurant Manager / Head Sommelier / Food & Beverage Manager
Experience: Wine-service and guest-advisory experience matched to the establishment, with applicable certifications where genuinely required
Employment arrangement: [Actual full-time, part-time or other]
Salary: [Employer-approved amount/range and period]
Schedule: [Real shifts and weekly rest]
About the vacancy
We are looking for a Restaurant Sommelier to guide guests through the approved wine program, maintain cellar controls and support responsible, informed beverage service. The successful candidate will work with colleagues to maintain professional standards and support safe, consistent service.
Key responsibilities
- Explain the approved wine list in accessible language without pressuring guests to spend beyond their preferences.
- Recommend wine pairings using actual menu ingredients, guest preferences and available stock.
- Inspect wine presentation, service temperature, glassware and bottle condition using outlet standards.
- Maintain accurate cellar counts, stock rotation, issue records and approved storage conditions.
- Track product availability and communicate list changes to service and culinary teams.
- Assist management with tasting notes, supplier discussions and purchasing recommendations within delegated authority.
- Coach servers on basic wine knowledge, opening protocols and professional tableside communication.
- Follow local licensing, age-verification and responsible alcohol-service requirements where applicable.
- Identify and document damaged bottles, billing disputes and unusual stock variances.
- Respect guests who do not consume alcohol and help identify appropriate non-alcoholic options.
Skills and qualifications
- Practical wine style, grape variety, region and pairing knowledge appropriate to the wine list.
- Confident yet respectful tableside service and guest communication.
- Wine storage, inventory control and POS accuracy.
- Ability to coach restaurant staff and explain beverage information without jargon.
- Knowledge of responsible service and local authorization requirements.
Benefits and working conditions
[State only confirmed leave, meals, accommodation, training, incentives or other benefits actually offered.]
How to apply
[Provide the real online application link or monitored hiring contact, requested information and recruitment steps.]
How this role differs from related hotel and restaurant jobs
Specify actual wine-list breadth, cellar responsibilities, licensing, service standards, certification expectations and purchase authority. An independent Sommelier may differ substantially from a Head Sommelier managing a complete beverage program.
What should be measured after hiring?
Choose outcomes that genuinely match the job, such as accuracy, completion of assigned tasks, documented exceptions, guest communication, safety and appropriate escalation. Set targets using the actual operating volume and available systems instead of inventing universal benchmarks.
Restaurant Sommelier interview questions
- How would you recommend a wine for a guest who provides a flavor preference but no budget?
- What would you do if the bottle requested is no longer available?
- How would you respond professionally when a guest believes a wine is faulty?
- What cellar records would you check after a physical-count discrepancy?
- How do you avoid promoting alcohol to a guest who prefers a non-alcoholic pairing?
Ask each applicant the same job-related core questions. Evaluate the decisions they would take, supporting information they would check and issues they would refer to an authorized supervisor.
Practical hiring assessment
Suggested 45–60-minute exercise: Using a fictional wine list, menu and stock sheet, propose two thoughtful pairings, demonstrate a respectful recommendation conversation, identify a cellar variance and explain the venue's responsible-service escalation. Use fictional business data, identical core instructions, and reasonable accessibility adjustments. Avoid requiring applicants to do unpaid productive work.
100-point hiring scorecard
| Assessment area | Maximum points | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Guest consultation and pairing judgment | 20 | Write down observable evidence |
| Wine presentation and service | 20 | Write down observable evidence |
| Inventory and cellar controls | 20 | Write down observable evidence |
| Responsible-service awareness | 20 | Write down observable evidence |
| Team coaching and communication | 20 | Write down observable evidence |
Two reviewers can independently score the five areas from 0–20, then discuss differences with reference to examples. Record safety-critical requirements before interviewing; a high overall score must not override a serious safety failure.
Example candidate scenario
A guest requests a bottle not in stock while another table raises a concern about a corked wine. Evaluate the ability to communicate clearly, verify bottle quality and preserve guest choice without aggressive upselling.
Employer FAQs
Is this Restaurant Sommelier description ready to publish?
It provides detailed starting language, but employers must complete verified company, location, salary, working hours, qualifications and application details before publishing a real vacancy.
How can the requirements be made fair and realistic?
Separate essential qualifications from abilities that can be developed through training. Keep assessments tied to the actual position and relevant legal requirements.
How should this practical test be used?
Give candidates comparable tasks and clear criteria. Assess job-related evidence rather than confidence or presentation style unless those skills are essential to the role.
Related HorecaHire resources
This is a reusable employer job-description resource, not a live vacancy. Check actual property conditions and any applicable local requirements before posting.
