Day in life of Vegas cocktail waitress

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It's sexy and lucrative but not easy

Matt Finn shows us how Vegas cocktail waitresses can make $100,000 a year by doing their job right

Casino cocktail waitresses are as much a tourism attraction in Las Vegas as the city itself.

Known for their skimpy outfits and bubbly table-side manner, their performance is key to keeping visitors coming back for more.

So what's it like working at Sin City's top night spots night after night?

"We all have to wear heels which are not that comfortable,” said waitress Andrea Preston, who works at Champagne lounge Fizz Las Vegas, a 2,750 square-foot, upscale champagne bar inside Caesar’s Palace. “So, five-inch stilettos, you have a lot of ground to cover, taking orders and dealing with multiple guests."

Serving hundreds of drinks in high heels and tight outfits may not be easy, but Preston says there are lots of  glamorous aspects to her job.

"It's an experience,” she said. “They're not just going to Applebee's and ordering a cocktail. They're going to Fizz."

Fizz, designed by David Furnish, partner of Sir Elton John, specializes in fine Champagnes and crafted cocktails, and is decorated with exquisite chandeliers and fine art.  Drinks sell for about $18 a pop and bottle service can cost hundreds of dollars.

Preston, who is in her late twenties, is tall and slender and could be mistaken for a model.  Every night she dons her uniform, which consists of a little black dress, black stockings and heels.

Fizz servers don’t have specific weight or height requirements, but being good looking increases your chances of landing a job.  Servers must keep the look they have on the day of hire --and that includes the makeup.

"It's a very sophisticated, classy lounge,” Preston said. “So they don't want you too much. Maybe light on the eyes a little pop on the lips."

But perhaps the biggest draw of the job is the money.  Cocktail waitresses at Fizz can earn as much as $100,000 a year.  According to the Culinary Union, which represents most cocktail waitresses in Vegas, the average union server on The Strip makes $21 per-hour, including benefits like health care, placing them among the nation's highest-paid service workers in the U.S.

Preston said she takes pride in her work and tries to make customers happy.

“I always ask them how the service was, how the cocktails were. I always ask for feedback so I know how to improve myself the next time,” Preston said.

Mingling with guests is part of the job, even if it means cozying up a little. Preston will sit with her guests, but keeps them at arms-length.
 
"I definitely am strong in my faith as a Christian woman. And, you know, there's boundaries and I think that the way I carry myself as I am cocktail server, a lot of guests don't cross that boundary,” Preston said.

She says she's saving her Fizz tips to pay for her upcoming wedding and to eventually start a home business selling organic supplements and beauty products.

"It's definitely not just a job,” Preston said. “I take pride in what I do and I think I speak for everyone here as well."