May 10, 2021
From left to right: Mia Van de Water, MS (photo courtesy of Mia Van de Water), Alisha Blackwell-Calvert (photo courtesy of Alisha Blackwell-Calvert), and Bobby Stuckey, MS (photo by Mike Thurk).
As recently as January, the outlook for restaurants seemed bleak. While this impacted all restaurant jobs, it was particularly dismal for the sommelier—a position that is not universal across restaurants and is often considered expendable when operators are forced to reduce labor costs.
Yet as summer approaches, the situation is far more optimistic. Restaurants have reopened in every state, and in many major markets, new sommelier job openings are posted daily.