Restaurant Success by the Numbers by Roger Fields

Author:Roger Fields [Fields, Roger]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-60774-559-4
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Published: 2014-07-15T04:00:00+00:00

Creating a Basic but Good Wine Program

Oscar Val Verde, sommelier and wine consultant

One of the most crucial aspects of a successful wine program is well-trained and informed servers. Bad service is memorable and will be associated with your restaurant even if your food is good. A server is responsible for guiding guests through their meal, and when he or she is not well trained and informed, the dining experience can be tainted and may very well determine if you will have repeat customers. Training and educating your employees about wine service is not that difficult, and the time and effort you put into it will more than pay for itself with happy customers and higher check averages.

If you cannot afford a sommelier to train your staff, talk to your wine representatives; they will be more than willing to train your staff to sell their wines. In addition to teaching your staff about his or her particular brands, a good representative will also be able to teach them the proper etiquette for showing and pouring wines. Once you have a good basic training program in place, hold monthly wine tastings for your staff. During these tastings, describe the regions where the wines come from, then give tastes of chardonnay, for example, from several regions and ask your staff to describe their properties and characteristics. This type of training will help them to answer questions like “what are the differences between this syrah from the Rhône and this one from Paso Robles?” Another good training technique that will equip them to be able to describe your wines knowledgeably and with confidence is to periodically conduct blind tastings with three mystery wines that have a common thread, such as a riesling from Germany, Australia, and California, and ask your staff to describe their properties and characteristics.

The Internet is also a great resource, since most wineries have websites with fact sheets of grape varietals and blends, oak or non-oak, and barrel time. The better educated your service staff is about your wine program, the more they will be able to up sell, which will be good for your bottom line.

When putting together your wine list, try to have an interesting selection with an array of familiar names, including smaller or local producers if you are in a wine-growing region. Get different grape varietals in various styles and price ranges. Above all, select wine that will pair well with your cuisine.

If your concept is casual to upscale, discourage customers from bringing their own wine with a corkage fee. Pricing from wholesale should be between two and a half to three times your costs. More important, some food critics, especially those from prestigious publications, are very knowledgeable about the retail price of wine, and may react unfavorably if they think that you are overcharging. Also, to discourage employee theft and to help keep track of your profit margins, make sure that every bottle is accounted for from the time it arrives in your restaurant. Most restaurant POS systems are equipped with software to help log bottle counts.

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