One of my coaching clients recently asked me, “What exactly is a beverage program?” Many of you may be wondering the same thing. Is it a spirits and cocktail list? Is it batching syrups? Is it hiring a beverage director?
Developing a great beverage program for your restaurant is more than just writing a great wine, cocktail, and beer list. More than the other things listed above. There are so many other things that impact your beverage success.
I have created hundreds of beverage programs for myself and my clients. I’ve always taken a very well thought out approach to looking at the entire scope of creating a beverage program. Your beverage program decisions should be methodical and cerebral for the greatest success.
What are the features of a beverage program?
When I am talking about creating a beverage program, I am referring to the entire package. This includes:
1.The People
Have we hired the right people that can execute the program? Who ultimately is responsible to lead the program? Who are the support people and what are their roles?
2. The Product
What categories are we going to have: wine, beer, cocktails, spirits? How will those categories be broken down: styles, varietals, or regions for wine? Craft, draft, cans, local, imports, ciders? Craft, Tiki, or quick cocktails for the masses? Liquor list emphasizing bourbon, whiskey, rum, tequila, or gin? Does your product fit your brand?
3. The Processes
Ask yourself a series of questions: Are you batching syrups and other product? If so, who is assigned to that? When is it done? What is the shelf life? How are you tracking when it was made? Who orders the alcohol? Who receives it? Who does inventory? How often is it done? What about training? What does your training program look like? Do you have new employees intern as the ones batching to help them learn how to balance acid and sugar? Do you use jiggers? Are your bartenders making drinks in front of the guest as a show? What does your service and hospitality look like? Do you have happy hour or other special events like wine dinners and spirits tastings? Who creates the list? Is it a collaboration of your bar manager and bartenders?
4. Profit
Are your products costed out and priced to make you money? Is pricing competitive with the market? Are you looking to buy deals whenever you can? What products are you using in your well? Happy hour?
When I was the General Manager for Acme Feed and Seed, my team and I implemented one of the best beverage programs in Nashville, and we gained national recognition. We were featured in multiple national publications and were nominated for the Tales of The Cocktail Spirited Awards.
This took me creating the vision, implementing the program, and getting the entire team on board. We created an extension of our casual brand with a second floor bar dedicated to elevated cocktails, a phenomenal bourbon list, staff education that included field trips to distilleries to pick private barrels, and online and live training from Pernod Ricard's Bar Smarts online training and Diageo’s World Class live trainings as well as my own training sessions.
When creating your beverage program here are 10 final things to consider
- What is your brand/concept and how does your beverage program support your brand/concept and food?
- Does your list represent your brand both in selection and price point?
- Does your beverage list reflect the desires of your current customer?
- Does your beverage list attract the ideal customer you desire?
- Are your beverage costs in line for profitability?
- Is your beverage list well rounded?
- Are you properly training and educating your team so that they can put more money in their pocket and profit in your restaurant?
- Do you follow up on product quality?
- Do you encourage up-selling to enhance the guest experience?
- Are you properly marketing outside your four walls with public wine dinners, bourbon tastings, etc.?
Monte Silva is the owner of Monte Silva Coaching, where he helps restaurant owners scale their growth, maximize their profitability, build great systems and teams, and maintain work-life balance. With over 25 years of hospitality leadership experience, he has a proven track record of developing and managing successful and profitable multi-venue restaurant operations, overseeing financials, building culture, and running day-to-day operations. To book a free call to discuss how working with Silva as a coach can really elevate your beverage program to a level that will catapult your restaurant’s success, click here.
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