Cocktail culture is alive and well. It just looks a little different these days. Industry insiders have come up with creative ways to engage patrons and attract new ones. Many of those ways are here to stay.
Here are top trends the pros at Barfly® Mixology Gear are tracking in 2021:
SAFETY FIRST:
Increased adoption of contactless technology such as QR codes for menus and cashless payment systems are eliminating potential germ-spreading touchpoints. Businesses will continue efforts to make patrons feel comfortable with safety protocols that are clear, transparent and intuitive to use.
SUBSCRIPTION BOXES:
Pre-packaged cocktail kits are big business, and bars are getting in the act. They’re curating boxes of their specialty mixes and branded merchandise for customers’ Zoom happy hours, corporate team-building exercises, and nonprofit fundraising events.
COCKTAIL TUTORIALS:
Mixologists are expanding their roles, emerging from the bar’s dimmed lights to the video screen. YouTube, social media as well as video conferencing platforms have been a boon for cocktail-making workshops. The trend will only continue as bars augment digital workshops with live in-person classes.
TO-GO DRINKS:
If the pandemic taught the industry anything it’s that ‘bellying up to the bar’
may actually be the bar at home. Takeout cocktail menus are on the upswing. Mixologists are batching their signature cocktails for off-premise alcohol sales and discovering yet another profitable service extension.
SOCIAL ZONES:
Establishments are taking more thoughtful approaches to both indoor and outdoor spaces. They’re being creative in alfresco design, whether it’s remodeling a rooftop or carving out square footage in an alley. Weather is also becoming less of a barrier. In colder climates, businesses are turning their spaces into outdoor winter destinations, some even adopting a BYOB model: bring your own blanket.
BRANDED MERCHANDISE:
Logo-imprinted T-shirts have been the extent of merchandising efforts for many bars and taverns. But proprietors are upping their game by offering more sophisticated branded merch. The mainstay T-shirt is being augmented and upgraded. Branded barware tools are also being added to the mix. Turns out customers like showing support for their favorite hangouts, making the trend not only another revenue-generator but a way to build loyalty and community.
Ask industry insiders and they’ll tell you business is rebounding. “We’re starting to feel the buzz on the Las Vegas Strip,” says Joe Stafford, Vice President at State Restaurant Equipment. In June, the newest casino to hit the Strip in over a decade opens, Resorts World Las Vegas, with a next-generation approach to public safety. The pandemic ushered in a new kind of Roaring Twenties. For the foodservice industry, 2021 is a reset, a refresh, an opportunity for reinvention that can establish a new model of success for 2022 and beyond. ∎