Have your wine sales been lagging? That’s a clear sign you should change your wine sales strategy in 2015. America’s Millennials are a wine-loving crowd, and if you’re marketing and selling your wines properly, your sales should be through the roof. After all, 81% of wine drinkers agree that wine is not just for special occasions anymore.
But what should you do if your wine sales are in a slump? How can you tell what will bring in the business? I have great news for you. Determining what to sell to wine drinkers under 40 is no longer a guessing game. This is because E. & J. Gallo Winery, the winery that sells Apothic, Columbia, Barefoot, and New Amsterdam spirits (and, of course, Gallo), has commissioned a new study about wine trends. They surveyed 1,001 frequent wine drinkers between the ages of 25-64 in the US, and they’ve now published their findings. But what good is a list of trends without advice on how to use it? That’s where I come in. Without further ado, here is part one of the top wine trends for 2014—and how to make those trends work for your restaurant. Read more
Top 3 Tips for Restaurant Employee Retention in 2015 (Part 2)
/in Tips & Tricks /by HilaryLet’s face it: restaurant staffing is a pain in the butt. How many times in the last year did you put aside business strategizing to instead focus on dealing with trudging through yet another pile of resumes and applications? Wouldn’t it be great if you could just keep the employees you have, improve their knowledge of your cuisine and operations, and inspire them to improve all the time? Today’s post focuses on the top three ways that you can reduce the time you spend on staffing issues—and increase the time you have to grow your restaurant.
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6 Methods Restaurants Use to Retain Staff (Part 1 of 2)
/in Tips & Tricks /by HilaryDid your restaurant staff have a high turnover rate in 2014? Not only do constantly shifting employees spread your restaurant secrets, the time that you spend advertising, interviewing, and training new servers to replace them is time that you don’t spend growing your restaurant. I’m sure your New Years resolution this year is to improve your restaurant… but how can you do that when you keep having to resolve staff issues? Let 2015 be the year that you stop stressing out about hiring and start building a loyal, dedicated staff that your customers love. Parts 1 and 2 of this article contain the top six tips (in reverse order) that will get you started on the right path for you to retain staff in 2015.
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The 7 Most Bizarre (and Must Try) Picks for Chicago Restaurant Week 2015
/in Dining Out, Restaurant Week /by HilaryIt’s that time of the year again! Chicago Restaurant Week is almost here, and it’s time to make your reservations for the best food Chicago has to offer. Restaurant week spans from January 30-Feb 12 this year, and with over 250 participating restaurants with lunch for $22 and dinner for $33-$44, I hope that you’ll be starting the week hungry.
Because there were so many restaurants and because all the menus were making me drool, I decided to focus this year’s picks on items that were truly bizarre. From the last dinners of people executed in Chicago (!!!) to raw squash and alligator, I present the Uncorkd list of Chicago Restaurant Week 2015 picks. Read more
Add It to Your Menu: Amaro
/in Cocktails, Spirits /by HilaryLooking for a new menu addition? Try amaro. Although bartenders have known about amari (the plural of amaro) for many years, they’ve mostly been keeping the secret to themselves, or using amari solely as drink additives to kick up their cocktails. This means that most of your customers don’t know what this exciting “new” drink is. Here’s everything you need to know to add amaro to your beverage menu.
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8 Top Spirits Predictions for 2015
/in Cocktails, Industry Trends, Spirits /by HilaryIt’s the end of the year, and everyone is making their drink predictions. Last year, I made food predictions, of which one-third came true… which is enough to have merited me the title of a prophet back in the day. While I still think kumquats are due for their time in the spotlight (man, I love those things), I’m ready to get even more right this year with the eight top spirits predictions for 2015. Read more
How to Sell Your Beer for $20 a Pint
/in Beer, Industry Trends /by HilaryIf you’re looking for the next big craft beer trend for your restaurant, you might want to consider increasing your prices. Yes, you read that right, I just said you should increase your prices. Worried your customers will go on strike and your restaurant will be blacklisted on Yelp? Trust me, you’ll be fine—if you’re selling estate beers. Here’s how to increase your beer prices up to $20 a pint, and keep your customers coming back for more.
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Sour Beer: What You Need to Know For Your Restaurant
/in Beer, Industry Trends /by HilaryBeer-barrel sanitization is a thing of the past. For years, breweries have been religiously following the antibacterial mandates set forth by Louis Pasteur—but now some breweries actually welcome bacteria in their beer. Don’t believe me? Obviously you haven’t heard about the new trend of sour beer. Today’s post will get you up to speed on the methods and madnesses of the sour beer movement.
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Wine Resolutions 2015
/in Wine /by EricaWith New Year’s Eve only 2 weeks away, we figured it’s time we set some resolutions for 2015. Rather than stick with the traditional (go to the gym, learn a language, eat more cookies…. wait, what?), we’re proud to present our official Wine Resolutions for 2015.
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How to Profit Off the Top Wine Trends for 2014 (Part 2)
/in Industry Trends, Tips & Tricks, Wine /by HilaryLast week, we posted “How to Profit Off the Top Wine Trends for 2014 (Part 1)“. If you missed the last post, you should read it. It talked about three of the main wine trends for 2014, as reported by a study commissioned by E. & J. Gallo Winery. Gallo promises to make their wine trends study a yearly event, and with their interesting findings and easy-to-read infographics, the study is definitely worth a read for restaurant professionals.
Here are the two last tips to leverage the information in the wine trends survey to increase the profits in your restaurant. (Get items 1-3 here.) Read more
How to Profit Off the Top Wine Trends for 2014 (Part 1)
/in Industry Trends, Wine /by HilaryHave your wine sales been lagging? That’s a clear sign you should change your wine sales strategy in 2015. America’s Millennials are a wine-loving crowd, and if you’re marketing and selling your wines properly, your sales should be through the roof. After all, 81% of wine drinkers agree that wine is not just for special occasions anymore.
But what should you do if your wine sales are in a slump? How can you tell what will bring in the business? I have great news for you. Determining what to sell to wine drinkers under 40 is no longer a guessing game. This is because E. & J. Gallo Winery, the winery that sells Apothic, Columbia, Barefoot, and New Amsterdam spirits (and, of course, Gallo), has commissioned a new study about wine trends. They surveyed 1,001 frequent wine drinkers between the ages of 25-64 in the US, and they’ve now published their findings. But what good is a list of trends without advice on how to use it? That’s where I come in. Without further ado, here is part one of the top wine trends for 2014—and how to make those trends work for your restaurant. Read more