Wine-Chocolate Pairings: Hitting the Sweet Spot

February 5, 2014/in Wine /by Josh Saunders

The concept of pairing wine and chocolate together is a popular one. Considering that the fermentation process of wine involves essentially the same substance that’s involved in processing cocoa beans to produce chocolate, it’s no surprise that the idea of pairing the two items together appeals to people at such an instinctive level. However, anyone who’s been to a handful of weddings – where chocolate cake is often served around the same time as champagne – also knows that not just any type of alcoholic beverage is a good match with chocolate, and the wrong combination can leave a lot to be desired. Read more

“Beer Cocktail”: Oxymoron? Or Overlooked Classic with Crossover Potential?

February 5, 2014/3 Comments/in Beer /by Josh Saunders

Say the two words together, consecutively – “beer cocktail” – and some people might look at you like you have two heads. However, certain beer cocktails, whether explicitly labeled as such or not, have been popular for years. What’s more, the trend for developing new types of beer cocktails – increasingly popular everywhere from the United States to as far away as Australia – may be a profitable opportunity that bar owners and managers would be remiss to ignore in 2014.

Romantic Dessert and Wine Pairings for Valentines Day

February 3, 2014/in Tips & Tricks, Wine /by Hilary

Valentines Day is the sweetest of holidays, but for the restaurant business, it’s also one of the most competitive. The best way to get couples into your restaurant this year is to celebrate the pairing of couples with the pairing of romantic desserts and wine. We’re sure you’ve already decided on your Valentines menu offerings, so we’re spreading the love by giving you four dessert and wine pairings you can use on your menu. Lavender, honey, figs and basil will bring love to your menu, and pairing them effectively will make your customers fall in love all over again–this time with your restaurant. The weather may be cold (and with that polar vortex it’s getting colder every day), but the inside of your restaurant will heat up when you serve these fun Valentines Day aphrodisiac dessert and wine pairings. Read more

Wine Flights: Welcome Aboard!

January 31, 2014/in Tips & Tricks, Wine /by Josh Saunders

If it seems like moving your wine inventory is a tricky business, you are not alone – but there’s good news: offering wine flights is not only a great way of addressing much of what’s challenging in balancing the contents of your wine cellar, but many patrons love the idea in and of itself. Offering flights of wine is an obvious draw for customers who are interested in wine-tasting – or for those who simply want to learn more. One might even assume, therefore, that the popularity of wine-tasting is how flights first got their start. Actually, however, the concept was invented in the first place with the aim of using faster-moving menu items (in this case, servings of alcohol) with slower-moving items: several strange dessert items that no one seemed interested in ordering – until an inventive restaurant worker suddenly got the idea to get patrons interested in those misfit desserts by selling them with a glass of wine. Read more

5 Sexy Drinks to Add to Your Restaurant’s Valentine’s Day Menus

January 30, 2014/in Cocktails, Spirits /by Hilary

Are you tired of offering the same tired Valentine’s Day champagne cocktails year after year? Here are 5 mixed drink ideas with sexy themes that you can use to mix up your digital wine and spirits menus this year, courtesy of talented mixologists from all over the US. Cheers to your restaurant’s success on Valentine’s Day! Read more

Myths Debunked: 10 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Use iPad Menus

January 27, 2014/1 Comment/in Industry Trends, Technology /by Josh Saunders

10 reasons you shouldn’t use iPad menus in your restaurant

The myths debunked…

Responding to Comments on Yelp? The Reviews are Mixed

January 26, 2014/in Dining Out, News & Information /by Josh Saunders

In the age of the smart phone, we’ve come to expect to be able to get a message out to anyone at any time – and perhaps even get an immediate response. Some would even say this principle of instant communication has begun to apply to reviews on Yelp.com; if a customer can post a review before he or she even pays the bill, some would even go as far as to argue that the owner (or another member of the bar or restaurant staff) could, in theory, just as easily read and reply to that review within the hour. If the situation is really that dire for business owners, of course, then running a restaurant just got a lot more difficult – unless owners and managers are willing to hire someone whose sole responsibility is to handle such matters – and, so, of course there are companies that offer exactly that service. Read more

These wines might be at your expensive wine dinner

Hosting Wine Dinners in Your Restaurant

January 24, 2014/in Dining Out, Tips & Tricks, Wine /by Hilary

Do your customers come in and order the second least expensive item on your wine menu again and again? It might mean that they just like your second least expensive wine offering, or it might mean that they don’t feel confident in their wine ordering abilities to upgrade their order. Of course, a digital wine menu can help to educate and inspire your customers’ ordering habits, but here’s something you may not have thought of: hosting a wine dinner. Hosting a wine dinner at your restaurant can be a great boost for your restaurant business during the slow season, and if you set it up right, you can get not only build new regular customers, you can also get those regulars ordering expensive wines with their meals. Here is the step-by-step guide to hosting your restaurant’s wine dinner. Read more

Discover the Next Mexican Beer Star for Your Restaurant

January 23, 2014/in Beer /by Hilary

Mexicans have been fermenting grains to make beer since at least the time of the Aztecs, and since Europeans first ventured to the New World, Mexican beer brewing has only expanded. Today, Mexico’s beer market is dominated by the “Big Two” corporations that supply over 90% of the beer in Mexico, so if you’re considering adding Mexican beer to your restaurant menu (or just adding more variety), you’ll need to know what beers they sell.

Restaurants Harvesting the Benefits of Rooftop Farming

January 22, 2014/in Industry Trends /by Josh Saunders

The farm-to-table movement has gained great popularity in the restaurant industry in recent years. An increasing number of patrons today are willing and eager to pay a premium for ingredients that they know to be incredibly fresh. They are also willing to pay more for ingredients that have traveled a short distance from local farmland, thus resulting in meals that have been prepared in a manner that is more environmentally responsible. But what if that farmland were as nearby as the restaurant’s roof or back yard? Forget mere rooftop gardening; restaurants today are planting what they’ve come to call rooftop farms, and these “farms” can yield, on a small scale, organic produce used in a whole variety of creative ways throughout the menu. Read more