We’ve recently released two new requested features for Uncorkd. The first is the ability to toggle on and off trailing decimals in prices. The second is the ability to track customer selections and export them. The updates have been made in the software automatically, no app update is necessary. Read more
Every Friday Uncorkd compiles the most recent restaurant and beverage industry stories that had us talking. Here is the can’t miss news from March 12th – 18th. Read more
iPad wine and beverage menus are becoming more and more popular as restaurants learn about the benefits of the technology. Not only do the digital menus provide a significant ROI by increasing sales, they also provide a number of other benefits, from improved staff training to saving time updating menus.
A lot of restaurants offer drinks. What makes you different? Is it the fact that you have a wine list filled with $200+ bottles? Is it that you offer 458 types of craft beer… or that all your drinks are straight from Japan? These key differentiators make your restaurant stand out, but unless you show off your differences, your customers will never know what you have to offer. What you need is a signature drink. Read more
A lot of my tips revolve around training your servers or bartenders to memorize information and repeat it back when needed, or to ask key questions at opportune moments. Sometimes though, words just get to be too much. Here’s a tip to increase your drink sales without having to say a single word. Read more
I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I’ve got to tell you: you’re missing out on sales. Sure, your bar is selling enough beer and wine, and man, your cocktail sales are killer. But why aren’t you selling sake? Many bars don’t feel confident in selling this super-premium beverage because they don’t think they know enough to advise a customer—or to stock their own bar. All that’s about to change though, because here are the three things you and your servers need to be saying to get your sake sales going.
Popular discounting methods such as offering coupons, putting your bar on Groupon or Living Social, or taking part in an annual coupon book can seem like a great way to get more customers in the door and increase sales, but frequently lowered prices just serve to lower the value of your restaurant in your community. Here’s the main reason why you might want to think twice about discounting your drinks or food–as well as an idea that’ll help you think of something else you can do.
Customer service isn’t just about providing a great product at a great price (with a smile), it’s also about who you hire. In marketing, the initial contact between your bar customer and your bartender or server is called “the moment of truth,” and your guest’s memory of that moment serves as the best indicator of the likelihood that they’ll come back again. This post is a paean to the greatest bar service EVER, and I want you to think about how you can get your servers or bartenders to increase their customer service offerings to make your bar stand out. Read more
Austin Restaurant Week is finally here! This twice-yearly event happens in the spring and fall, and the springtime event will be Sundays through Wednesdays, May 11-14 and 18-21. This year’s prix-fixe menus include $12-$17 for two-course lunches (though, I admit, I didn’t see any $12 lunches on the site), $17 brunch, and $27-$37 for three-course dinners.
Austinites like to do everything different, including Restaurant Week, so not only does this fine week of eating boast its own app, it also is primarily a fundraiser for Meals on Wheels and More, a service that cares for home-bound older adults. In the five years that Austin Restaurant Week has been running, the event has managed to raise over $72,000, so keep the trend going and eat heartily: for every meal you purchase, $2 will be donated to Meals on Wheels and More.
Not sure where to eat? Here are my 6 top picks. Read more
Sure, you had a lot of great ideas when you started your bar–but it can be tough to balance your need for a profitable bar with your need to be original and true to your startup ideas. Perhaps over the years your “great ideas” have become “silly ideas,” and you’ve started falling into a lot of the traps that slowly kill bars. Take a good look at this list, and then take a good, hard look at your bar at both peak operating hours, and during your lulls. Are you doing any of the 25 things that are sure to make your bar a failure? Read more