What the Wine Man Is Doing…
June 13, 2011
Hi again everyone! It has been quite a while since I have had time to write my blog articles for you. About 6 months ago I accepted a position of Sr. Buyer Food and Beverage for the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. The grand Ol’ Gal had been closed for a major restoration from the floods that ravaged Nashville in May of 2010. It re-opened again in 6 shorts months, wonderfully restored and improved. She really is a Grand Hotel!
We have been extremely busy right from the opening and still have not slowed down. It’s great! The Gaylord Opryland Hotel is one of the largest Hotel and Convention Centers in America. Outside of Vegas there are few that compare in stature and sheer size. If you ever get a chance to visit Nashville come and stay with us. It really is beautiful!
As part of my assignment, I have the responsibility to buy all the Liquor, Beer and Wine (food too!) for the Hotel and all the attractions including The General Jackson Showboat, the Gaylord Springs Golf Club, and the Grand ol’ Opry amongst others. Needless to say that’s a lot of buying. That brings me to my topic for the day. Purchasing.
Wine purchasing especially in large volume can be difficult and a daunting task. Dropping large orders in scale to overall business levels, can be intimidating. It demands a well thought out and strategic plan. You spent a lot of time developing a wine list that you believe showcases your restaurant and its food. You need to spend time working out your plan for purchasing and stocking that wine cellar. The key points you need to consider are:
- Budget- Yes it does really come down to the dollars and cents of it all. Putting together a strong list does cost money, especially with today’s overinflated wine costs. Be sure to put enough money into the program to sustain periods of slow business. Taylor your expenditures to your programs concept and focus. Knowing that your list is strong in California Cabs but maybe a little weak in lower cost Zinfandels give you maneuvering room to shift some menu slots to the lower cost, high profit % wines.
- Take Advantage of Vendor Programs- In an economy where every penny counts, push your vendors for accessibility to their volume wine programs. See what programs are available and plan your volume purchases and your features around high profit deals that are offered. The laws on programming wines are different in every state. Get to know what you can ask for. Sometimes there are monies available right from the producers, or free goods. It could be something as small as server incentives to big things like buy 1 get 1.
- Never assume your vendor will tell you everything that is out there. Your vendor is usually a savvy business veteran too. He’s not going to give up the ship every time you ask. Get to know your brokers too and ask them for program information. You’d be surprised how much is out there for the taking.
- ASK! You never know what’s out there until you ask!
The bottom line to purchasing is planning. Put your plan together and follow it. It may make you nervous spending dollars now for future sales but in the end it is usually worth it. Just be realistic. If you sell 2 cases a week in wine you are not going to be eligible for the same programs as some of your competitors. Nor will you be able to take advantage of them if you were.
So, if your ever passing through Tennessee or just looking for a place to spend some quality time for R&R, stop on by and visit us in Nashville and the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. We’d love to show you why we think you’ll fall in love with this town!
The Right Wines Increase Wine Sales
October 19, 2010
I may have written about this before so stop me if I sound familiar. I recently took some time off my writing schedule to open a new restaurant in Florida
. It’s a nice place but really more of a pub then a restaurant.
The food menu is chock full of standard pub fare, the bar is fully stocked and we do quite a bit of promoting for music and such. Things are going well, all be it a bit slower than I would prefer.
One of the owners is wine savvy and would like to see us expand our wine listing to more than just a house wine and feature card. He believes that a bigger wine list will help attract wine lovers to the pub and sites many of his friends as the reason. While I am usually happy to oblige, in this case I believe it would be over kill. Here is why.
As I have said we are a pub, Irish at that. We cater to the local shot and beer guys, happy hour crowds and draw from the local colleges for late night traffic. This is not normally, a wine appreciative group. While I admit, we do get the occasional wine drinker who may feel slighted, I fear that the moderate sales we are showing within that category are not a reflection of the choices but lack of interest from our base.
This is when you need to use your head. While I love wine and everything that is wine, I had to recognize that this place may not be a wine establishment. Don’t let pride or ego get in the way. Make the decisions that will help make you place more profitable. Having 5 opened bottles of wine for your glass pours is ok, but not if your selling 1 or 2 glasses per night. Waste is a terrible thing (someone else once said that).
Anyways, I have been asked again by the owner so I think it is time we sat down and talked about it. I will stick to my guns and until I see the traffic that will support a progressive glass pour program I will continue
PS Just in case I have a couple of boxes full of wine at home, for just such an emergency! LOL!
Wine Successes When Dealing with Wine Purveyors
April 30, 2010
When dealing with wine purveyors, it is best to keep these wine thoughts in mind.
First, that you tell the wine sales person exactly what your goals are in your wine list. Food and wine pairing should be analyzed by the supplier. Every wine list should be set up such that you are hitting a varietal at a certain price point. This wine information should be known by the purveyor before presenting a concise array of wines to taste.
Second, you should always taste on the same day of the week. This provides consistency and show dominance in the relationship between yourself and the purveyor.
As the wine manager you should never make a choice on the day you taste. Impulse buying based on post-offs, or last minute deal can kill a wine list. Remember that a well constructed wine list is thought out over time.
It is suggested that you deal with 3-4 wine purveyors so you have a balance in wine list. This keeps all the wine companies giving you the best deals and the flexibility of not being shorted by out of stock wines.
Talk with all of your wine companies to come in and give your staff additional wine training and wine tastings on a quarterly basis.
Ask for Data sheets about a wine. They are a helpful wine tools that you your purveyor can provide for your servers.
Ask for wine marketing material to promote wine on your tables or special boards in your restaurant.
In conclusion, it is worth the effort to dedicate a person to have good solid relationship with the wine suppliers. The investment of taking the time to gain their wine knowledge and for wine tools will increase wine sales.
This article is written by Dustin, a new writer that has joined Grow Your Wine Sales.
