Easy ways to refresh the look of your restaurant: part two – quality glassware

In our last blog we talked about specialty glassware and its benefits. Now let’s take a peek at the top shelf and see what we can do there. So what is it that a customer expects when ordering top shelf liquor? I can tell you for sure that it isn’t a Dixie cup.

Your choice in glassware can add that final touch to your bar drinks that increase a customer’s enjoyment and keep them coming back for more. For instance, when choosing glassware for beer you’ll want to decide if you would like an increased perceived value in a mug where there appears to be a larger amount of beer due to the way the base is shaped, or would you rather have an hourglass pilsner that allows for a larger head. Restaurant guru tip: always make sure you account for the head when choosing glass size.

When it comes to wine glasses there is not only the visual appeal of the glass to consider but also what type of rim is on the glass. Talk to any wine connoisseur about the importance of the rim on a wine glass and you’ll most likely end up in a conversation about the advantages of a sheered rim glass. A sheered rim won’t make a bad wine taste like top end, but it will make a quality wine taste even better. The sheered rim allows the customer to taste the wine more than they taste the glass and it also directs the wine in a more precise manner toward the correct area of the tongue. Another benefit of a sheered rim is by increasing the amount of oxygen one draws into the mouth, volatilizing the wine and directing the flavor up into the nasal cavity for increased taste perception.

So now that we’ve covered specialty glassware and top quality glassware, let’s talk about storage of your newly expanded glassware selection. You could store them under the bar but that is really counterproductive to what we’ve been trying to accomplish. Perhaps it is time to invest in an over head glass rack so your glasses can still be generating customer interest and conversation even if they aren’t currently in use. Has anyone been to a pub which has a yard glass hanging on the wall behind the bar? How many ales do you think the bar is really selling in that yard glass; probably not many, but I will say for sure that somebody asks about the glass at least once a night.

You can find all of your glassware needs at Serv-U. If you have questions regarding glass size for your beer or if sheered glasses are right for you, feel free to contact us via phone at 800-797-3788 or swing by our website and launch a live chat with one of our customer support staff.

Next time we’re going to move on and start talking about dinnerware, so be sure to check back for the third installment of our series.

Easy ways to refresh the look of your restaurant: part one – specialty glassware

Over the next couple of weeks, we’re going to discuss some simple and cost effective ways to refresh the décor your restaurant while making a conscious effort to increase sales. In this first part in the series we’re going to be discussing specialty bar glassware.

When trying to decide what type of glassware you want to use your bar the “fun factor” has to be part of the consideration. Who wouldn’t want to have a margarita served in an awesome looking cactus glass? A piece of glassware like this serves as conversation starter that draws in and encourages others to take part in the fun. We all know that customers will want to share and experience things that others around them seem to be enjoying and this isn’t just limited to people in the same party. How many times have you heard this while walking the dinning room or bar of your restaurant, “Waiter, what is that person over there having?”

Another good example is a football glass. Imagine that its game day and you’re running a beer special; go that extra mile and serve the beer special in football glass. Now tell me, who is going to want to be the odd man out when everybody around them is drinking out of a football mug? That’s right; nobody.

One simply can not talk about specialty glasses without talking about the martini. Your bar isn’t serving just one type of martini, so why is it serving them all in the same glass? Mix it up a little with different style glasses for different martinis. Someone orders an appletini put it in a z-stem martini glass; lemontini gets a curved martini glass. Have fun with it!

At Serv-U we feature a wide range of specialty glassware that is sure to fit any style. If you have addition questions, feel free to contact us via phone at 800-797-3788 or swing by our website and launch a live chat to speak with one of our customer service professionals.

Be sure to check back for part two of eight in our series: Easy ways to refresh the look of your restaurant: part two – quality glassware

Measured liquor pour: small investment equals large profit

How much money is your bar leaving on the table? For the bar owner, over pouring of liquor with a free flow pour can result in a huge loss in revenue. Today we are going to discuss one low cost change that you can make which has the potential to increase consistency and profit; that change is adding measured pours. Let’s quickly review the numbers pouring from a measured 1 oz shot out of a one liter bottle:

 

price per drink	2 more drinks earn per bottle	2 more drinks earn per case	3 more drinks earn per bottle	3 more drinks earn per case
$2.50	$5.00	$60.00	$7.50	$90.00
$3.00	$6.00	$72.00	$9.00	$108.00
$3.50	$7.00	$84.00	$10.50	$126.00
$4.00	$8.00	$96.00	$12.00	$144.00
$4.50	$9.00	$108.00	$13.50	$162.00
$5.00	$10.00	$120.00	$15.00	$180.00

 

When you reduce over pouring with a measured spout you can increase the number of drinks the bartender can serve by an additional two to four drinks per bottle. Considering the average number of liquor bottles in a bar, the impact using a measured pour spout will have on long term profitability is easy to see.

In addition to the revenue increase, you are increasing the quality of your customer service by ensuring that each customer is treated equally and consistently on every drink. The drinks won’t be too weak one night and too strong the next. This will hold true on busy nights when the staff can’t pay as close of attention as they normally do or on the first night of a new bartender.

 

You can find measured pours at Serv-U in the bar supplies section and are available in a wide range of measurement sizes, colors, and collared & uncollared. If you have addition questions, feel free to contact us via phone at 800-797-3788 or swing by the website and launch a live chat with one of our customer service reps.

Techno in the Kitchen

My beau recently acquired an iPhone, so that means that I’m the proud new owner of his old iTouch. I can’t speak highly enough of both of them so far; they render the web is it’s meant to be seen, and there’s an application for just about anything your heart desires. According to the New York Times, cool apps, web access, and more are even making gadgets like these into a sort of kitchen phenom. At-home cooks and big time chefs alike are taking advantage of recipe websites, grocery list making apps, recipe conversion apps, and more to make their kitchens more organized and their cooking more adventurous.

I, for one, have definitely looked up recipes online through the iPhone and kept it handy to use as a reference while cooking. I’ve also got a grocery list app, and there’s such an abundant foodie community out there with so many ideas, that I’m sometimes convinced to try a recipe I never would’ve sought out on my own. I’ve even purchased a few kitchen gadgets in pursuit of cooking nirvana.

And when I don’t feel like cooking, I’ve got the internet at my fingertips to Google the best local eateries for a meal out. Come to think of it, I use the iTouch more for food than just about anything else! What about other cooks and foodies out there; do you use a mobile device of some kind to help with cooking/finding restaurants? What’s your favorite technology in the kitchen?

Caffeine and Community

If you’re like me, you probably long for the good ol’ days when you stopped for a gourmet coffee every morning on the way to work (sigh).  How about some temporary relief?  According to Businessweek’s site, Starbucks is offering just that—one free coffee for the price of a little volunteerism.  From January 21^st through January 25^th, all you have to do is sign a pledge card to donate five hours of time to a local cause of your choice.  The promotion is set to coincide with the inauguration of Barack Obama as President; part of his campaign platform was a call for more community service.

 

Caffeine and community—I’m thinking it’s a great combination….and it may just lead to increased coffee sales.  (Dare I hope for a report from Starbucks post-promo?)

Aperitif? Non, merci.

Americans aren’t the only diners reigning in their dietary budgets these days…  Incredibly—almost impossibly—so are the French.

 

“It strikes at the cultural heart of Europe, for the French, with their 35-hour weeks and two-hour lunches, have long set the leisurely eating standard to which the rest of the Continent always aspired. It established perspective and showed a respect for human dignity. If it goes, something rather deep will wither in the European soul.”

-Seattlepi.com from The Independent

 

To me, this is fairly unexpected coming from the country that brought us baguettes, an appreciation for fabulous wine, brie and various other stinky cheese delights.  But it seems no one is immune to today’s toughing economy.

 

The strange part of it is that instead of adapting to the new French dining style (no aperitif, no end-of-meal coffee, etc.), some restaurateurs are reacting with indignation.  The aforementioned SeattlePI.com article even says angry restaurateurs have kicked patrons out for refusing to order an aperitif.  The article notes that 3,000 restaurants have gone under in the first six months of this year, and customer visits are down anywhere from 15% to 30%.  While indignation may be the first gut reaction to such a loss of revenue, this also seems like an opportunity for restaurants to woo budget-conscious diners.

 

I read articles daily about American restaurateurs doing this very thing.  Some have redecorated and redone menus to reflect a more casual (and less expensive) restaurant.  Some offer smaller meal sizes at cheaper rates.  Most seem to be stressing the meal’s value for the price.  In all cases, these restaurant operators are adapting to their customer’s changing needs. 

 

In all fairness, I imagine a great many French restaurateurs are also adapting to the changing times.  (And I know from experience that rudeness is not a natural trait of French people, not even servers!)  But this Seattlepi.com article illustrated one perfect example of what restaurants should NOT do if they want to survive tough times: give up.

Dine Out and End Childhood Hunger

That’s right.  Going out to eat any day from September 21st through September 28th could help end childhood hunger in America.  But the key is to eat at a participating restaurant.

The program is called the Great American Dine Out and it is being put on by Share Our Strength, a national organization dedicated to eliminating childhood hunger in America.  To make it super simple for you, I’ve got the link to the participating-restaurant-finder right here.  Just go on over to the site, punch in your zip code, and you’ll find a list of restaurants nearby who have agreed to make donations to the cause–based on traffic to their stores during the event.  Some restaurants will donate a portion of their profits while others might donate all profits from a particular dish, and still others may handle their donations in some other way.  It might be best to ask the management when you go out to eat; in that way, you can be sure your dining out dollars are going toward the cause–AND you can send the signal that you support local restaurants who show a dedication to their community.

So where’ll it be?  I think I’ll be divying up my time amongs the three nearest participating stores: Monical’s Pizza, McAlister’s Deli, and Lone Star Steakhouse.  If you’re in the Chambana area, maybe I’ll see you there!

No, REALLY–how is the food?

When your server stops to ask how your meal is, how often do you give a truly honest answer?  Most of the time, the question sounds similar to an acquaintance asking, “How’s it going?”—to which you are absolutely expected to reply, “Fine” or some similarly short affirmative.

 

There are times when I’m honest with my server—namely when the food is extremely bad or extraordinarily good.  Those meals that fall somewhere in between, however, I tend to keep my comments to myself.  Based on a mediocre meal, I’ll simply avoid that restaurant in the future.  It’s a sad irony that there may actually be a better chance of me returning to a restaurant where I had a terrible meal—because those places may just make it up to me and convince me to give them another chance.

 

The trouble with this is that many a good restaurant may end up on my blacklist.  Based on feedback to a Chow.com story on this topic, it seems that a lot of restaurant owners wish their customers would speak up.  Certainly, there will always be those who are unreasonable in their complaints, but the people who leave quietly disappointed are arguably worse because their business may be lost forever without the chance to make amends.  (Those who go on to post their complaints on Chow or Yelp are another breed altogether.)

 

Constructive criticism allows restaurant owners and/or chefs the opportunity to improve.  This seems especially important at independent operations where the menu is potentially more malleable; your critique may inspire their next special!

 

But what will push the average customer to give the meal an honest critique?  I think a lot of this comes down to service.  Does the server show sincere concern for the guest’s opinion?  I’ve spent too much time lately at restaurants where the servers can’t seem to be bothered with attending to their guests’ needs, let alone listen to guest opinions.  In situations like these, retraining the waitstaff may be in order.  For a restaurant’s servers to take an interest in the customer experience, the management needs to first.

 

In fact, when a chef/manager/owner has the time to make a trip to the dining area and speak with diners, it leaves a great impression.  Management like that shows both the staff and the customers that great food and great service is their priority, and it’s likely they’ll be rewarded for the gesture.

Restaurant Decor Makeovers to Draw Casual Diners

Would you invest $75000 to take your upscale restaurant down to casual?  At least one restaurateur is doing just that in light of the tougher economy.  He’s changing his restaurant’s name and the restaurant decor to make the eatery more appealing to casual diners and families–and he’s calling it a great move in today’s economy.

So what do you think?  Is a fresh face a good investment for today’s restaurants and bars?  If you’re a restaurateur, what changes would you make to your own eatery if you could?  If you’re a foodie, what changes would you suggest for your favorite restaurants?

Coffee Wars

While scanning the restaurant news of the day, I couldn’t help but be struck by the opposite ways that two restaurant giants are marketing their coffee.  First, there’s Starbucks with their new and mysterious coffee brewing machine known as the Clover.  They’re touting it as a brewing breakthrough–and in buying out the Clover manufacturer, they’re certainly putting their money where their (figurative) mouth is.  On top of that, Starbucks will be brewing “small batch” coffees with this miraculous machine.

Contrast that tactic with that employed by McDonalds, recently coming onto the scene with budget gourmet coffee.  Behold, unsnobbycoffee.com.  That website certainly has a few things going for it–tongue in cheek humor, a bit of fun at the expense of people who might be tempted to try the new Starbucks blends.  It also emphasizes price at a time when there are rumors that gourmet coffee is suffering the effects of a tough economy.

So I’m curious what people think about these two disparate marketing techniques….  My thoughts are that the two are actually appealing to different audiences–but for the short term, my bet is on McDonald’s to come out on top.  McD’s is targeting a group often ignored by higher end coffee shops–the budget coffee lover.  And at times like these, who isn’t on a budget?