Everybody loves a nice glass of wine with dinner. Whether your guests are raising a glass in celebration or just looking for the perfect pairing to their entrée, wine is a great drink and a good source of income for your establishment.
Upselling is the act of convincing your customers to spend a little extra to enhance their dining experience. When you want your guests to consider spending extra on a nice glass of red, these five tips for upselling wine at your restaurant will help you make the sale.
1. Keep Your Staff Educated
Your servers will be the primary face of your restaurant throughout a guest’s dining experience. When it comes time to recommend a wine to your guests, you want to make sure your staff can explain why they recommend the Riesling over the merlot.
The more your staff knows about the items on your wine list, the more informed they appear. Guests are more likely to trust the opinions of someone who can explain why one white is better than the other beyond it being the more expensive option.
2. Use Easy To Comprehend Menus
Many wine lists are overly-busy, challenging to read, and may not provide the information guests want. It’s good to organize your wine list systematically, make it easy to understand, and keep descriptions straightforward.
Many restaurants now incorporate digital wine lists, which are easy to browse, are fun for customers, and offer information you otherwise may not be able to fit on a menu. Digital iPad menus provide an opportunity to upsell wine with little to no effort.
3. Discover the Best Pairings
Speaking of your menu, it doesn’t hurt to recommend a wine pairing for each entrée. When guests see a recommended white wine underneath the chicken alfredo, they may enquire about it. Including helpful suggestions on the menu and knowledgeable staff to cover any follow-up questions is a marvelous way to upsell wine in your restaurant.
4. Offer Deals and Specials
Everybody loves feeling like they’re getting the best deal. If everybody at the table is ordering wine, perhaps offer a discount on the entire bottle. Consider hosting a happy hour on Fridays where wine is “buy two glasses, get one free.” Creating an enticing deal where customers feel like they’re getting a discount can encourage them to spend more.
5. Know the Story of Your Wine
In the same way your staff should understand why one wine is more appropriate for a situation than another, they shouldn’t be afraid to delve into the history behind this wine. If it comes from a local vineyard or if there’s an interesting story behind the winemaker, a sprinkle of humanity and storytelling adds intrigue when selling wine.
When looking to make inventive changes to your restaurant, start by learning more about the exciting options available from eMenu International. We have everything you need to set your restaurant up with sleek and modern electronic menus.
