Question:
A couple ordered a $78 bottle of wine that they thought “looked cool” from the description on the menu. I told my server that it’s probably not going to be for them—it’s a natural/funky wine and it was just a sense from looking at them that they would not be into it. Sure enough, they said it wasn’t to their liking and asked me to substitute it. I did, with something basic and comparably priced, but am now left with a bottle to sell by the glass, not very easily, at $20 per glass. How do I tell someone that I don’t think they’ll like what they ordered?
– General Manager, Los Angeles
Answer:
Especially with wine sold by the bottle, it’s a good strategy to provide as much information as you can about the wine in order to help the guest make an informed decision. That information can be conveyed by descriptors on the wine list or verbally by a knowledgeable server, beverage manager or sommelier. With good communication and informed sale, you are less likely to be stuck with an open bottle as you were in this case.
As we often discuss in this column, problems in restaurants are often a result of gaps in communication. Was the description on the menu insufficient for the guest to make a thoughtful selection? Or was the server inadequately trained to describe the wine, its character, and good food pairings to guide the guests towards a decision they would enjoy?
Steve Wildy, founder and owner of Mad Wild Wine agrees, "Just about every restaurant I ever worked in has had a dish that required an extra verbal caveat that wasn't apparent from the written menu description; surprisingly spicy, heavily-seasoned, fatty cut of meat, lesser-known offal, etc. So I would wager that even if you don't have a team of wine pros, your servers can fairly easily earmark a few bottles on the list to say something along the lines of: ‘Just a heads up, that's a natural wine so it's delicious and fun but also cloudy/quirky/funky/cidery/very different in a way that we find really exciting, but might not be for everyone,’ when ordered."
By not blindly filling the order but rather taking a minute to describe the wine, a few things can be accomplished through better communication:
- The guests may be able to be steered to a wine they would prefer, resulting in a better hospitality experience and a satisfied guest.
- The operation avoids the waste and hassle of trying to sell an open bottle by the glass.
- There is an opportunity to upsell (within reason), meaning higher revenue and a higher tip.
Wildy adds, “If your concept isn't set up to include tableside wine conversations as part of the program (which many aren't), and you want to include natural wine (which, in my opinion, you should), then I believe it's on wine professionals to provide as much context as possible on the menu to describe what the wines are and how they'll drink." Your reps or a wine consultant can help you draft effective language for your wine list.
More on wine sales and communication here.