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Are all restaurateurs committed to freshness in their wine by-the-glass service?  We certainly hope so. But what are their freshness standards? Do they have the quality controls in place that will ensure an exceptional by-the-glass service that offers unbeatable freshness and as a result keep their guests coming back for more?

At Bermar, we have coined the phrase ‘Open, Show, Taste, Pour & Enjoy!’ to define the key attributes needed for a perfectly served by-the-glass product. Our customers have taken that service to new levels and it has become know as #PerfectServe. Now more than ever, the #PerfectServe is synonymous with quality control, and freshness isn’t just a key quality control attribute, it’s the key to elevating your guests’ experience specifically through maximizing the aromatics and taste and overall Enjoyment. Conspicuous freshness attracts the high-value frequent diner that every restaurant strives to attract. At the same time, this perfectly served by-the-glass program will boost sales, control costs and eliminate waste.

According to the National Restaurant Association, 60-80% of total revenues comes from repeat customers and, according to the Wine Market Council, at least 25% of those high-frequency diners are looking to trade up to a premium wine-by-the-glass. Boosting sales from repeat business is critical to every restaurant’s success.
When it comes to most perishable foods the freshness factor is so obvious that the quality control process just happens. Stale bread or wilted salads can be spotted and thrown out before they leave the kitchen. Even the most junior and least experienced staff will notice and correct the error before a guest sees it. The same quality control is essential in wine by-the-glass services. However, when it comes to wine-by-the-glass, it has been almost impossible for a server to be able to help with the quality control process, even if they want to, except perhaps for intercepting a flat glass of sparkling wine. The service solution is now here !
“You want [wines] to be at their very best when you serve them. If they’ve been open for a day or two and they haven’t been preserved, you’re more likely to be serving something oxidized and not showing [at] it’s best. The number one most important thing about a preservation system is allowing restaurants to control the quality of product that they serve to their customers.”- Matt Berendt, Managing Partner, The Grove Wine Bar and Kitchen & Lola Savannah Coffee Lounge, Texas & Le Verre de Vin customer

Le Verre de Vin and ‘The Freshness factor’

Why is planning for Freshness in a wine-by-the-glass service so important today? Because, just like our server above, it can easily go unnoticed. It’s an element of detail that must be embedded into your preparation and delivered to your guests just like a well-rehearsed performance. It means that you must know what to look for so when it’s not there, it is immediately missed.  Like a clean tablecloth, clean napkins, or clean glasses, that freshness factor translates into good value and exceptional service. It is expected and guests are prepared to spend more for the affordable luxury experience.
The bad news is if your guests don’t see it, they will rarely complain, because if it isn’t obvious to you, then they don’t feel uncomfortable mentioning it. It is a hospitality setting after all!  Instead, your guests simply won’t come back and will search for places that do deliver a standard of freshness that meets their expectations.

 

“It’s not just about getting less complaints– a silent customer does not equal a happy one –  but about fostering an atmosphere where customers are comfortable opening the discussion. Worse than customer dissatisfaction is a guest who is not certain whether the fault was in the wine itself or on their own taste buds.” – Michael Shirinian, owner of the Elbow Room, Fresno & Le Verre de Vin customer
So where is the opportunity?
Every time you add a key differentiating factor to guest and employee expectations, you’ve committed for a lifetime of providing that benefit. You’ve raised the standards for everyone and can’t go back to the old less ways. The good part is that you have created a USP, a unique differentiation of your offer, and you’ve made it more difficult for the competition to keep up.
To help raise standards of freshness for all opened bottles of both still & sparkling wines and create your conspicuous USP, we introduce you to the proven Le Verre de Vin wine preservation technology. If you are to make one investment in your wine by the glass program we’d strongly suggest it be the Le Verre de Vin preservation system – your bottom line, employees and guests will thank you for it. The commercial case to invest in Le Verre de Vin is extremely compelling.

Le Verre de Vin installations have proven to deliver on these key profit drivers:

• Control costs & eliminate waste
• Guarantee quality and increase guest satisfaction
• Boost more profitable ‘Trade-up’ sales, meeting the increased consumer demand