Wine Sales Episode 2- A New Guest

Restaurants and bars attract people from all walks of life. A good meal and a strong libation seem to have a fairly universal appeal! As we stated last week, while each guest is unique, there are common needs that pop up around similar types of people. When I was slinging beef and California Cabs, our most frequent guest was of the corporate/expense account variety, so for the sake of this particular exercise we will use a “suit” as our test subject, but the same principles should be applied universally.

While each guest is different, there are many similar traits that we will find in most of our business guests that we can use to give us some insight into what some of their needs may be.  First, who are our guests?  There are many Wall Street stereotypes out there, and some are more accurate than others.  Status is often extremely important.  Flashy watches, custom suits, monogrammed cuffs, and expensive shoes are all statements of their wealth, success, and status.  There is a kind of unspoken social hierarchy as well.  Most view themselves as an alpha male.  In groups where all are of the same job title, they turn to social tools, such as wine, to display their status.

Now that we have a general snapshot of who they are, next lets ask why they are dining with us.  For many in the business world, work is not over once they leave their office.  More often than not, dinner is simply an extension of their office.  Most mid week guests are on expense accounts, so by definition, they are work related.  Many most likely dine out more nights than we work!

Based on these factors, what are their needs, and why your restaurant?  The primary function of these dinners is less about the food.  Guests don’t choose the restaurant  because the food is just that good.  Especially in this day and age, there is a minimum level of quality that is simply the price of admission.  Your guests have chosen your restaurant because they are conducting business, and want to make a statement to those that are dining with them.  Whether they are courting a potential client, taking their team out, networking, or entertaining an existing customer, the meal is less about quality of the food, and more about conducting business.

So now that we have a general insight into your guests values and needs, how can we best meet them?  Would someone who is primarily concerned with status purchase a Rolex because it tells time better?  How does this apply to wine?  What are some wine attributes that your guests would value?

 

For next time   

Begin thinking of how our wines align with your guests values.  We will discuss some basic strategies utilizing this relationship in order to sell wine.