by the glass

[Randy Caparoso]

Mahalo, Rick. I noticed the area cleared across the street in Sarasota. Looks like some smart people working it. I wish them luck if they expand into full foodservice. All I can is that you gots to be good; otherwise, you're better off sticking to what you can do.

Curmudgeon, there's no question in my limited mind that it's way better to sell wine than coffee, tea, or cocktails (although the folks at Starbucks could probably put up an unbeatable argument). Wine does indeed get you the dollars. The point of contention, however, is that wine must be sold by a percentage that is in sync with your overall concept. If you're a casual, no b.s., low overhead, small place -- where you not only cook, but also serve and answer the phone -- your cost percentage obviously can be very high (50% or more!). I've certainly seen it done quite well (most recently in a couple first class places in Scottsdale, AZ called Roaring Fork and Pinot Grill).

But if you're a more extravagant, labor intensive place (especially if you're into relentlessly detailed service and intricate French style cooking), then you'd be a fool if you didn't manage your wine prices by towing the percentage lines (i.e. 30% food cost, 28% labor, 35% wine, et al.). If these things aren't monitored almost daily, you're dead meat. You'll end up, as I said, transmitting 12 thousand to the bank at the end of each night, but owing 13 at the start of each day.

The point is, marking wine up by percentage scheme is not such not a bad thing. It's the necessary thing for most operations. The smart thing to do, of course, is to sell as low as possible in order to build your customer base and be as competitive as possible; but only up to the point where you aren't losing your shirt -- a point of resistance which a smart restaurateur can reduce to some kind of percentage.

I also agree, Rick and Curmdudgeon, that most hotels (and most restaurants, I guess) are pretty dumb when it comes to merchandising by price. It's dumb to sell, say, only one bottle of Caymus Cabernet for $75 when you can sell two if you mark it up to only $55 apiece; or else take the pricey Caymus off the list altogether, and go with a just-as-good Justin Cabernet which you can sell quite profitably for just $35, while promoting good taste and customer relations. It's also dumb to sell three bottles of Napa Ridge Cabernet for just $12 when you can just as easily sell the same three for $19 (in fact, many wines seem to appeal more to guests when they're marked up a little higher). Being a slave to percentages, in other words, is just plain dumbness. But not paying attention at all to percentages is also the quickest way out of Dodge.

Finally, guys, I certainly hope that the prix fixe -- actually, many places now call them degustations, or "tasting menus" (sounds more upscale) -- does come back. We've been trying them -- five or six course complete menus paired with five or six specific wines -- on top of our regular menus. Another extremely talented chef opened up in Honolulu recently (Chef Mavro's), and he has no wine list -- just four prix fixe menus everyday, with specific wines by the glass chosen for each course in each menu. The chef either deliberately tailors his dishes to the wines, or vice versa. So you always get a decent match! (Of course, you can always mix 'n match, which someone like me can never resist doing).

Food and wine for thought...