Sommelier & Waiter wine encounters?

[Thomas]

Mark,

I tried persuading restaurateurs to think in a new direction.

The first thing I believe is that the average wine price should be equal to the average price of the main course--not that there shoudn't be high priced wines, just that they should be the special cases.

I realize that, when analyzed, the mark up for wine is about equal to the mark up on the food, but the food has to be prepared, and some of it is even wasted. The wine only has to be opened.

Wine inventory should be minimal for two reasons: keep the cost of holding wine down and keep the wine list from being static.

I like the pricing model that fixes on a flat dollar amount above retail for all wines. In that case, the restaurant not only is promoting the idea of drinking up, but it is possibly creating more volume sales of wine by reaching more wallets. Anyone in retail knows that volume is where the money is.

Volume wine sales also helps motivate the staff--especially a trained staff--as tips rise with more bottles going to tables.

What that flat dollar should be is up to each restaurant to decide; what it can afford to give up in mark up to get the program going should be made up soon enough in volume sales.

Does this make sense to you Mark? If not, tell me why you don't think so.



[This message has been edited by foodie (edited 04-20-2006).]