Cheers is dedicated to delivering hospitality professionals the information, insights and data necessary to drive their beverage business by covering trends and innovations in operations, merchandising, service and training.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/103517
BEST CHAIN BEVERAGE MERCHANDISING PROGRAM CARRABBA'S ITALIAN GRILL Carrabba's Italian Grill knew that customers expected and wanted to enjoy wines with an Italian meal. But when the Tampabased restaurant chain realized that many guests were reluctant to ask their early twenty-something servers about wine, it was a "wow moment," says director of beverage Shelly Hurley. "The education component was missing" from Carrabba's wine program, Hurley says. She and her team noted that offering clients a taste of wine often results in a sale, and giving them some background information and structure in ordering also goes a long way. So Carrabba's launched "Tasting Tuesdays" this past August. The wine flights program includes an iPhone and iPad "Uncorked" application (an app for Droid devices is scheduled to launch in early 2013). The Uncorked app walks customers through the wines, their flavor profiles, a bit of background on them and a few short facts. Then there's the wine wheel, which is brought to the table to help customers choose. The wheel features three whites and three reds available in flights of three 2-oz. pours; each trio is priced at $8. The wines featured are culled from the chain's 28wine core list and placed on a detailed wine map. The promotion has been a hit with customers as well as with staff, because the servers become acquainted with the three to six wine selections during the time they are featured on the Carrabba's Uncorked apps and Tasting Tuedays help customers and staff learn more about wine. wine wheel. "Servers really love it and see it as a tool that allows them to interact with wine," Hurley notes. She hopes these applications will help convey that Carrabba's is serious about its wine service. "We needed to put it in [the customers'] hands and let them make decisions," Hurley says about the the promotion. The wine wheel, apps and tasting flights have opened the interactive wine tasting experience to consumers on many different levels of wine expertise. —Liza B. Zimmerman BEST CHAIN STAFF TRAINING PROGRAM MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL Marriott realized that its five-year-old BarArts program could help more employees "take their skill set to the next level" if it were accessible to more staffers, says Dan Hoffman, director of equipment and beverage specifications for Marriott International. So the company revamped the bar staff training program to be shorter and more comprehensive. For starters, Hoffman and his team took the BarArts time commitment down from three days to one eight-hour day. The course also now covers drink preparation and technique, bar management, glassware and garnishes, best practices, working with the culinary staff and the setting the stage for the theater of the drink. The curriculum was developed by Stephen Prosser, Marriott's senior director of design and development for global operations services, and Connie Gibson, senior food and beverage manager of the Americas Continent Leadership Team. The hotel chain trained close to 250 staff members in 2012 in six major markets. The program was also incorporated into Marriott International's Global Restaurant and Bar workshops. Hoffman says that one of the key benefits of the new BarArts is inspiring Marriott employees to look at and re-evaluate their best practices. "We have great bartenders—who have been tending bars for years—but no one took the time to teach them technique, from 20 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2013 Marriott's revamped BarArts training program boosts sales. how to stir a cocktail to how to pick up a bottle," he says. As a result of the program, the hotel has seen a $5.8 million lift in additional beverage sales and operational savings of $150,000 in the Marriott International-managed portfolio year to date. It has also seen an improvement in guest satisfaction scores. Marriott hopes to be able to offer more BarArts 2.0 classes this year in more markets, Hoffman says. The hotel may also try to incorporate the expertise of some of its beverage partners in helping with training. —Liza B. Zimmerman www.cheersonline.com