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/776571
www.cheersonline.com 32 • January/February 2017 By Andrew Freeman MARKETING MATTERS Many recent restaurant closures, especially in the casual and fast-casual sector, are showing us there are too many seats and not enough guests. And given the economic and consumer uncertainty, combined with minimum wage in- creases and other harder-to-control costs, the outlook for 2017 is somewhat cloudy. Operators will need to get back to reality and drive the top line, because the bottom line is going to be affected. In short, they need to make like Boy Scouts and be prepared. That's the theme of our 2017 Trends Report for the restau- rant and hotel industries Our "trendologists" developed our annual preview of the hot trends and predictions based on client interactions, industry conversations, conferences and events, consumer and trade publications, observations and extensive travel. We also consult our panel of industry experts for their in- sights and predictions. And we conduct our own research by going out—a lot—to see what's happening at restaurants, bars and hotels. Based on the intelligence we've collected, these are the beverage trends to watch for 2017. YEAR ROUND ROSÉ Move over summer, rosé is here to stay! "Rosé is no longer just a spring/summer offering: It is being featured through- out the year as a sound wine for food pairing," according to Carolyn Wente, a fourth generation winegrower and CEO of Wente Vineyards. "Rosé continued strong, double-digit category growth all year," Wente says. "Both retail and restaurant lists have expanded their rosé offerings, and we think this is a trend that will continue and prove that the category is finally here to stay." SOUR BEER SIZZLES Pucker up, buttercup! Keep your eye out for Flanders Red, Berliner Weisse, Gose—all types of sour brews that are tak- ing the beer scene by storm. According to food/lifestyle journal Lucky Peach, "most brewers have tried, with great success, to keep souring agents (a few certain kinds of microbes) out of their beer. But today sour-on-purpose beer is increasingly popular." Restaurants and bars are welcoming entire menu sec- tions devoted to the super sour brews. We're seeing this trend at Loma Brewing In Los Gatos, CA, which features a Berliner Weisse, fermented with both yeast and bacteria, which provides additional acidity and dryness. NATURAL WINE'S TIME TO SHINE Here's a trend we can naturally get behind! But what is nat- ural wine anyway? It's minimally processed, additive-free and generally produced without adding or removing anything. According to NPR, natural wine "can be darker than usual, a little fizzy, cloudy or with good-sized clumps of yeast floating about." Aimed toward the health conscious, prepare yourself for an influx of this funky fine wine. We're seeing this trend at places such as The Ordinaire natural wine bar and shop in Oakland, CA, and The 4 Horsemen in New York. REIMAGINING CLASSIC COCKTAIL RECIPES Instead of merely reintroducing old recipes or mixing drinks that look like science projects, bartenders are now taking classic cocktail con- cepts and essentially making them their own. The cocktails are recognizable, yet there is something significantly unique about them. These bartenders are reinventing old recipes to showcase specific nuances, es- ters and textures that they feel best express their connection to the cocktail. Garnishes, pre- sentation and extras can add pizzazz as well. For example, San Francisco supper club Black Cat offers a EIGHT BEVERAGE TRENDS FOR 2017 The $23 Martini at San Francisco supper club Black Cat embellishes the classic with a sidecar, pickled veggies and two bleu cheese stuffed olives. PHOTO CREDIT: KELLY PULEIO Sour beers, like this Berliner Weisse from Loma Brewing In Los Gatos, CA, are going to be big this year. PHOTO CREDIT: TRAVIS MOCKER