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Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/504798
www.cheersonline.com 40 • May 2015 H ow can restaurants attract new customers while encouraging return visits? Limited-time offerings (LTOs) can work just as well with beverages as they do with food. Seasonal, regional and other drink components create opportunities to showcase unique tastes and sell products. "We always see a spike in guests and a spike in sales for our nonholiday LTOs," says Tylor Field III, divisional vice president of wine and spirits for Landry's restaurant chains Morton's Steakhouse, Oceanaire Seafood Room and Mastro's. "The hope is that these customers become regular guests once they have experienced us. And for our regular guests, it serves as a 'surprise and delight'." Legal Sea Foods holds two month-long LTO wine promotions each year, focusing on varietals from all over the globe. "The promotions are great for a number of reasons," says Sandy Block, vice president of the Boston-based chain's beverage operations. "One, they definitely get our customers THE LOWDOWN ON LTOS How limited-time offerings help generate buzz—and profits By Kyle Swartz excited. Two, they get our teams educated about various regions around the world. And thirdly, of course, is profitability." LTOs enable kitchen and bar chefs to experiment with fresh flavors and styles; they also help generate promotional buzz and encourage customers to try new things. "One thing you can do with an LTO is be adventurous and take more of a risk," says Donna Ruch, master mixologist for the Red Robin Gourmet Burgers chain of casual dining restaurants. "You can put something on the menu that the adventurous guest might order." LTOS ARE IN SEASON Many operators align LTOs with the season. It helps that beverage companies often launch specialty products based on the time of year—especially in the craft-beer industry. These beverages are a popular, annual purchase for many drinkers. "Some [promotional] windows lean naturally into the seasonal theme," says Ruch. Fall lends itself to certain flavors like pumpkin and spices, while in spring, "I don't necessarily think of a flavor, but just something light and fresh—something I would want to drink when the weather breaks and I'm sitting out on a patio," she says. That thinking inspired Red Robin to launch its first LTO wine shake, the Mango Moscato Wine Shake ($7.49) in spring 2014. "Red Robin has a strong female audience and saw a lot of its beer shakes target the male customers, so the Mango Moscato Wine Shake not only capitalized on the growing popularity of moscato wine, but also offered something different that female guests really gravitated towards," says Ruch. This spring's feature adult beverage at Red Robin is the Oh My Darlin', a mix of Svedka Clementine vodka shaken with Minute Maid lemonade and house-made sweet and sour, topped with a float of Beso del Sol sangria. Each season is reminiscent of certain styles and flavors. They are a chance for restaurants to enhance their menus with fun, fresh items. "We'll do a Watermelon 'Rita in summer," says Suzan Waldschmidt, director of beverages for Outback Steakhouse Boston-based Legal Sea Foods did one LTO on Chilean wines, which was timed to offer cus- tomers a good value during the recession.