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"Potential team members have to be passionate about food and wine," believes Laura Payne, general manager of the Purple Pig. "We want a certain base of experience when we hire because it's intensive here as far as wine knowledge is concerned." Front-of-the-house personnel go through a seven-day training program, which includes shadowing, running food, evaluation by a trainer and successfully passing a fi nal exam. KEEP 'EM ROLLING "Th ere are so many more roll-outs than in the past," exclaims Smith at Pappas, "You have to keep it fresh and keep everyone interested." Th e company uses the LMS approach to prepare for the introduction of new cocktails, spirits brands, craft beers or other beverages. New drinks are often the focus of pre-shift meetings as well. An ideal version of the cocktail, the "Perfect Drink," is prepared for the meeting so staff ers can see the glass and garnish as well as sample. At the Purple Pig, written exams follow seasonal menu changes or changes of the wine-by-the-glass lineup. During daily shift meetings, chef-partner Jimmy Bannos Jr. explains new items and pops quizzes. Additionally, two mandatory wine training sessions are held every month, and purveyors and winemakers hold in-house seminars for staff on a regular basis. Th e menu at Isabella changes weekly as do the draft beer selections, so they are usually the focus of daily pre-shift meetings. Th en the new food, cocktail, beer or wine items are tasted by staff so they can accurately describe and sell them to guests. Additionally, the wine merchant who represents the largest section of Isabella's portfolio often conducts educational tastings for the staff . Lazy Dog Café initiates two chain wide roll-outs a year for both the food and drinks menus, in addition to sporadic introductions such as the recent roll-out of a late-night happy hour. To prepare, company execs create colorful training brochures that feature descriptions and high-quality photos of all the new items, as well as suggestive selling tips, and pairings with wine, beer or cocktails. Servers study the brochure on their own and are then tested for comprehension. THE ART OF THE SPIEL "Th e brochures help servers sell the items rather than just reading off a list of ingredients," explains Caliendo. Th e suggested pairings are a good way to drive numbers and profi ts, he adds; but he cautions, use restraint and only suggest matches that work well. At the store level, Lazy Dog Café managers regularly conduct "Sell it to Me" exercises. One new drink, a seasonal mason jar, often requires that verbal sell. "On menu, it just says 'seasonal mason jar, ask your server,'" notes Caliendo; "It's up to them to close the sale." "Scenario training is an important technique to help your servers sell better," concurs professor Elsworth. It hones interpersonal skills and improves confi dence. "Servers also have www.cheersonline.com to take a moment to read a table before they approach, observe and understand what those customers are looking for, what they really want." At the Purple Pig, general manager Payne regularly reviews with service staff the art of reading a table and how to suggestive- sell without being overbearing. "We have to be careful not to oversell and chase a guest away," she cautions. At Isabella, chef Cappon created a food and drink dictionary for the staff . "We use a lot of esoteric ingredients in the restaurant," he explains. "So staff can reference that for descriptions and to help with selling." He also conducts practice sales scenarios. Th ese proved handy during a promotion of house-bottled sangria. Each table had a bottle of the sangria as a centerpiece, requiring servers to explain why it was there, what it was, and why it was a good deal. "We worked out a spiel during pre-shift," recalls the chef. "All the servers started selling sangria when they realized how much it was increasing their check averages." "Operators have to make an ongoing investment in education and training," concludes Elsworth. But training is not just a handbook, employee orientation or the 15-minute staff meeting, he says. "It's the manager out on the fl oor, coaching, teaching all shift long." Th omas Henry Strenk is a Brooklyn-based freelancer who writes about all things drinkable. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 | 43