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Even if you don't have that many wines on your menu, having an organized, detailed list can help customers feel less intimidated about asking about wines. Plus, it gives your customers all the options they have, instead of just a few recommendations from servers. Consider having an abbreviated list of popular wines for those who don't want to dig through a long list. When deciding what wines to sell at your restaurant, make sure to include a variety. Of course, you want to have more wines that go with your type of food, but including a variety of brands, regions, flavors, and sweetness will help serve all your customers. The bulk of your menu should be popular wines that sell well. However, you can also include a few unusual wines that will appeal to the connoisseurs who visit your restaurant. Change up the menu from time-to-time, as it will bring a freshness to the menu. You can sell new wines early on with a discount to get customers hooked, plus have your servers push those particular wines. Selling wine by the glass can be more profitable, as it usually has a higher markup, plus it services people who just want a single glass. However, selling wine by the bottle can lead to more sales overall, as customers feel they are getting a deal by buying the bottle, buying more than they would by the glass. Therefore, make sure you find ways to sell both at your restaurant. Servers should know the wines in and out, as well as be able to present and open a bottle with ease. If a server is new and doesn't have wine experience, have them open the by the glass wines for the bartender to learn the technique. Provide training on ways to recommend wines, such as what wines go best with what types of food. If you can't provide the appropriate training yourself, have an outsider come in to train your staff on a regular basis. Tastings can help your servers learn the wines. Have weekly tastings where your servers can try out different wines. They'll be more knowledgeable about the wines. Plus, when they find wines they like, they'll be more motivated to sell them. Another way to help educate servers is to have them pick out a couple of wines each day to learn about. In addition, once they learn about the wines, those can be the ones they push that day. You can have weekly or daily contests to see which server can sell the most. You can break it down into categories (most variety, most bottles, highest sales) or just stick to highest sales. Have a small reward for the winner. One way to help someone choose a wine is to offer a comparison of both an expensive bottle and an inexpensive bottle. The idea is not to put down the inexpensive bottle, but rather to emphasize the good qualities of both wines. That way, the customer can make a decision about what they can afford. Most vendors have been around the block a few times. Since they sell to a variety of restaurants and venues, they've likely learned a few tricks about selling wines along the way. If they offer advice, seriously consider it for your restaurant. You'll need to follow certain laws when selling wines at a restaurant. These laws can differ from state to state, so you'll need to look up the laws in your own state. However, some basic rules apply across all states. For example, most states have a minimum age for who can sell alcohol. Often, 18-year-olds are allowed to sell alcohol under the supervision of a 21-year-old. Get the appropriate licenses. In pretty much every state, you need a license to sell alcohol. Check with your city and state to learn the licenses you need to operate legally. Check IDs. When selling wine, you'll need to check IDs to determine if the person is the legal age to drink (21).
Have a wine list. Include a variety of wines. Sell wine by both the glass and the bottle. Train your servers well. Have selling contests. Teach servers to offer comparisons. Take tips from your vendors. Follow the law.