Whether you’re a bartender, a server or a fast food cashier, there’s no doubt that you can build the check average — which results in higher profits — when you increase beverage sales to your guests. Whether it’s a soft drink, beer, wine or mixed drinks, the profit margin is higher on most drinks than any food item, so it’s an area that is definitely worth focusing on.
Let’s start by revealing some bartender secrets to sales success. These have probably been used on you and you might never have even known it.
NODDING – We talked about how important non-verbal communication is in our look at training servers to sell, but here’s where a non-verbal move can directly result in a bigger order. Nodding while recommending a drink order is an effective upsell technique. Salespeople call it the ‘Sullivan Nod’ which is a subtle nod, about 15 degrees, when you come to an item in a list that you want your customer to purchase. They say it works best if you’re presenting a list of 5 items. This is something you’ll want to practice to get right as it is subtle – you don’t want to look like a bobble head doll with a spring in your neck!
EYE CONTACT – Looking someone directly in the eye when you make a recommendation makes them more likely to buy because you’re building trust. The eye contact makes a connection that communicates sincerity and trustworthiness. And if you trust someone, why wouldn’t you take their recommendation?
VOICE INFLECTION and SPEED – The voice is a huge area to focus on. One study showed that the human ear can distinguish 1,378 differences in tone, compared to our eyes that can only distinguish 150 hues of color. That makes hearing 10 times more sensitive than our eyesight. You can use this to your advantage through your voice inflections. If you end a sentence with an UPWARD INFLECTION is how we usually end a question. This upward change in pitch suggests questioning, insincerity, surprise or suspense. This is not the message you want to portray when making a sale.
But if you use a DOWNWARD INFLECTION at the end of a sentence, it suggests confidence, power and certainty. It’s a subtle way to affirm that you believe in your suggestion and it is the right choice for your guest.
Also, be aware of your SPEED. If you talk too fast, it suggest your message isn’t important or the guest isn’t important – you’re trying to get on to someone else. But if you slow down and speak intentionally, you’re telling your guest that they are important and you want them to listen carefully to what you are telling them. Mastering voice inflection and speed takes some practice. Try role-playing with your team or video yourself so you can see how you sound to others.
BOOKENDING – It may sound like you’re repeating yourself, but this technique works. Bookending is when you mention the item you’re trying to sell twice, once as the first item in a list, and then again at the end of the list. It would sound something like this for someone who asks about your IPA choices… “We have 10 Barrel Brewing Imperial, the Sunriver Brewing Hazy, the StormBreaker Brewing IPA, or, yeah, that 10 Barrel Brewing Imperial.” Try it a few times and it will sound totally natural.
UPGRADE YOUR LIQUOR – The goal is to move a guest up a level when they order a drink. If it’s a Well liquor, upsell to a Call liquor, or a Call to a Premium, or a Premium to the Top-Shelf super-premium choice. But to make this happen, you need to be prepared to have that conversation. It can sound something like this… “Great choice, our house Margarita is very popular but have you ever tried it with our Casamigos Blanco tequila? It’s made in the Jalisco highlands from 100% agave and distilled for at least 2 months – oh, and one of the co-founders is George Clooney!”
Stories sell, so the more details that you can share about a brand’s origin and authenticity, the more likely it is that you’ll make the sale.
This also isn’t limited to alcoholic drinks. You can apply the same concept to soft drinks. If someone orders generic Root Beer, introduce them to your premium bottle of locally-brewed root beer. Same for lemonade. Offer an upgraded Lavender or Key Lime lemonade!
In addition to sales techniques, strong beverage profits are also dependent on your Beverage Menu – WHAT you choose to sell and HOW you choose to market the choices. First let’s talk about the actual menu. How many times have you gone to a restaurant and couldn’t find beverages on the printed menu? You know the classic question that’s always asked at that point – “Are you a Coke or Pepsi place?”
That’s a lost opportunity at that point. If you want to increase profits from beverages, you have to feature your beverages. Whether they’re printed on the menu, on a table tent, on the placemat or on digital signage, guests need to know what you want them to buy! And consider using one of the beverage hooks that increase the chances that each guest will order a drink. These include…
- Free Refills
- Bundling Beverages into Value Meals
- Locally sourced Craft Beverages
- Promotions, like buy the drink, keep the cup. These could be coffee cups with your logo printed on them, old fashioned Ball jar glasses, logoed shot glasses or wine glasses, or even kids cups. It’s a fun way to build sales and get your logo out of the restaurant and into their house to be seen every day!
Limited time offers are another way to increase beverage sales. The easiest way to create these is to tie into the seasons. What’s the most anticipated arrival at Starbucks each year? Can you say ‘Pumpkin Spice’ season? Then for the holiday season it’s seasonal beverages built around Chai or Peppermint. And for unique summer flavors build your cold drink sales with flavors like lemon, lime, watermelon or pomegranate. Entire chains have been built on beverages alone, so the possibilities are only limited by your mixology imagination.
And let’s not discount the classic Chalkboard special. A daily features board or sheet allows you to increase sales of specific items. Perhaps it’s a wine, a beer and a nonalcoholic option, these beverages should be high-margin items to really contribute to the profit line. If you have made special purchases from your distributor or importer, that’s also a great place to promote these beverages.
Another beverage booster is the power of pairings. They’re not just for white-table cloth restaurants anymore. You can suggest a wine/beer/and soft drink pairing for each of your menu items. Even if it’s just printed on the menu, it get’s the guests thinking about beverages. Servers can also highlight your suggested pairings as they work with the guests to take their food order.
Also, your food photography can help deliver the beverage message. Instead of just taking a photo of your food, be sure to place a drink next to it. That big specialty burger will look great with either an ice-cold cola next to it or a golden freshly-poured beer.
And for the ultimate move, choose your signature beverage and make it the star of your restaurant. A great example of this is the oldest restaurant in Portland Oregon – Huber’s Café. It opened in 1879 and is known for it’s Spanish Coffee. Each one is handcrafted at your table, where the bartender lights the glass of rum and triple sec on fire, which caramelizes the sugary ring around the rim of the glass. As he does a waterfall-style pour of coffee liqueur and coffee then tops it all off with whipped cream and a dash of nutmeg, guests are mesmerized by the experience.
Your signature beverage may not be quite as involved, but perhaps it’s a special beer that’s made by a local brewer just for you, or it’s a hand-dipped milkshake served with the extra on the side in the metal mixing cup. Whatever it is that fits your concept, a signature beverage – with a healthy profit margin – is a great way to boost your beverage program.
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