What to Do When You Get a Bad Review

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On no, the unthinkable happened! You were checking your Yelp, Google+, and Urbanspoon reviews… and you came across one review that was so mean, so untrue, so vindictive that your jaw dropped open and you started sobbing, right there in front of your computer screen. Now that you’ve washed your face and blown your nose, you’re starting to feel angry and righteous. You’re wondering how that person had the nerve to talk about your restaurant, your heart and soul, in such a horrible and dismissive way. You want to fight back. Now.

Woah, woah, woah, buddy. It’s time to simmer down. Here’s what you should do when your restaurant gets a bad review. Read more

Your Secret Treasure Trove of Customer Feedback

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Your restaurant runs on customer feedback, right? If the chips are too salty, the fish too dry, the service too slow, or the wine selection too expensive, your customers will call you over and tell you. Immediately. If you think I’m delusional and you think that your customers would never tell you anything truthful about your food or service… well, you’re just not looking in the right places. Today’s post talks about the three main places you can find great customer feedback, and what you should look at. Read more

Uncorkd How To Launch a New Restaurant Menu

12 Drinking Quotes to Use on Your Menu

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As a restaurateur, you know that you have to be unique and distinctive to stand out, so you spend a lot of time carefully crafting your food and your ambiance to create exactly the impression your guests have of your restaurant. And first impressions are everything, right? Read more

The Secret of a Good Signature Drink

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A lot of restaurants offer drinks. What makes you different? Is it the fact that you have a wine list filled with $200+ bottles? Is it that you offer 458 types of craft beer… or that all your drinks are straight from Japan? These key differentiators make your restaurant stand out, but unless you show off your differences, your customers will never know what you have to offer. What you need is a signature drink. Read more

Using Technology to Improve Wait Staff Training

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Training your wait staff on your beverage menu can be difficult.  With frequent turnover among servers, new wines, beers, spirits and cocktails to learn and so much else to do, we hear frequently that staff training if one of biggest challenges for restaurant owners and managers.  Most of your staff already has smartphones and tablets, or at the very least, access to the internet.  So why not have your servers brush up on their knowledge away from the restaurant using their own devices?

Uncorkd digital menus make it easier to train wait staff on wine and other beverages.  Servers can use their own iPads or borrow them from the restaurant to study up on all your drinks, reading tasting notes, understanding producer information and learning food and wine pairings.    Many of our customers allow staff to take an iPad home for the night to study up on the menu, which can be very helpful when new beverages are added.

Beyond the iPads, Uncorkd provides a web-based version of the menu, complete with pictures and tasting notes.  Staff can access the beverage menu online from their computers or smartphones, to read up on things as well.  With access to the internet everywhere, there’s no excuse for servers to not be up to date on your latest menu changes.

If you’re focused on ensuring your staff is knowledgeable and well-trained, and all successful restaurants are,  then Uncorkd can better educate your staff (and your customers) on your beverage selections.  Cheers!

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How to Increase Your Drink Sales without Saying a Word

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A lot of my tips revolve around training your servers or bartenders to memorize information and repeat it back when needed, or to ask key questions at opportune moments. Sometimes though, words just get to be too much. Here’s a tip to increase your drink sales without having to say a single word. Read more

law of reciprocity for wine sales

Sell more wine. It’s the law.

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Okay, okay. It’s not illegal to have bad wine sales, it’s just a darn shame. However, today’s post offers a method for using a law of psychology to sell more wine. Get ready to learn all about the Law of Reciprocity.

What’s the Law of Reciprocity?

This psychological law states that when you give people something, or you do a favor for them, they are much, much more likely to return the favor. Apparently, this human behavior is a throwback from our prehistoric days, but it affects us all the time in the modern world. Don’t believe me? Here’s an example of this law, using something you’ve probably experienced recently.

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Here’s What the CIA Knows about Bars

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 Out of ideas about what you should be doing next in your bar? Has your bar had great sales in the past, but recently been facing a sales drop-off? No matter if you have a neighborhood bar or the hottest new nightclub, the best place to look for sales-boosting tips is the CIA.

Yeah, you read that right.

The CIA knows all about dealing with hostile opposition, and when you modify their tactics, you’ll be ready to take down your enemy in Operation Steal Back Customers. Ready for your mission to start? I hope so, because now it’s time for you to roll up your sleeves and spy on your competition. Here’s how. Read more

3 Things You Should Say to Sell More Sake

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I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I’ve got to tell you: you’re missing out on sales. Sure, your bar is selling enough beer and wine, and man, your cocktail sales are killer. But why aren’t you selling sake? Many bars don’t feel confident in selling this super-premium beverage because they don’t think they know enough to advise a customer—or to stock their own bar. All that’s about to change though, because here are the three things you and your servers need to be saying to get your sake sales going.

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Want to Use Discounts in Your Restaurant?

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Popular discounting methods such as offering coupons, putting your bar on Groupon or Living Social, or taking part in an annual coupon book can seem like a great way to get more customers in the door and increase sales, but frequently lowered prices just serve to lower the value of your restaurant in your community. Here’s the main reason why you might want to think twice about discounting your drinks or food–as well as an idea that’ll help you think of something else you can do.

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