Weekly News for Restaurants Uncorkd

The Check Out: Weekly News Bites for Restaurants August 19th

Every Friday Uncorkd compiles the top restaurant and beverage industries news that had us talking. Here are the must-read stories from August 13th – 19th.

Restaurant Operations

Bad restaurant menus can hurt sales. They will leave your guests feeling confused, or even intimidated, by poor organization and unattractive item descriptions that don’t help sell. If your menu is unorganized or hard to understand, then you should change how you design and write your menus. A clear and well-written menu will sell itself, so you should put a lot of thought and care into the message your menu sends. You might loose customers otherwise. Here is a list of common menu flaws that kill sales, and examples of how to avoid them. 

It would have been great to be a fly-on-the-wall to overhear this conversation. But the good news is that you can keep your human form and read this conversation anyway! What is it? A great discussion on the keys to successful beverage programs that the beverage industry’s top performing leaders participated in. This is an executive, c-suite level discussion that reveals some really useful strategies that you can implement into your own beverage program to increase success.

Are you looking for a way to keep strong food profit but also serve high quality food that remains affordable for customers? Guess what? THAT’S ENTIRELY POSSIBLE! And good on you for working to maintain quality, affordability, and profit. That’s the golden trio for all restaurant operators. Learn how you can do all of that with this article that rethinks value, affordability, and how to balance rising food costs and shrinking margins.

Beer News

Beer trends are constantly changing. It can be insanely difficult to keep up with them, and to capitalize on them while they’re still Sriracha hot. One of the trends that seems to have staying power is session IPAs. They’re great for IPA loving beer geeks, and they also offer a lower ABV that means your guests can order more beers from before they ask for the check or you need to call them a cab. It’s a win-win. Check out this map of America’s 30 favorite session IPAs. You should definitely be stocking these.

Cocktail News

Martini variations offer a simple way to add house cocktails to your menu that will make your cocktail menu stand out. The martini has long been an American cocktail staple, from it’s early days as the gin and sweet vermouth concoction dubbed the Martinez, to it’s current iteration as chilled and diluted vodka. High end cocktail programs are bringing martinis back to the forefront by offer slight variations on the classic cocktail that create new flavors and textures. The martini is a ripe palette for your bartenders to riff on. Learn more about how bartenders are shaking up the ideas of a modern martini.

Smart restaurateur needs to stay ahead of the curve. Uncorkd digital wine and beverage menus offer a cutting edge way for restaurants to get ahead of their competition.

Kyle Thacker