ANDREW - Origlio Beverage

Letter toTHE TRADE
Dear Valued Customer,
SELL MORE BEER; MAKE MORE MONEY.
It’s too simple to even put down on paper, but,
it’s the “how you do it” that matters. If you do
it well, you don’t just sell more beer, you build your
business. Finding interesting and entertaining ways to
coax your guests into lingering a bit longer can help
increase the size of checks. Why not leverage your
well-chosen beer portfolio and showcase your
servers’ extensive knowledge of your products by
revisiting the idea of beer flights?
There is a lot of data being collected suggesting that
casual restaurants are not capitalizing on the strength
of craft beer to the extent they could be while fine
dining has demonstrated the “most robust growth for
craft beers”. On-premise last year, craft grew in fine
dining restaurants at greater than 13%, bars came in
next at 11% and then casual at 7%. So reports trade
journals such as Harry Schuhmacher’s Beer Business
Daily. Schuhmacher writes, “Those numbers don’t just
reflect price. They account for actual volume sold. And my contacts tell me that
three of the best on-premise performers are Lagunitas, Dos Equis and Blue Moon.”
So why beer flights? Customer engagement is a big focus of marketing because
guests who feel emotionally invested in a bar or restaurant, are likely to visit more
often. When servers suggest a beer flight, they engage the customer in a
conversation while discussing the depth of your beer portfolio. And a server who
is well-versed in beer knowledge conveys that your establishment is the “authority”
on craft beer. “Part of the dining experience is being educated by the staff in an
unpretentious way. Those who do order a flight begin to understand the different
varieties of beer and they also expand their craft beer repertoire. It’s a hat trick:
It’s a teachable moment that entertains and upsells the customer,” says Mike
Kugler, Origlio’s Director of On-Premise Sales. “And a check with food and craft
beer averages $86 versus food and any beer which comes in at around $73.”
All this is just something to think about as you revise your menus and beer
selections this spring. Thanks again for choosing Origlio Beverage and I wish
you continued success.
In This
ISSUE
Cover Story .........................1
Brewer Highlight ..................2
Ambler Beverage Exchange...3
Candlewyck.........................4
New Products ......................5
Seasonal Selections...............9
Available Year-Round.........18
Perfect for the Season
Programs ..........................19
Retail Edge........................24
The Beer Guy ....................25
Yours Truly,
Dominic Origlio
President
P.S. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that this edition of Heady Times
contains the last Beer Guy article that will be written by Lew Bryson. Lew’s vast
knowledge of all things beer and his spot-on analyses of the industry have both
informed and entertained all of us for about 13 years. He is now the editor of
Malt Advocate magazine for which he is eminently qualified. Beer is distilled
whiskey after all. Congratulations, Lew!
Heady Times is published five times a year, courtesy
of Origlio Beverage.
®