Results and feedback
Below are results and feedback from some of my varied wine consultancy projects
Created opening wine list and delivered wine flight training
SALT - FINE DINING RESTAURANT
STRATFORD UPON AVON
TASK:
CONSTRUCT OPENING WINE LIST FOR NEW FINE DINING RESTAURANT
RESULTS
The opening wine list for Salt Restaurant was intentionally kept short to allow the restaurant to gauge their market. However Salt required a wide range of styles and price points to allow perfectly paired wine flights for their ever-changing tasting menus.
A balanced range of wines by the glass was also very important here, offering plenty of variety at the entry level as well as at premium price points. Lunch/a la carte business relied on pricing variety by the glass.
I built a wine list that fulfilled all of the above requirements, ensuring pricing was competitive locally.
I also conducted training with the team on the ideal wine matches for the dishes on both their a la carte menu and tasting menu.
The Salt team were over the moon to be awarded 1 Michelin star within their first year of trading.
FEEDBACK
Having worked with Owen on wine lists and wine matching for my menus at other restaurants,
I asked him to construct my opening wine list for my own restaurant.
I was very pleased with the final list, as were our diners once we opened. There was variety at every price point and the list included all the varied styles of wines required to compliment my menus.
Paul Foster
Chef/Owner, Salt Restaurant
Carried out wine tender process and added 7% to wine margins
LA TERRAZZA RESTAURANT
BEDFORD
TASK:
COMPLETE TENDER PROCESS TO REVIEW SUPPLY, DUE TO ISSUES WITH COST AND SERVICE FROM EXISTING SUPPLIERS
RESULTS
The tender process was a huge success, delivering better wines at better prices for the restaurant.
This restaurant serves fantastic food and has a clientele who enjoy great food and wine, so the wine tender process had to retain the premium standard of all wines, whilst delivering better margins for the business.
Without compromising on quality, this process achieved the following house wine cost savings:
House white wine: -24% cheaper than previous house white
House red wine: -26% cheaper than previous house red
The completed tender process is set to add an additional 7% cash margin to the restaurant's wine profit.
This 7% adds up to around £4000.00 in increased cash income over 12 months (based on sales patterns from the past 12 months). This was despite the Directors opting for more expensive wines for a couple of large volume listings, after being overwhelmed by the superior quality during the tender tasting.
FEEDBACK
We worked with Owen on publishing a tender to multiple wine suppliers for a medium-large account as a result of some unreliable service from a previous vendor. Owen really took us on the journey from start to finish with impeccable communication, extensive knowledge of products and supply chains available.
While our initial intent was to find a more reliable supply chain, we were incredibly surprised that the product range recommended was in all cases a better like for like replacement of our existing products which we really liked, but also came in at a lower cost! We are very pleased with the new suppliers which we have now established a great working relationship with and have managed to generate savings of ~8% per order which is an amazing bi product on top of the reliable service being received!
The process for switching suppliers was really easy for us as Owen really took control of the full process by creating the tender document, handled all communications with the potential suppliers and even managed to help us with creating order templates. It really was as simple as switching one light on and another off, but with the benefit of a brilliant wine tasting afternoon attached!
Naz Dida
Director, La Terrazza restaurant, Bedford
Re-structured wine list and brought stock holding under control
HOTELS
TUDDENHAM MILL, SUFFOLK -
THE LIFEBOAT AND THE CHEQUERS, NORFOLK
TASK:
BRING STOCK HOLDING UNDER CONTROL AND RE-STRUCTURE WINE LIST TO MEET DEMANDS OF FOUR ROSETTE RESTAURANT
RESULTS
Tuddenham Mill had a vast wine list, using wines from many different suppliers. From previous wine list
mis-management, the stock levels had become too much for their storage space and placing small orders from many suppliers was causing issues for their accounts department and their restaurant team.
Following my review, the wine list dropped to just two main suppliers, plus a few local wines. I was able to de-list around 70 wines from the original list without affecting the guest experience.
The wine list remained extensive, with 120+ wines, and had plenty of variety in terms of styles and prices to enable precise food and wine pairings on taster menus in their 4 rosette restaurant.
FEEDBACK
When I became Chef Patron of Agellus I discussed with Owen our need to streamline our wine lists across the group.
We are a diverse group of pubs and restaurants at Agellus with a primary focus on food and drink quality.
Owen is very good at listening to our plans and supporting our execution of these plans across the group, delivering quality lists that supported our forecasts.
Lee Bye
Agellus Hotels
Average wine spend per head increased by +11%
BRYDGES PLACE - PRIVATE MEMBERS CLUB
COVENT GARDEN, LONDON
TASK:
- IMPROVE AVERAGE WINE SPEND
- REDUCE % SHARE OF ORDERS ON ENTRY LEVEL WINES
RESULTS
This was one of my Magic wine list reviews, where no change of supplier is required to significantly boost spend. I achieve the increases by strategically structuring wine lists based on customer ordering habits.
+11% average spend increase on wines by the bottle
+10% average spend increase on wines by the glass
% of all white wine orders on the cheapest price point dropped from 30% to just 14% of orders
% of all red wine orders on the cheapest price point dropped from a staggering 46% to just 18% of orders
FEEDBACK
We use two wine suppliers and the review had to take this into account. Fortunately, Owen was able to structure our list review to balance wines from both suppliers and allow weekly ordering to remain straighforward.
Our wine spend has significantly increased, whilst our members have remained happy with the list.
Nick Turner
Brydges Place Members Club, London