How to Get the Most out of A “Cocktail of the Day” Program
A cocktail of the day program can be a huge asset to your business. It lets you showcase the creativity and skills of your bartenders and can make you stand out from the crowd of other bar and venues in your area, by offering something unique everyday.
The difficulty with a Cocktail of the Day program is ensuring that it works for everyone and everything involved, especially your bottom line. With all this in mind, here are some points to consider when you’re thinking about implementing a Cocktail of the Day program in your establishment.
Have Backups
If no creative juices are flowing for your bartenders then it’s always good to have something solid to fall back on. In your cocktail bible, create a page for your Cocktail of the Day program containing some preset, yet unique, cocktails that your bartenders can turn to if they’re struggling for inspiration.
These can be a mix between modern twists on classic cocktails, lesser known cocktails which fit with your venues image, and cocktails that you and your team have created. This page can also be added to as time goes on. If one of your bartenders creates a concoction which is greatly enjoyed by your guests then consider putting it on the page and putting their name alongside it as the creator.
Setting Rule
A small and simple, one sided sheet of paper ensures that you can set basic rules for your staff without making them feel too restricted. Freedom is important for their creativity but restrictions are important for your bottom line.
Some restrictions you can consider including are: excluding top shelf and premium spirits, excluding any other high-cost spirits, setting a preference for using certain spirits or wines, and a push to try and tailor the cocktail to any events, be them sporting, national or weather events that are occurring that day.
Pricing
A Cocktail of the Day program will often have a set price because this makes things easier on everyone; your guests, your staff and yourself. This set price will appear in the same vicinity as those cocktails at the bottom end of your cocktail price range. This ensures that it can still fit into your guests budget and that it entices them by neither being too cheap nor too expensive.
Having a set price can lead to some drinks being sold with a higher than desired cost of goods percentage, but having a set price can also lead to some drinks being sold with a lower than required cost of goods. This is expected and something that has to be allowed for managing a cocktail of the day program. In order to gauge your price you should price up all of your backup cocktails, and base the set price of your Cocktail of the Day around them.
The Benefits
Not only does a Cocktail of the Day program allow you to easily provide something unique for your guests everyday but it also provides you with some other benefits. Bartenders are artists and cocktails are their art and a Cocktail of the Day program gives them a daily outlet for their creative freedom.
If you have any surplus stock, individual spirits or product left over from private events that is sitting around gather dust then you can utilise these in this program, which, in turn, will free up valuable space in your stockroom.
Using your Cocktail of the Day program as a focus for staff competitions can bring out healthy competition in your employees and also allows you to increase the sales and reach of your Cocktail of the Day program; only enhancing the other benefits of this program.
A Cocktail of the Day program won’t suit every establishment so before jumping into it make sure that it’s right for your location. Do your due diligence researching and planning your program and, if it’s right for your venue, the results will speak for themselves.
