On-Premise Eye-Openers
Guests Sip, Operators Sell and Brands Succeed in 2005
By Taylor Rau
What an amazing year to be in the hospitality industry. As the spirits
of patrons were stirred by outside-the-box promotions, delectable food
fare and mood-enhancing music, so, too, were a wider-than-ever variety
of cocktails, beer, wine and Champagne figuratively stirred into a
financial frenzy. Bar and club owners nationwide have rejoiced at the
revenue today’s beverage brands can haul in, and as 2005 draws to a
close with the drop of the ball, it’s about time to toast — anything
you like.
The current nightlife state and the libations that drive it are a far
cry from only a few years ago, much less 1985 when Nightclub & Bar
arrived on the scene. Innovative brands have proliferated the market,
trends have influenced both club concepts and their guests, and the
possibilities for capitalizing with clientele marketing are at an
all-time high for suppliers and owners alike.
Observe today’s best sellers at top bars and clubs around the country,
and certain patterns emerge. Take note and proceed with the profits.
Veritably Vodka
Who doubts the current on-premise power of vodka? Flavored, infused or
the almighty upsell from competitively-priced well brands — vodka
appears to be this past year’s “spirit-ual leader” market by market. As
operators report, vodka reigned supreme in 2005 and is expected to
carry sales strongly into 2006. From the mass popularity of energy
drinks and vodka to the flurry of activity from the Martini
Renaissance, the trends that fueled this revenue rocket have propelled
it into some serious on-premise profit.
“Martinis have become much more fun, and bartenders in general are
having more fun with them ... and there have been new movements using
purees and muddling,” says Morgan Taylor, the recent area lounge
manager for Kimpton Hotels in Washington, D.C. Taylor says cocktails
such as The Geisha — made with Rain vodka, organic lechee puree and
fresh lemon — at Kimpton’s chic Topaz Bar have been in high demand.
Also, peach vodka cocktails consistently have been called for at Helix
Lounge, she says.
With Bar Rouge completing the trio of concepts she has overseen, she
says Grey Goose, Belvedere and Ketel One respectively are most reached
for by bartenders, although cocktails such as the Candied Almond
Martini — featuring Stoli Vanilla, dark cacao, Crème de Noya, a splash
of soda and a lemon squeeze — keep the flavor rotation fresh and
festive, too. “We try to keep our menus as unique as possible,” Taylor
says, adding that top-selling cocktails often directly result from the
process and finesse of presentation.
This thought also is embraced by Jefferson Ryder, a bartender at
Boston’s Vox Populi. He says through presentation, Martinis creative
and classic have been embraced by guests of many ages and consumption
backgrounds. Generationally, there has been not a passing of the baton,
but a passing of the Martini glass, he says. New generations are
calling for the classics and new creations.
“Bartenders now are going into the kitchen and working with the chefs
... that’s going to be the trend that continues into the new year,”
Ryder says. He also says people are drawn by the allure of a brand
name. “Guests want to be and act in the know, and in that sense, sales
of upscale brands have increased.”
Nearby at Boston’s Aria lounge, Managing Partner George Aboujaoude says
upscale vodka has been his club’s bread and butter, too. Grey Goose has
been the favorite at Aria, he says, which fits well with the
fashion-industry image the club boasts.
“Definitely the demand is there for Grey Goose. We sell it case by case
every night,” Aboujaoude says. Among his primarily young, high-end
clientele, the top three sellers are Red Bull and vodka,
cranberry and vodka and Vodka Tonic. Still, the Cosmopolitan is a
viable vodka contender, he says.
At the trend-savvy, ultra-edgy E4 nightclub in Scottsdale, Ariz., Owner
Aron Mezo says bottle service was as hot as the weather, and vodka has
been a key component. As with the Helix Lounge and Aria, Mezo, too,
says Grey Goose has been in top demand for the category.
Monetary Gain with Champagne
Also gaining large momentum, in small quantities, is Champagne. The
twist is that small relates to the serving size, not sales.
Mini-Champagne bottles, most often consumed with straws and by a
predominantly female patron, have been making waves and dollars.
“They’re moving,” Mezo says.
Bruno Doyon, the bar manager at Prey in Los Angeles, reports the same.
While Doyon says Grey Goose has been the most popular bottle service
choice, and women have been ordering French Martinis and Peach Martinis
by the score, this new wave of mini-bubbly has been a powerfully
profitable one.
“They are really excited about starting to sell small, individual,
high-end bottles of Champagne,” says Elaine Driscoll, vice president of
marketing and communications for SBE Entertainment Group.
AC Nielsen figures support this, as well. What once was an underground
kitsch now has established itself as a hot club trend, and
mini-Champagne retail sales were up nearly 25 percent for the
year as of August, according to a Chicago Tribune story by Bill
Daley. In Chicago, the dollars are much smaller, but the gain has been
more dramatic, Daley says, with sales up 42 percent for the year.
Back in Boston, Aboujaoude says Moet & Chandon and Veuve Clicquot
have been very solid for sales, but his top-selling Champagne is
Cristal — if he can find it and stock it to meet demand. “It’s just as
big as the Grey Goose,” he says. NCB
A Cross-Sampling of Sales and Trends
Coast to coast, today’s nightclub and bar scene is rife with
opportunities for operators to increase revenue, but first it helps to
do the homework. Beyond the two recent, hot club trends of vodka and
Champagne, here’s a look at other sales-spurring beverages, as reported
by various markets:
• It’s very important to be
seasonal, says Jefferson Ryder, bartender at Vox Populi in Boston.
Incorporate brands that lend themselves to special signature and
holiday menu programming.
• “In my opinion, tequila’s yet to be explored,”
Ryder says. “I think what happened with rums will happen with tequila.”
• Morgan Taylor, area lounge manager for Kimpton
Hotels in Washington, D.C., agrees, saying that “more daring” Martinis
with rum have been hot and a best seller at Rouge Bar is Max’s Bedroom,
a libation made with Corazon tequila, Red Bull and a splash of orange
juice.
• At Los Angeles’ trendy Prey club, Bar Manager
Bruno Boyon says despite the latest flavor trends, he observes men
“sticking to the old faithfuls — Jack & Coke, Grey Goose &
Tonic and whiskey and scotch.”
• Patron shots have been top sellers at Aria in Boston, says Managing Partner George Aboujaoude.
• Top-selling beer at Aria includesAmstel Light, Corona and Heineken, Aboujaoude says.
• Top-selling beer at E4 in Scottsdale, Ariz.,
includes Stella Artois, Heineken, Heineken Light, Amstel and Amstel
Light, says Owner Aron Mezo.
What an amazing year to be in the hospitality industry. As the spirits
of patrons were stirred by outside-the-box promotions, delectable food
fare and mood-enhancing music, so, too, were a wider-than-ever variety
of cocktails, beer, wine and Champagne figuratively stirred into a
financial frenzy. Bar and club owners nationwide have rejoiced at the
revenue today’s beverage brands can haul in, and as 2005 draws to a
close with the drop of the ball, it’s about time to toast — anything
you like.
