In Vino Veritas LXXVII: My Sober Curious Rebuttal
There's an emerging trend that is none-too-friendly to your hotel restaurant's beverage sales. Encapsulated by buzz terms like 'dry January', 'sober curious' or 'mindful drinking', more people nowadays are abstaining from alcohol or are drinking less overall.
Many factors are contributing to this, foremost being the inculcation of health-focused news over the past decade explaining why this substance isn't necessarily the best for your organs. But another prominent reason, particularly for millennials and centennials, is that alcohol also isn't good for your wallet; it's expensive to drink while dining out, and young people have less disposable income than previous generations. Hitting a bit closer to home here in Canada, but nevertheless a current issue in many other first world countries, the recent legalization of marijuana has resulted in more people consuming this cheaper alternate in lieu of a 'big night out' where liquor is the name of the game.
These elements aside, following a three-week tropical cruise this past winter that did a number on both my waistline and my liver, my wife and I decided to go a full month without a drop of wine, beer or any other spirit. This gave me some time to reflect upon the various ways that alcoholic beverages have permeated our daily lives and social interactions.
As a hotel consultant whose specific job is to strategically help increase restaurant revenues, the top question throughout this process was: how do beverages sales stay afloat in an era of abstinence? The answer is, of course, when life gives you lemons…you get creative!
First off, the alcoholic beverages you offer must be exciting and competitively priced. While fewer people are drinking, there are still numerous others who are on the search for craft beers, private-label wine imports or imaginative cocktails. Just make sure that the price tag is on par with your territory, so you aren't hindering return visits.
Next, this sober curious trend isn't one you can fight. Rather, you must embrace it by providing these guests with a selection of new age specialty beverages such as elaborate mocktails, botanically infused nonalcoholic elixirs (think products like Seedlip, a gin substitute), ginger-based sodas or high-end cold teas. The future is decidedly much more health-minded, so investigate your options for a wider variety of smoothies, vegetable juices, restorative spiced fruit 'shots' or drinks with nootropic additives.
Third and finally comes my existential rebuttal to this trend. Alcoholic beverages are not merely a form of inebriation; they are a celebration of human progress. Dating as far back as archaeology will allow, alcohol has been with us at every step of civilized history, so when you drink you are experiencing and honoring a morsel of our collective heritage as we emerged from our paleolithic ways.
This is a story worth telling and lauding at every possible juncture, be it through a more defined theme of your restaurant's wine list, fleshing out the story of individual vineyards, writing about the specific origins of each cocktail on the menu or through enhanced server training. Embellish what makes each alcoholic offering exceptional so your customers will come to appreciate them just as you do.
While moderation is now mainstream, alcohol consumption has always been about quality over quantity, and there are still numerous opportunities to build beverage sales in the coming years even as mindful drinking increases in prominence.
As for my own 'cleanse', it was a needed break but can't wait to bring the meal-enhancing qualities of wine back into my life. And no cost savings either, like any premium bottles I would have had during this time was simply deferred for a later date!
