What do you SAY to some people?

On Thursdays and Saturdays we run a deal in our bar where we offer tastes of 20 different wines for just $20 and we pour GOOD wine, ranging from $15-50 a bottle.

So, a guy comes in tonight and asks “Can I pay the $20 and my girl will drink the whites and I’ll drink the reds?” I explain to him that we pretty much let everyone drink as much as they want so that doesn’t really change our costs. Doesn’t seem to register with him…

What would you say / do. We’re already giving away the farm on this deal!

I’d explain to him that you’re sorry, but the way the costs work out, you can’t do that. Then I’d point him to a couple of killer reds and whites off the regular menu.

I kind of get his point TBH. $20/person is a bunch of money to some folks and they might not be interested in many of the 20 wines. You’re offering a great deal… if someone wants to try 10+ of those wines. But if they only really want to try 3 or 4, it’s still a good deal, but not as OMG.

tell him there is a $20 charge to split the deal…

Make it a $30 charge. [stirthepothal.gif]

Say yes, but you only get one glass to share

PSt we usually have a waiting list to be seated for this event.

So, you tell him the tasting is free, but a seat costs $20.

“You’re offering a great deal… if someone wants to try 10+ of those wines. But if they only really want to try 3 or 4, it’s still a good deal, but not as OMG.”

All of the wines are also available by the glass at quite reasonable (especially by LA standards!) pricing.

In our shop we do let people split tasting flights, as do most places I’m familiar with, so it’s not that odd for someone to ask for that. If you find this to be a problem, I’d suggest that what you should be offering is a $20 ‘per person’ charge… period… for up to 20 tastes… no exceptions. It shouldn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that $1 per taste is not a money-making proposition for you… but people often don’t come anywhere near close to being rocket scientists.

Just as an example, this was the list from last night (AND we had Giampaolo Tabarrini from Montefalco pouring his wines and answering questions). The number to the right is for a full glass. 20 x 1 1/2 oz pours at COST on this list is well over $20…

Fizz

MVSA de Vallformosa Cava Brut Rosado, Penedès Spain $5
Vinous, crisp and dry: 100% Garnacha, Methode Champenoise with 12 months en tirage.

Le Manzane Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Extra Dry, Veneto Italy $7
Classic Prosecco from the DOCG zona: fun, fruity, not remotely trying to be Champagne.

White / Pink

Lento Bianco Romeo 2009, Calabria Italy $5
A soft, smooth and perfumed blend of Malvasia and Trebbiano.

Laimburg Chardonnay 2008, Alto Adige Italy $6
Butter? Oak? Cream? No, Chardonnay actually tastes like little green apples. Taste it and see.

Cà dè Nova Colline Novaresi Bianco Rugiada 2009, Piemonte Italy $8
100% Erbluce fermented in steel to preserve the fresh, herbal bouquet.

Tabarrini Bianco dell’Umbria Adarmando 2008, Italy $8 glass
Probably the only Trebbiano Spoletino you’ll taste this week…phat, nutty, delish.

Solidea Sicilia Bianco Zibibbo Ìlios 2007, Pantelleria Italy $9
100% Moscato with in YO face aromatics blasting out of your glass and a bone dry finish.

Cardeto Orvieto Classico Amabile 2009, Umbria Italy $4
“Amabile” comes from the same root as “amiable”, meaning “friendly”. Just off dry, delish.

Tabarrini Sagrantino Rosato Bocca di Rosa 2009, Umbria Italy $7
100% Sagrantino, the deepest, darkest, most flavorful grape on the planet, vinified in rosato.

Red

Lento Rosso Romeo 2007, Calabria Italy $5
A soft, smooth and perfumed blend of Greco Nero, Gagliopo & Nerello.

Caleo Primitivo 2009, Puglia Italy $4
Primitivo came to California and became Zinfandel, try the real thing. Got Pizza?

Duca di Panzano Chianti Vitigni del Sole 2009, Toscana Italy $3
No Cabernet, no barriques, actually tastes like Chianti…what a concept!

Alcanta Barrique Merlot 2008, Alicante Spain $4
Medium bodied, soft, plummy and a great value as well.

Alcanta Barrique Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, Alicante Spain $4
Probably the best deal on barrel aged Cabernet we have every offered.

Tabarrini Il Padrone delle Vigne 2009, Umbria $7
Sangiovese bumped up with small additions of Sagrantino, Cabernet & Merlot.

Tabarrini Montefalco Rosso Colle Grimaldesco 2006, Umbria Italy $9
Deep, dark and meaty Sagrantino softened with Cabernet and Merlot. Try the strong cheese!

Tabarrini Montefalco Sagrantino Colle Grimaldesco 2003, Umbria $13

Tabarrini Montefalco Sagrantino Colle Alle Macchie 2004, Umbria $16
Sagrantino, the deepest, darkest, gnarliest red wine grape known to man. Taste and believe.


Fruity / Dolce

Tabarrini Montefalco Sagrantino Passito Colle Grimaldesco 2003, Umbria $16
Sagrantino dried to concentrate its flavors (even more!), leaving a subtle sweetness.

Borgo Maragliano Moscato d’Asti La Caliera 2010, Piemonte $7
Bottled Love? The Zombie Detector? See why MDA is a guilty pleasure for so many…

Seems to me that at $20, the store is more interested in selling $20 tastings. Do you credit that fee against a purchase? Isn’t the idea to expose the customer to new wines?
FYI, Zachy’s always has 5 - 6 wines available for tasting out of their fancy machine. No charge.

Dan, it’s not a stand around in the late afternoon tasting counter, it’s a restaurant (modeled after several of our favorite wine bars in Italy) with seating for 50, food and table service PLUS a lot of nice wines to taste (and even live music at least once a week). Not to mention some pretty serious rent…

Roberto,

I guess I don’t view his request as that unreasonable. 20 tastes at 1.5 oz per is WELL over a bottle of wine. That’s a lot of wine esp when you’re probably driving away. Plus, not everyone WANTS to taste 20 wines and some people simply don’t like (or don’t think they like) red wines or white wines. And finally, for some people $40 for some wine tastes is or feels like a lot of money.

It’s certainly a good value that you’re offering, but it doesn’t surprise me that some would balk at it for a variety of reasons. If this is a one-off, no issue. If you think he’s the tip of an iceberg, do a “$10 for 10 tastes” program too.

The point isn’t that you HAVE to taste all 20, it’s that you CAN if you want to but, more importantly, you have a wide range of styles to choose from. The actual promo line is “taste FROM 20 diverse wines”.

I don’t see the difference between what this guy wants and going to a fancy hotel brunch and saying “I’m just gonna eat eggs and bacon and waffles and my girlfriend is only going to eat pastries and fruit so just charge us for one please…”.

This IS a one off, no one has EVER questioned what a great deal it is except this one couple. I guess that’s why I was so flabbergasted, usually the big problem is making enough seats and getting deuces to share four tops so we can get everyone in.

Yeah, so $20 for, say 4 wines is a deal? Pick one side…

I don’t see the difference between what this guy wants and going to a fancy hotel brunch and saying “I’m just gonna eat eggs and bacon and waffles and my girlfriend is only going to eat pastries and fruit so just charge us for one please…”.

This IS a one off, no one has EVER questioned what a great deal it is except this one couple. I guess that’s why I was so flabbergasted, usually the big problem is making enough seats and getting deuces to share four tops so we can get everyone in.

Eh. He asked. I don’t see why you’re so offended ESP if it’s such a success. Maybe for him the money was a lot. Maybe a lot of things.

Seems like a reasonable rerquest. If you can’t or won’t, that’s reasonable too. Just tell him that is against store policy, that you count on full revenue as the place sell out and remind him that you have by the glass pricing as well. If they are not interested, I doubt you lost much in the way of sales.

I’m not offended, but the guy spent 10 minutes arguing with me about it, got a firm no then tried to pull that on the server again when he paid. Again, what do you SAY to someone like that.

I agree with the one glass idea. One glass for $20. If they share it with him tasting reds, her tasting whites.

At that point, you should have cold-cocked him. That would teach him a lesson.










So I image google “cold-cock” to get a picture of a guy knocking someone out, but I thought this was too adorable:

Trust me, it was difficult to stay civil. I still think the Hotel Brunch example (or any “all you can eat” situation) is right on point. It’s not like there aren’t 50 other places to get some wine and food within 10 minutes of here (and 95% of them are more expensive, some by quite a bit).