Chain of Fools - the Wine List Version

WINE TALK
#1

As I stated in my main post in Epicurean Exploits (Chain of Fools - Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes - WineBerserkers" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;), I avoid chain restaurants like I avoid poisonous snakes, grizzly bears and people who haven’t bathed lately, but I found myself in a regional one last night for Happy Hour.

I should have taken copious notes, but the following wines stuck out for their complete lack of reason on the price points.

Columbia Crest Two Vines Cabernet and Chardonnay - $26/$6.50 on the wine list, routinely available in the supermarket for $5.99.

Red Diamond Merlot - $28/$7 on the wine list, routinely available in the supermarket for $6.99.

[middle-finger.gif]

#2

I agree Bob. On the contrary, take a look at Catalan’s list in Houston. I was looking at it last night and just couldn’t think of a better overall list when the prices are put in perspective. I’d eat here every night if I could afford it.

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#3

Bob

On my recent trip to Aruba, the “house wines” of the hotel were Walnut Crest…

$9.50/glass.

I thought I had really discovered something. headbang

#4

OMG!

All I can say is that at least you were in Aruba. I was in Tigard, Oregon.

#5

Seriously, I have no idea how much Walnut Crest costs, but I think that was the most agregious markup ever…that and Rye Grill and Bar pours some $6 mag of Pinot Grigio for $9/glass.

And Rye is a classy town!

#6

$4.99 retail a btl for their Cab. Great discovery [bleh.gif]

#7

People are paying to drink the wine in Rye, though. The actual wine doesn’t really matter. [rofl.gif]

#8

Yeah but how much are you dumping it in your email offer? neener

#9

Back in the days of my bartending/bar managing days, I worked at a fine dining restaurant that had two White Zins on the by the glass list (for the “ladies who lunch”- we had a ton of them). We priced it outrageously high to discourage people from drinking them (and make a buck if they weren’t detered). The rest of the list was very reasonably priced, but the owner could not abide by White Zin. I can’t really blame her.

#10

Bob, this type of calling out would only be useful if you made a point here to name the restaurant chain in question.

Simply complaining about high prices doesn’t achieve anything except allowing geeks to whinge.

But by naming the restaurant, there is at least a chance that a standing google search program will call up any post with the name of said chain in it.

Then you’ve possibly got the restaurant’s attention.

I agree that this probably won’t do much good. But it might.

And at least the right people would see it.

Also, as an explanation how this could happen (beyond basic stupid rapacity I mean), the prices are probably not set locally but nationally (or at least in the market where the national pricing manager resides). Thus they are based on prices in that market. If the pricing manager isn’t all that sophisticated, he might not be aware (or, yes, might not give a damn) that the prices in your restaurant seem ridiculously high. They might seem more reasonable where he is. Who knows.

And prices would be set, most likely, on the standard price of an item, or the price agreed upon by the seller and buyer in said major market, within an allowable +/- range. Prices in Oregon (a tertiary market for most big wine companies and chain restaurants) might be noticeably higher than, say, Chicago. This pricing model doesn’t take into account the off-premise chain promotions during the year (which can be significant).

It’s still rampant stupidity—especially since the two wines in question are both from Ste. Michelle/Stimson Lane, and they don’t like their wines being price disproportionate because it’s not in their best interest (as in this case)—but once they sell the wine they can’t control the price.

Again, doesn’t lessen the stupidity of this kind of pricing; just explains how it might happen.

#11

Now this, my friends, is a winelist:

http://www.passionfish.net/WINELIST2009.pdf

#12

Hey, David Sawyer, I didn’t go through the entire list, but that is a very cool winelist for a restaurant - as you said, much of the pricing is reasonable, but more’s to the point, some very interesting selections for the money. Definitely the kind of place I would patronize.

#13

Where is this place? We have some well priced places by me, but nothing like this!

#14

Pacific Grove, ca.

#15

Pacific Grove is one of the most beautiful and quaint cities ever. Love it.

#16

Pacific Grove is one of the most beautiful and quaint cities ever. Love it.[/quote]




You’re a hopeless romantic Frenchie, with more emphasis on hopeless.

#17

Well, Hoke, thanks for the lecture, but if you’d bothered to read the linked thread about the meal you’d have gotten the whole story, including the name of the restaurant - and you could have spared yourself the high horse.

#18

Catalan is a good destination as is Ibiza down in H-Town.

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#19

Hoke Harden wrote:
Bob, this type of calling out would only be useful if you made a point here to name the restaurant chain in question.

Simply complaining about high prices doesn’t achieve anything except allowing geeks to whinge.

But by naming the restaurant, there is at least a chance that a standing google search program will call up any post with the name of said chain in it.

Then you’ve possibly got the restaurant’s attention.

I agree that this probably won’t do much good. But it might.

And at least the right people would see it.

Also, as an explanation how this could happen (beyond basic stupid rapacity I mean), the prices are probably not set locally but nationally (or at least in the market where the national pricing manager resides). Thus they are based on prices in that market. If the pricing manager isn’t all that sophisticated, he might not be aware (or, yes, might not give a damn) that the prices in your restaurant seem ridiculously high. They might seem more reasonable where he is. Who knows.

And prices would be set, most likely, on the standard price of an item, or the price agreed upon by the seller and buyer in said major market, within an allowable +/- range. Prices in Oregon (a tertiary market for most big wine companies and chain restaurants) might be noticeably higher than, say, Chicago. This pricing model doesn’t take into account the off-premise chain promotions during the year (which can be significant).

It’s still rampant stupidity—especially since the two wines in question are both from Ste. Michelle/Stimson Lane, and they don’t like their wines being price disproportionate because it’s not in their best interest (as in this case)—but once they sell the wine they can’t control the price.

Again, doesn’t lessen the stupidity of this kind of pricing; just explains how it might happen.
Well, Hoke, thanks for the lecture, but if you’d bothered to read the linked thread about the meal you’d have gotten the whole story, including the name of the restaurant - and you could have spared yourself the high horse.

http://duckjuiceandduckbreasts.blogspot.com/> " onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Well, it wasn’t meant as a lecture. Sorry you took it that way. And as to clicking on links, I’d say that it might be better to include the information in the original message rather than linking to somewhere else—since not everyone goes to links. Unless, that is, your intent in the post was merely to get us to read what you wrote somewhere else. Which is valid, but not at the time what I was interested in doing.

Again, my response wasn’t meant as a lecture, simply as a response to an interesting post, and an attempt to add additional information as to how these prices may be contrived in the first place from someone who was at one time very deeply involved in the process—and like you, marveling at the poor business acumen of the people in these chains. If you’re not interested in that information, fine. In my career I have all too often seen wine geeks whingeing to each other about pricing policies----but only to each other, never to the people who actually set the prices. That was the point I was clumsily attempting to make. No horses involved, high, low, or otherwise.

Wasn’t any need to get your underpants all bunched up.

#20

Never a need, but it does seem to happen all the time.

Bob,
Sucks your chain dining experience wasn’t so good. I make it a point not to eat in Tigard, saves energy.
Have you tried Olympic Provisions? Now that is a wine list!