Sandy Block on Why Restaurant Wine Sales are Slow—and How They can Recover
At a recent conference, Masters of Wine and Vice President of Beverage Operations at Legal Sea Food Sandy Block revealed insights into why on-premises wine sales have fallen. “Customers don’t just want to eat and drink; they want to be entertained,” he said. “And cocktails and draft beer are more entertaining to them than wine.”
In order for wineries to lure millennial patrons, Block offered this advice: “You need to better communicate that wine is authentic. It comes from the earth, is natural, and has human connections. You need to convey what’s behind the drink to the wait staff. Wineries need to tell their stories. Don’t talk about technology.” Block also revealed which wines are doing better than others; for instance Sauvignon Blanc sales are up 33%. Read more here.