Don't Serve What You Wouldn't Drink

            Life is far too short to waste a moment drinking cheap booze. Decades ago it was convention to feature inexpensive pouring brands in the well. It didn't matter that these liquors were fiery, harsh and virtually unknown products. Their low cost yielded excessively high profit margins and profit is good.

            Times have changed though. Today's business environment is nothing like it was even 10 years ago. The mantra today is don't serve your guests products that you wouldn't drink yourself. Americans are once again drinking spirits and when they do they're choosing the good stuff. There's no longer the same profit potential pouring cheap, unknown brands of spirits. It is highly likely that your guests would be willing to pay an extra quarter or two to get a drink made with quality spirits.

            I'm going to get at least a few scathing emails from folks involved in marketing cheap booze. They're going to contend that despite the modest price tags their products are high quality stuff. Right. Ladies and gentlemen, cheap booze is cheap for a reason.

            But without getting into a verbal tussle over the relative worth of the stuff, there's an even more compelling reason to elevate spirit standards behind the bar. When guests see that their drinks are being made with pedestrian brands, they'll naturally presume that the same low quality standards exist in the back of the house as well. Well liquors are supposed to be selected to reflect positively on your establishment, not because they cost next to nothing. 

            It's difficult to succeed in today's marketplace with a "quality be damned" strategy. There is nothing success oriented about a Margarita made with 20¢ per ounce tequila and run of the mill triple sec. Call brands are not necessarily cost prohibitive, but they are decidedly better products.