Corner Booth Blog | TundraFMP Restaurant Supply, News & Equipment Blog
Every restaurant takes good food presentation seriously – after all, no one wants to eat something that doesn’t look absolutely delicious. You carefully place garnishes, make sure the entrée has the proper color, and serve everything on a stylish plate with matching silverware.
So why aren’t you paying the same amount of attention to your bar presentation? Top mixologists from around the country agree the glassware you use can be just as important as the drink inside the glass. And just like that perfect presentation you obsess over in the kitchen, first impressions can be everything when it comes to selling drinks from the bar.
This is especially true for specialty drinks. So many restaurants have introduced their own specialty drink menu that it isn’t even a hot trend anymore; it’s the norm. However, you may not be maximizing your drink sales if you don’t have the presentation down right.
Consider two main factors when selecting restaurant glassware:
Style. Everyone knows what the standard drink glasses look like. Communicate the originality of your drinks by using glass styles that are a little different. You can also differentiate your offerings by mixing up the style of glass you use for each type of drink. The idea is to make the customer feel like they’re not just getting another mojito, they’re getting your special version that can only be ordered in your restaurant.
Function. Thick stems and wide bases are key to the success of any good glassware. Don’t let style get so out of hand that the glass doesn’t perform its basic duties properly, namely, holding and dispensing drinks! Many bartenders also favor thick bases to their glassware because once it cools, it can preserve the temperature of the drink for a longer period of time.
Stocking up on a good variety of stylish yet functional glassware is just another subtle way you communicate to your customers just how good the drinks are in your restaurant. And while true success lies in making a good drink, good glassware is part of the foundation for any successful bar.
Drink presentation definitely has an impact on sales. Some restaurants have some really unique ways of presentation. There is a restaurant in Boise (Barbacoa) that serves their martinis in a glass made of ice. They also have some other creative ways of preseting thier food – like serving a their steak on a hot piece of granite. A lot of people go there just for these items!
I can name quite a few bars that should read this article. It’s almost offensive to serve someone a $12 drink in a basic Gibralter rocks glass like Friday’s uses. It’s the equivalent of a fine dining restaurant that uses cheap Windsor flatware.
Hello Greg,
Enjoyed you blog and would like to link back to it. I am consultant for restaurants and would like to reference your blog from my site. I would like to include your photo of glasses in my site as part of our job is to supply restaurants with dishware. I could link back your blor or site as instructed. Let me know if you have a link that I could include and use your photo in my site. Thank you, Jim Baldwin