FSR November 2022

L IQUID INTELL IGENCE

also market wines chosen for the club within our retail space, so that allows folks who aren’t necessarily subscribed to see what’s been curated and what they’d like from that selection.” Postino grew its club through authen ticity, quality, and convenient access to great wines, Karlicek says. A deep under standing of how crucial guest connec tion is to the brand also helped inform the restaurant’s approach. “Even though it’s only $49 a month, [our Drinking Cru] are like top VIP cus tomers, and yes, we have people in store spending a hundred times that amount of money, but [our Cru] are our top-tier VIPs,” Angelo says. “ ey’re physically giving you their money every month and putting faith in you and trusting you.” When thinking through increased membership, Meteor focuses on multi ple, in-restaurant, scannable QR codes; its website; and its referral program where members can mail postcards to friends for a 20 percent discount on their first month. Meteor also ships notes in each wine box and trains staff to share personal stories as another means of connecting with customers. To position a wine club for member growth, Werth recommends restaurants start with their inner circle, including colleagues, and then focus on retention and building. “People’s behavior is going to continue to evolve and change as we come out of Covid,” Werth says. “We can change on our heels and think fast and see what works,” he says. Enthusiasm is contagious, and Avi ary’s Bell says one surefire way to build momentumwith guests is to first drum up buy-in behind the scenes. After all, if the operators themselves are fans of the wine selection, chances are their guests will be, too. “Do your research; make sure the wines align with the things that are important now to your consumer,” Bell says. “Make sure you’re as excited about the wines on the list as [customers] are going to be, and if you’re excited about them, convey that level of excitement so they can feel the electricity in the sales manship.”

“[Our Drinking Cru] are our top-tier VIPs. They’re physically giving you their money everymonth and putting faith in you and trusting you.”

VINYA TABLE SERVES ELEVATED FARE, LIKE THE DECONSTRUCTED CAESAR SALAD (ABOVE) WHILE STAYING TRUE TO ITS NATURAL WINE ROOTS.

VINYA (2)

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NOVEMBER 2022