As often as we try to find bright news about economic improvements, we are deluged with negative numbers. Restaurants clearly feel the pinch or in some cases, the knock out. Even on days when the Market spirals up, there’s a strong sense of uncertainty about the next day. Consumers need to spend, but that is a confidence-based response. Consequently, we are in a financial wait-and-see environment. Let’s hope many of our favorite spots, which are often financed by individuals rather than corporations, can continue to create and serve.
One facet of the business has demonstrated its prowess. That would be the beverage side. Restaurants have been working on drawing in the crowds with happy hour specials, and a recent Gallup Poll attests to our unquenchable thirst. As a matter of fact, we have not seen these impressive glass numbers since 1985. If you like your drink straight from the bottle, the beer bottle or from its can, you have plenty of company. Beer ranked number one as the beverage of choice with wine and spirits following on its heels. Beer, even with decreasing percentages, has been the field leader since 1992. Wine did get an edge in 2005. Speculation there is that wine grabbed the medical news headlines that year as a drink of choice for a heart-healthy lifestyle!
Those who like graphs have plenty of analysis and marketing strategies to consider from the report. Lots of demographic details beneficial for fine-tuning campaigns for restaurant owners and managers to study!
In the meantime, expect more restaurants to offer beverage specials to helps sell food. How ’bout some nachos with that beer? Chicken topping?
This is the time of the year when every wine critic and those who regularly write about wine profess to have found the perfect wine to accompany the bird. Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is no such thing as a single wine that defines the holiday. There are many wonderful wines that match well with the holiday feast and some have a place at the table and others are perfect for a specific food.
Maybe you should just celebrate the next 75 years with your own Bloody Mary Party! Why not?
A lot has changed since the dreaded Recession/near Depression and economic slide of 2009. We are definitely different shoppers, consumers, diners, cooks, and lest we forget, different drinkers. The specialty wine industry of high-priced labels may be truly limited to the top 1% of the population. They may not even know that there’s been a slowdown, a change in purchasing power. They may not have been affected, but they have to be making purchases or nothing will change.