Liquid Measure: Days of Wine & Roses

Profits pour in at Disneyland’s Napa Rose, thanks to intensive sommelier training.

By Donna Hood Crecca, Contributing Editor -- Chain Leader, 5/1/2004

Pop quiz: What single restaurant operation boasts the highest number of certified sommeliers? Answer: Napa Rose in Disneyland Resort’s Grand Californian Hotel in Anaheim, Calif.

Advanced sommelier Michael Jordan teaches the wine-training curriculum at Napa Rose.

Thirty-five Napa Rose employees, including bussers, servers, sous chefs and Executive Chef Andrew Sutton, are certified sommeliers. This month, another group begins the six-month course in preparation for the Level I Introductory Sommelier exam administered by the American Chapter of the Court of Master Sommeliers.

Wine sales now account for 30 percent of sales, up from 27 percent when the fine-dining venue opened in 2000. Disneyland executives took note of that success, and wine training is now a resortwide initiative. Fifty-four employees at other full-service resort restaurants have been certified as Level I sommeliers to date.

A Story to Tell
Famous for attention to detail, Disneyland Resort executives listened closely when Michael Jordan, a fine-dining professional hired in 1999 to open Napa Rose, sought to certify the entire staff as sommeliers at the California wine country-themed restaurant.

“Disney considers itself a master storyteller, and that approach extends to our dining concepts,” says Mary Niven, vice president of food and beverage at Disneyland Resort. “Increasing cast members’ understanding of wine helps them tell the guest the story of wine and how it enhances their meal. Michael’s idea immediately resonated.”

An advanced sommelier and certified wine educator, Jordan created a curriculum to prepare participants for the Level I exam and enhance their service and selling abilities of the restaurant’s extensive wine list.

“Ninety percent of our wines are Californian, and 400 are on the list, with 60 available by the glass. The cellar has 17,000 bottles of more than 1,000 different wines, ranging from known vintages to rare, cult favorites,” says Jordan. Prices range from $30 to $2,500 per bottle and $6.50 to $30 per glass.

“Servers have to know them all and feel comfortable and confident discussing, selling and serving them all,” he continues. “Most importantly, they have to know what wines pair well with which dishes and how to guide the guest toward a wine they will find delicious, one that will make the entire dining experience memorable.”

Good Study Habits
Jordan selects the participants to take the voluntary course. Students devote an hour and a half to three hours a week of their own time to attend classes, in addition to personal study time. The curriculum, offered once a year, includes all the wine regions, grapes, production, varietals, flavor profiles, food and wine pairing, and wine service, as well as units on spirits, beer and cigars.

After the course, participants attend a two-day exam session, consisting of one day of lecture and one day of testing administered by the Court of Master Sommeliers. Disneyland Resort covers the $450 exam fee for each.

Jordan also teaches an advanced curriculum for employees pursuing Level II certification; five Napa Rose employees sat for that exam in April. Jordan himself hopes to sit for the Master Sommelier exam later this year and join the 60 Americans with that designation.

Knowledge Is Power
“It is unique to have servers trained as sommeliers. It sends the message that wine is spoken here,” observes Larry Sarokin, a Beverly Hills, Calif.-based food and beverage consultant. “The real value lies in enabling the server to discern what the guest actually wants, to translate what the guest is asking for when they say they enjoy fruit flavors. A server able to pair the correct wine with the guest’s individual palate and the type of food they’re ordering brings the experience to a whole new level, which positively impacts their satisfaction and increases wine sales.”

Locals account for 30 percent of Napa Rose's customer base

The sommelier training helps server Rodney Ueno read his diners, who range from vacationers to well-heeled corporate executives, professionals and celebrities.

“Some people come to the restaurant ready to order the high-end wines, and I have the confidence to sell them an $800 or $1,200 bottle,” Ueno says. “I can even discuss wines that are not on the list and say, ‘If you enjoy an Australian Pinot Noir, you might like to try this one from the California central coast.’

“Other guests will say they’re not familiar with wines and ask what I recommend, and I’m comfortable doing that as well,” he adds. Ueno plans to study for the Level II exam next year.

That confidence boosts wine sales. Checks average $55 at Napa Rose, but they can easily break the $100-per-person mark with wine. “I’ve seen my own check averages go up 15 percent or so since the training, and tips have gone consistently to 20 percent, so my income has increased nicely,” explains John Hansen, a server and wine steward.

“The real excitement happens at the table, however, when you find out the diner loves Burgundies and you spend 10 minutes with them talking about those wines and then bring them something really esoteric and interesting, and they’re totally jazzed,” he adds. “Once that happens, we capture them coming back once a month. It’s huge to get that type of frequency at a resort restaurant.”

California Dreamin’
Most of that repeat business comes from local residents, who Jordan defines as anyone in a 60-mile radius. When Napa Rose opened, Jordan hoped that locals would comprise at least 10 percent of the customer base. Today they account for 30 percent of traffic.

Locals and visitors alike enjoy the wine-country cuisine in the 160-seat dining room, 70-seat lounge, outdoor patio and private dining room. The display kitchen is the focal point of the dining room, turning out dishes involving unique California ingredients such as blue cheese aged in a mine shaft and grapevine-smoked salmon. Napa Rose earned a “Top Food” rating in the 2003 Orange County Zagat Guide and was named the best new restaurant in the 2002 edition.

Napa Rose Executive Chef Andrew Sutton, a trained sommelier, visits the tables to discuss food and wine pairings with the guests.

A $65 four-course tasting menu showcases weekly food specials. For an additional $35, guests can add wine selected to enhance each course. Chefs, also trained sommeliers, regularly visit the tables, easily discussing both the wine and food with guests. Niven says wine sales sometimes equal food sales on busy evenings.

“We think about wine completely differently now,” she says. “It’s not just about selling another bottle but a more holistic view of the role of wine in enhancing the entire experience. Our servers consider the dishes ordered and then ask questions like whether the guest likes red or green apples to help guide them to the right wine selection. It’s all about the experience.”

That approach is driving positive food and wine sales, says Niven, who won’t provide actual figures. The training has also made the by-the-glass program a strong profit center.

“We originally thought offering wine by the glass would prompt people to buy down. But the glass list includes some fabulous and hard-to-find wines that the servers can speak about fluently with the diner,” Niven says. “We’re finding that in some cases people will spend more on a single glass and end up buying more than when they commit to a full bottle. The sommelier initiative has been great for the financial side of the operation.”

Spread the Word
Employee development and satisfaction are added benefits of Napa Rose’s wine-training program. Bussers, or server assistants as they’re called at Disney, who go through the sommelier program typically move into server positions. Servers with Level I certification are qualified to assume some managerial duties.

Eighty-five percent of the Napa Rose opening team members remain on staff. While publicity about the sommelier servers in local media has made employees prime targets for other restaurateurs to recruit, loyalty appears to be high.

“I’ve been offered numerous positions in other establishments, but Disneyland Resorts has been very good to me, so I intend to stay,” says Ueno.

“I take my hat off to Napa Rose, Michael and Disney for providing us this opportunity,” says Hansen. “If you want to learn, they’re supportive, and that’s a win-win on all fronts.”