Show and Sell

Max & Ermas distributors teach servers about wine, and everybody wins.

By Mary Boltz Chapman, Editor-in-Chief -- Chain Leader, 10/15/2005

Max & Erma’s has a strong ally in boosting its wine sales: its distributors. The 100-unit, Columbus, Ohio-based chain invites its wine distributors into the restaurants to teach servers about each varietal.

Regional Vice President of Operations Stephen Catanese explains that if the staff is comfortable with what they’re selling, they will sell more of it. “Just like when our executive chef [Bob Davis] comes up with a new product, we teach the process, the flavor profile, and we let them taste it,” he says.

Taste and See
It’s especially helpful when it comes to wine, because servers and customers are often intimidated by it. With their new knowledge, servers are comfortable enough to talk to customers about which wine goes better with the $13.99 Laredo Steak: the Rosemont Diamond Shiraz at $5.50 a glass or the Kendall-Jackson Cabernet Sauvignon at $6.75.

Catanese says the wine-education sessions benefit everyone from the winery to the customer. The winery and distributors win by selling more wine. Servers succeed because they continue learning and make more tips based on the higher checks and added service. Customers benefit by having a better service experience and better-tasting meal.

And ultimately the chain benefits. “The guest will be pleased with the product and come back and get more,” Catanese says. Wine sales have gone up since Max & Erma’s began the educational program about a year ago, but Catanese won’t quantify the increase, noting that he can’t attribute gains in wine sales or systemwide sales to any one effort.

Tips for Suppliers
Most of Max & Erma’s suppliers are willing to help with traffic boosters, Catanese says, for example, liquor distributors awarding T-shirts to bartenders who sell a certain drink. But the chain has had to ask for such assistance. “There’s a lot of opportunity for those suppliers who are willing to go the extra mile for you,” he adds.

Chain Leader’s Driving Traffic research reveals that many suppliers try to go the extra mile for their operator partners to help raise customer counts, offering point-of-sale materials; menu development and recipes; staff training and incentives; and help with promotions and advertising. The research asked chain operators which of those methods were “extremely successful.” Staff training topped the list: 41.7 percent of operators who had been offered training found it to be extremely helpful.

Respondents also said suppliers sharing ad expenses was extremely helpful (37.8 percent of those who had been offered it), as well as wait-staff incentives (35.1 percent), POS materials (33.6 percent) and menu development (29.3 percent).