Responsible drinking is hot on the agenda with the government keen for their new initiatives to be taken seriously. We're seeing signs that both consumers and retailers are taking steps to respond - creating a greater awareness of responsible drinking and making low alcohol options readily available.

There are now a considerable number of lower alcohol wines on the market, which provide all the flavour without the alcohol content. For example, the ever popular Pinot Grigio and Pink Zinfandel/Grenache are great examples of lower alcohol styles of wines.

Just as consumers don't always want a highly alcoholic wine, many don't want an oversized glass. Caterers should be responding to this by giving consumers the option of the size of glass when they order.

Isabelle Davis, ViVAS marketing manager

Part of creating a winning wine list is knowing what sells and what has fallen out of favour.

Looking at the market now, Rosé is no longer just being seen as a summer drink and sales are continuing to grow - we've seen an increase of market share in the on-trade of 2.7% in the past year which equates to one in every 10 glasses sold. The category is being driven by Pink Zinfandel but more styles are beginning to emerge as it matures. Sales of sparkling wine such as Cava, Prosecco and Cremant have also increased as drinkers turn away from Champagne, and pulling through from the consumers' love of Rosé, sparkling varieties are also becoming more fashionable.

And while Chardonnay is still the most popular grape variety, both Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio, which has seen an impressive 63% increase in the past year, are fairing well. Red wine sales are falling but Shiraz is still holding its own. Currently Bordeaux, Soave and German wines are not performing well.

Bearing these trends in mind when planning your wine list will ensure you really meet the needs of the customer and encourage their repeat business.

Henry John, ViVAS marketing manager

A rich, aromatic coffee is the perfect end to a fantastic meal, but how often are we served bad coffee? How often is our last impression of a restaurant a burnt, bitter dishwater flavour?  I bet if you have had had that experience, it's put you off going back, even if the food was really good.
 
The key to fixing this is to look at how the coffee is being brewed - small adjustments can make huge changes to the flavours you're able to achieve and may help a flat, bitter brew open into a fruity, sweet delight. Once brewing correctly, you can then explore exactly what you want to offer your customers.
 
Some restaurants offer coffee menus, so that the customer can choose flavours that complement and contrast with the food they're eating - a great way to introduce people to the sheer variety of coffees out there.  Coffee enjoyed with a snack such as a muffin or pastry has become mainstream, thanks to the high street coffee shops and is a good profit-making opportunity for operators.  Think about how you want people to enjoy your coffee - it's a matter of experience and preference, there are no right answers.
 
Professional tasters classify coffees by their acidity, their sweetness, flavours, mouth feel and finish and use many different descriptors to communicate their thoughts. I've tried coffees that were described as black wine-gums and fruit salad sweets and when they deliver on this, it's quite amazing. Talk to your supplier and see, and most importantly, taste, what's on offer.
 
My tips for tasting? Try it black and unsweetened - at least for the first sip and taste it as it cools as flavours develop over time. Try not to choose your coffee by roast level - It doesn't influence strength, just how much of the roast you can taste.  Also try and look beyond the country of origin - Colombian coffee can be as varied and interesting as Italian wine. Most of all, taste, taste and taste again and see what you enjoy - you may not be able to express at the moment exactly what you like about a coffee but as your palate develops so will the range of coffees you feel comfortable promoting to your customers.

Dale Harris, First Choice coffee guru and UK Barista Championship semi-finalist.

I was really delighted to see that the Mulberry Tree had won the regional heat in the Good Food Guide Restaurant Awards, and had been shortlisted for the national finals. This was such a coup for a young restaurant.

The Mulberry Tree team are an enthusiastic and skilled bunch and their professionalism paid off. When I visited them, I was impressed by how much marketing activity they undertook - they have built a database of over 1,000 customers and keep them in regular contact with what they do.

The team has also been creative in harnessing the power of PR and whether it's announcing the arrival of their new rare breed pigs at their smallholding, or making sure the local press know they source their products locally, this all helps generate interest. This type of activity does take time and effort, but as the Mulberry Tree has shown, their effort can pay dividends.

Posted by Chris Durant, director, Beacon Purchasing

Promotions can be a great way to effectively drive trade, but care must be taken to ensure they don't reduce the focus on your core business.

Offering a free glass of wine with a main course, for example, would be an inexpensive and effective way to push sales of a new menu. But many customers choose to drink wine with their main mean anyway, so by giving them a free glass of wine you'd have lost the drinks sale.

Instead, try offering customers an incentive that they wouldn't normally purchase when dining. For example, an amuse bouche at the beginning of their meal or petit fours or a taste of a local cheese at the end. This way the customer still has that extra value, but you don't lose out.

By Catherine Hinchcliff, 3663 marketing controller

 

When marketing a business it's really important to have a clear strategy of where you want to go and what you want to achieve.

Every business should have a strong, commercially based marketing plan designed to drive traffic, increase spend and enhance the profitability of the business.

We've visited each of the Best for Business outlets, looking at their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and possible threats then, with their input, have drawn up a recommended marketing plan to help channel their focus going forward.

To do the same for your outlet, look at the following. Your:

• Strengths - what is good about your business that you should be shouting about and what resources do you have that work in your favour
• Weaknesses - what's not so good about your outlet, and what aspects could you do with strengthening
• Opportunities - how could you be pushing your business, what ways can you attract extra, or more suitable trade
• Threats - what is, or could be, stopping you from reaching your end goal

Once you've identified these, the fun can begin. You can get creative by looking at different ways to market your business going forward. For example: loyalty cards or offers for repeat custom, planning one off events or theme nights to attract new customers, creating a website, advertising in the press or direct marketing.

By Lindsay Winser, 3663 communications controller

Tucking into one of the best sandwiches I've ever eaten - fresh, crusty, homemade bread, rocket, beetroot, a huge amount of salt beef, a dish of gherkins, and a 'planter' of the best chips in the country!  - I looked around The Taverners and reminded myself how important on-site communication is for pubs and restaurants.

Roger and Lisa have ensured that their local sourcing is communicated to their customers through their food miles blackboard showing fresh crab and lobster sourced from the coast 8.7 miles away and that some of the fruit has travelled a whole 200 yards to the kitchen! But this doesn't share the whole story of the love and attention to the quality of food that goes behind the service of every meal; with examples like hand cut chips (prepared only on the day of use, so as it not allow the any decomposition of the starches) and homemade fresh cooking stock.

I recommended to the team that their 'house philosophy' should be communicated more strongly in the pub by flagging it up on the menu, the wine list, their business cards and on blackboards within the pub.

We spoke about communicating the homemade ethos more strongly by amending the font on the menus, creating a house style that reflects the food and culture of the pub. Changing the fabric of the menus to a more rustic and sustainable material was also discussed to emphasise this further.

It's these small but important details that give the customer a first impression of the venue they are visiting, and something operators should strive to get right.

By Lindsay Winser, 3663 communications controller

Marketing doesn't have to be all about leaflets, vouchers and postcard advertising. Paperless forms of communication are often quicker to set up, cheaper to run and green into the bargain. 

Try collating mobile phone numbers and setting up a database which can be used to text out special offers, theme nights or one off events. The same can also be done with email addresses. 

Just be careful that when you collect the data you have consent from the owners of the numbers and addresses to use their information, and a relevant opt-out clause for those who don't want to be contacted.  

Make sure you are up to speed with the Data Protection Act by visiting www.smallbusiness.co.uk

 

By Catherine Hinchcliff, marketing controller at 3663

 

Best for Business hits its stride this week. It's just one month since we launched this major new editorial initiative aimed at helping independent operators cope with the downturn, and already the support and advice of our industry mentors and sponsors, 3663 and First Choice Coffee, are reaping rewards at our featured businesses.

At Surrey's Stephan Langton pub (left), for example, Sunday lunch takings have risen by a third since owners the Robinsons took mentor James Horler's advice to keep the kitchen open an hour longer. At the same time, the Robinsons are working with 3663 to develop a sales activity plan for the spring. Over at the Tudor Farmhouse Hotel in Gloucestershire, meanwhile, mentor Robin Hutson has established a food cost system that allows the chef to track his food spend better in future.

The beauty of Best for Business is that while our case-studied businesses learn, you learn. In the coming months, we'll be tracking every twist and turn, as the mentors, sponsors and operators in Best for Business work together to recession-proof our featured businesses. Each lesson learnt will be a lesson that's applicable to your business.

The tricky part of being the hospitality sector's only pan-industry mag is that we're constantly striving to please a plethora of different masters.