On the House

Gin’s United Front

The Juniperlooza session during the recent Tales of the Cocktail event in New Orleans demonstrated one of the reasons gin is making headlines and making headway with American consumers these days. Representatives of four gin brands— Plymouth’s international ambassador Simon Ford, Beefeater master distiller Desmond Payne and moderator Ryan Magarian, a partner in Aviation, along with Phillip Duff, brand ambassador for Lucas Bols —presented an informative, educational and at times raucous session in which they each discussed not only their own brands and styles, but paid homage to the established and new brands now making the scene. In short, there was no vying for position or even a sense of competition among these spokesmen, but rather pure passion for gin and a sense that they were comrades in arms, on a shared mission to spread the word of gin and convert the masses to the venerable spirit.

In an industry where brand competition can be fierce if not brutal, this was refreshing. What’s more, it’s likely doing the gin category plenty of good. While they explained the stylistic differences between them—Beefeater the quintessential London Dry, Plymouth a unique expression of London Dry, Aviation as part of what Magarian calls the New Western Dry style and Duff on the Genever style—one came away with the sense that in their efforts to bring consumers to gin, they didn’t care which gin was first sampled, so long as someone was willing to try the spirit. From there, they’d inevitably be delighted and then experimentation with the various styles is inevitable--especially when in the hands of a learned barkeep—giving each brand an opportunity to win loyalty.

The reason for the cooperative effort among gin brands is obvious: there’s power in numbers. Many of the newer brands, including Plymouth and Aviation, do zero to minimal advertising, opting instead for grassroots marketing spearheaded by bartenders enthusiastic about the brand. For the larger, more established brands such as Beefeater, which is remaking itself with a new bottle and hipper positioning, joining the “cool gin” crowd will go far in updating its image and appeal. Working together, the brands can grow the overall category more effectively than if they tried to do it solo.

Could this strategy work for other categories? Would we ever see such cooperation and mutual admiration on display among vodka marketers? Highly unlikely. But, why not? In this age when every spirit would love to steal vodka’s thunder (i.e., its volume), perhaps working together to demonstrate the stylistic differences among vodkas could promote and reinforce the overall category. Interestingly, many top mixologists and bartenders today openly pooh-pooh vodka as a boring spirit that consumers turn to for alcohol delivery, not as a flavor or character enhancement to a cocktail.

At the same time, they’ll wax prophetic on when to use a potato-based vodka versus a wheat-based on in cocktails. Hmmm…perhaps learned mixologists and brand ambassadors getting together to demonstrate the varied nuances of different vodkas and their appropriate uses is a worthy endeavor. And now that boutique vodka brands are flooding the market, the big brands might want to showcase the character attributes that earned them their incredible share of market. Remember, complacency is dangerous as it invites competition. Just a thought. Now I have to go back to sipping my Gin Gimlet.

Something’s Brewing at Tales of the Cocktail

Seeing that drink maven Gary Regan was paired with beer expert Stephen Beaumont as the mixologists for the Spirited Dinner at Wolfe’s in the Warehouse during Tales of the Cocktail certainly piqued my interest when I was making my plans for attending the five-day cocktail confab. I knew Regan would bring forth some fun and unexpected cocktails, but I had to wonder where Beaumont would go with this. Beer at a Spirited Dinner? That’s a first. I’m in!

The series of Spirited Dinners is a highlight of Tales of the Cocktail. Noted mixologists work with the chefs of top New Orleans restaurants to pair innovative and original cocktails with the venues’ cuisine. The goal is to demonstrate the compatibility of cocktails with food, not to mention showcase hot drink talent; the result is often the discovery of a unique drink and food combination.

What we all discovered at this particular Spirited Dinner is that beer should indeed be given a seat at the cocktail development table (or bar, as it were) and deserves the credit it’s been getting lately as a perfect accompaniment to food.

Beaumont was modest during his turn as cocktail host, crediting “sheer cowardice” for his choice of Schneider and Sohn Aventinus to accompany the Apple Wood Smoked Bacon Wrapped Duck Roulade. The move was anything but cowardice; in fact it was quite bold. The robust wheat doppelbock perfectly complemented the smoky, pork-laced dish, its spiciness bringing warmth and balancing the pungent duck. It was also bold in the fact that it wasn’t a cocktail at all, just a lovely glass of German beer.

The entrée was where beer—and Beaumont—truly shined. The heat of the Southwest Dry Rub Ribeye was set off by the rich smokiness of the Yorkshire Buffalo. Featuring Yorkshire Imperial Stout from Samuel Smith married with Buffalo Trace Bourbon and finished with a dash of Fee Brothers Bourbon Barrel Aged Bitters, the cocktail was dark with a thick viscosity. This drink was not for the light-hearted, as it was anything but.

“Stout and bourbon blend really well,” Beaumont noted, and indeed he was correct; it was a match made in heaven. The trick to using beer in cocktails, he advised, is to use small amounts, not an entire bottle. As with any cocktail, balance is key, and beer’s presence in the correct quantity evokes a “harmony of flavors,” Beaumont said.

Regan’s creations were also bold. The Elegant Fizz aperitif combined Champagne with Milagro white tequila and Domaine de Canton; the mild effervescence delivered the spice of the tequila long with the ginger of the Canton. Pan Fried Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes were then paired with Regan’s Piscorita Milanese. His enthusiasm for Pisco was palpable as he described the cocktail, a marriage of Pisco, Cointreau, Grand Marnier and lime juice, finished with Campari (hence the Milanese). The finale was a Chocolate Torte accompanied by Regan’s Prairie Dog—Domaine de Canton, Hendrick’s Gin and lemon juice. Tart, refreshing and fun.

Hats off to Tales for bringing beer into the Spirited Dinners and thus, the cocktail celebration taking place in New Orleans. And Cheers to Beaumont and Regan for pairing their talents and leading us on a discovery of delights.

The New Value Equation

“When the economy is great, people drink. When the economy sucks, people drink.” This quote from Tracy Finklang, corporate beverage manager at Rock Bottom Restaurants, is one of my favorites, not only for its color, but for its truth. That rosy statement gives us in the on-premise beverage business hope amid bleak economic and consumer behavior trends. Consider:

• Fuel industry experts predict gas prices should approach $4 a gallon in some markets before summer.

• Food prices rose nearly five percent in 2007, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

• The largest share of disposable income on record now goes to food, fuel and medical care, according to Merrill Lynch—36 percent.

• The firm also finds aggregate mortgage debt now is larger than total home equity, with defaults and foreclosures rising.

But wait, there’s more.

• 54 percent of restaurants reported traffic declines in January, according to the National Restaurant Association (NRA).

• 59 percent of consumers surveyed expect to dine out less at full-service restaurants in the months ahead, according to Technomic, which also reports on-premise consumption dropping. Its survey of 2,500 consumers shows 42 percent ordering beverage alcohol in a bar or restaurant a year ago, compared with 31 percent in the first quarter of 2008.

Now’s a good time to furrow your brow, but we’ve seen hard times before. Remember the early ’90s, when higher excise taxes and lower drunk driving BAC levels dramatically altered consumption rates? Some operators turned away from their bars and remade their concepts as family-friendly venues; several have had to invest millions to rebuild their beverage businesses in recent years, realizing beverages are crucial to the guest experience and the bottom line. Others followed the lead of spirits, wine and beer marketers to embrace the “drinking less but drinking better” mindset, setting off the shift to premium. Look at your back bar and your profit margin for the long-term results of that winning survival strategy.

So, what’s the strategy today? Read Finklang’s quote again. The trick is figuring out what your guest will drink now. Some will trade down; serve them with a smile (hey, they could have stayed home). But some will seek value in drink quality, flavor or inventiveness, while others will expect it in the total dining experience, of which drinks are a crucial part. By not sacrificing quality or service while delivering on value, this industry can remain a sought-after affordable luxury.

Rest assured that the pendulum will swing back; some economists anticipate the positive economic shift to begin in 2009. Will you continue to support your beverage program or find yourself working to recapture lost drink sales in 2010?

Cheers!

Freshness Check

“Keep it fresh.” I hear that often from restaurateurs, bar operators and beverage brand marketers. To compete today, every dining and drinking experience must have an element of the “new,” and beverage brands are constantly updating product formulations, packaging and advertising to stimulate consumer interest.

We in the magazine business are no different; we’re always looking at Cheers for ways to “keep it fresh,” not to mention relevant and useful. You may already have noticed some changes in the magazine during 2008. Our Drinks department has moved, and now it is thematic; in the April issue we offer tequila cocktails, complementing our “Serious Tequila” story. A new department, “Back2Basics,” now graces the last page of the magazine, providing quick instruction on a basic best practice of bar operation. We welcome your input on the value of both these changes.

Another change is the way we’re approaching profiles. In the past, we’ve presented an article about a restaurant or bar—a chain or an independent—highlighting what they do well, how they do it, and how well it is working. There’s much to be learned from examining businesses in this way. During my travels, however, readers often have told me they’d also like to learn how various operators in a market are responding to trends. Perhaps it ties into the emerging “think local, drink local” mentality.

So, starting in the April issue, we’ve launched a new series called Market Profile; for April we’ve done Philadelphia. The piece looks at the drinks scene in a given market: Who are the players, what are their challenges and opportunities, what are the consumer and economic trends and, finally, what are the spirits, wine and beer traditions and trends.

Why Philadelphia? We opted to look at drink markets with a lower profile than New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Las Vegas and Los Angeles to see how the trends begun in those major markets are (or are not) migrating, and also to see what’s percolating in these smaller markets that others might learn from or tap into as they seek to “keep it fresh” in their own businesses. In the Philadelphia Market Profile, you’ll meet some of the top operators, along with innovative newcomers. Again, we welcome your feedback.

Also in the April issue, as part of our Cheers Beverage Conference coverage, we pay tribute to chain operators, supplier companies and up-and-coming mixologists who definitely are keeping it fresh.

Strategy for Sustainability

On-premise beverage alcohol sales broke the $100 billion mark in 2007, coming in at $102 billion, an 8.3 percent increase, according to The Beverage Information Group’s Handbook Advance 2008. That’s a $33.2 billion revenue increase since 2002, certainly reason to celebrate.

The gain actually is a bit slower than 2006’s 9.2 percent increase, however, and just about every facet of the beverage alcohol industry, with the exception of wine, experienced slower rates of growth last year. Even Yellow Tail, the knock-out Aussie wine with skyrocketing sales earlier in the decade, saw growth decline precipitously from double-digits in 2005 to slightly more than one percent last year.

An 8.3 percent overall increase is nothing to sneeze at, nor is Yellow Tail’s 1.2 percent gain on 8 million cases. But looking ahead, we know an economic softening is in store for 2008; many restaurants that had been enjoying growth already are experiencing a slowdown in traffic and sales. Although the National Restaurant Association projects 4.3 percent growth for full-service restaurants in 2008, many operators now fear their own growth train will be derailed by forces outside their control. The question is how operators can keep growing even with the soft economy.

The 2008 Growth Brands, Cheers’ annual report on the fastest growing wine and spirits brands, hint at an answer. Almost the entire industry spectrum is represented—from high-end tequilas to value-priced flavored vodkas, from super- premium imported wines to bargain boxed varietals. But among such diversity, each and every Growth Brand shares a common characteristic: it connects with the consumer. Whether via tangible elements such as value pricing, convenience or flavor, or more qualitative factors such as brand image or affordable luxury, these brands forge a connection with the consumer. The really good brands continuously strengthen that connection for sustained growth, making adjustments along the way.

Good on-premise operations do the same, nurturing the connection with their guest through value, quality, flavor, experience or the combination of several elements. Those that excel at it find a way to grow,even in a soft economy. Discovering how to forge stronger bonds is the key to driving growth worth celebrating.

Cheers!

The Pros & Cons of Addressing the Antis

Semantics matter. As a writer and editor, I know word choice is crucial to conveying meaning, getting attention and evoking a response.

The phrase “tackling the anti-alcohol movement” in the title of a recent Cheers Roundtable Discussion evoked a powerful response among those invited to the session in September. Several jumped at the opportunity to participate in a proactive discussion of how to thwart the anti-alcohol movement by conveying this industry’s commitment to responsible service and consumption. Others expressed regret that they had previous obligations, and contributed questions to frame the discussion. They considered it a topic of vital importance.

The high level of interest came as no surprise, but the fact that some chain operator invitees were not permitted to attend did. The apparent sticking point was that phrase, “tackling the anti-alcohol movement.” Their companies wanted to maintain distance, saying that participating was ill-advised from a public relations standpoint.

Do these organizations have their heads in the proverbial sand? Do they not realize there is a movement afoot to snuff out a good portion of their beverage business? No. They’re active supporters of the American Beverage Institute and other industry groups dedicated to protecting their right to serve adult beverages. They’re well aware of the existence and efforts of the anti-alcohol movement.

Are they fearful of being construed as “pro-alcohol?” Perhaps. To be literal, these chains are pro-alcohol—they devote tremendous energy to product selection, drink development, merchandising, marketing and server training, with equal weight given to salesmanship and responsible service.

What they are not is pro-alcohol abuse (there’s that semantics issue again). These chains and this entire industry are strongly anti-drunk driving and antiunderage consumption. The hospitality industry as a whole would not support outlawing a glass of wine with dinner or a beer at the bar, which anti-alcohol proponents are working to accomplish, but it does support responsible service and consumption.

This distinction was made loud and clear during the roundtable, as was the need for partnership among all those involved in alcohol sales and service in this country. But if some companies don’t participate in any discussion of the topic, no progress will be made. To ensure the future of on-premise consumption, alcohol marketers and restaurant operators—even those leery of being near the topic—need to address the issues and sit down with representatives of M.A.D.D. and other anti-alcohol groups. Perhaps then we’ll realize we agree on a crucial detail: we’re all anti-alcohol abuse.

How’s that for semantics?

Professionals, by Degree

Remember when the show “LA Law” was hot--okay, I’m dating myself--and law schools were suddenly inundated by applications? Thanks to the escapades of Harry Hamlin et al. in and out of the courtroom, law became sexy, and being a lawyer suddenly became a highly desirable career path for young people.

Fast forward to today. Cocktails, wine and beer are in the spotlight as celebrity bar chefs, sommeliers and beer pros are making regular appearances on television shows ranging from “Martha” to “Iron Chef.” Drinks are sexy—of course, we’ve known that all along—and beverage is now seen as a viable career choice for young hospitality-minded individuals.

This was evident during a recent visit to the Johnson & Wales University campus in Providence R.I., where Cheers publisher Charlie Forman and I presented a scholarship check to benefit three students in the Restaurant Food & Beverage Management program. Each student has a concentration in beverage management, and their enthusiasm was, well, palpable: Megan Dunn plans to use her wine and spirits knowledge to create great food and beverage pairings; Disa Saugstad looks forward to developing an outstanding wine list for her future restaurant; and William Taylor plans to become a Certified Wine Educator and hopes to open a wine bar. Each is headed for a semester abroad to further their beverage education.

Of the 850 students in the food and beverage program, 100 now have a beverage concentration, according to Ed Korry, department chair of beverage and dining service. That figure is expected to rise 20 percent annually because some beverage courses from the Restaurant Food & Beverage core curriculum are now also available to students in the colleges of Business, Hospitality and Culinary Arts. Classes range from beverage operations to beverage appreciation; a mixology certificate is available. Beverage education, Korry says, is in demand by incoming students.

Nicholas J. Hadgis, Ph.D., dean of the School of Hospitality Management at Widener University in Chester, Pa., observes a similar trend. And thanks to a gift from Banfi Vintners Foundation, Widener students and a faculty member will go on a wine and food study tour of Tuscany this summer. The beverage programs at the Culinary Institute of America campuses on both coasts are thriving, and professional courses including the BAR program report waiting lists of eager students.

This certainly bodes well for the future of beverage management and service. The challenge is to ensure our own organizations--whether large chains or single, independently operated venues--treat beverage as a priority and welcome these newly minted experts as the beverage professionals they long to be.

Tales from Tales

As a first-timer at Tales of the Cocktail, the five-day cocktail and culinary event in New Orleans, one can easily be overwhelmed by the cacophony of all things cocktail—the shaking and sipping; the chink of ice in the glasses, the smacking of lips, the endless laughter and applause; the range of flavors—some explosive, some subtle; and, of course, the personalities! I quickly found that the key is to dive right in and go with the flow (and to pace yourself). I came away with stacks of business cards, pages of notes and plenty of “Ah-ha!” moments. What a buzz!

Slight of stature she may be, but TOC founder and organizer Ann Rogers has created quite an event, one that drew cocktail fans and beverage professionals from around the nation to the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans. Thanks to freak rainstorms in New York, It took me a mere 28 hours to finally arrive, but it was worth bearing the journey and then dealing with the Crescent City heat, humidity and daily thunderstorms to partake in studying, sipping, sampling and learning about spirits, cocktails and the foods that love them.

Consumer-oriented sessions ranged from the absurd and obscure to the exciting and highly informative. For beverage professionals, the Raising the Bar Series—four sessions designed specifically for those who own, manage and tend bars—delivered some good nuggets of information, although some wandered a bit from the point.

Ryan Magarian (pronounced Ma-Gary-an, not margarine) of Liquid Relations/Aviation Gin sparkled as moderator of a session about chains using fresh ingredients; he exudes passion for the cocktail craft and the well-run bar. Panelist Eben Klemm of New York City’s venerable BR Guest group shared his thoughts on instituting a “culture of ingredients” by making ONLY fresh ingredients available to bartenders and getting the kitchen involved. Jamie Terrell, a world-class bartender formerly of the Atlantic and Lab bars in London who is now brand ambassador for Sagatiba Cacacha, added his thoughts on things like creating a central juicing station. Good points, all, but the presence of a true chain operator might have added the perspective sought by some attendees.

The future of mixology is filled with gin, pisco, rum and cachaca, not to mention drier taste profiles in cocktails - European-style tonics, tea tinctures and more cucumber - and even savory flavors, according to the panelists at the “Future of Mixology” session moderated by Antoinette Bruno of www.starchefs.com. Panelists Jim Meehan of Food & Wine, Todd Thrasher of Restaurant Eve and The PX, John Kinder of MK in Chicago and Brett Thorn of Nation’s Restaurant News played off one another well, and ultimately concluded that in the future drinks will taste better because better ingredients are going to be used.

The knock-out session for those seeking real insights into cocktail success came in the late afternoon on Saturday, day four of the event—not an easy time slot. But the tag team of Charlotte Voisey, mixologist and brand ambassador for Hendrick’s Gin, and Julie Reiner, owner of the famed New York cocktail spot Flatiron Lounge, delivered big time. Voisey outlined basic steps to creating a killer program: hire right, use the cocktail menu as a sales and marketing tool and add value in the form of a smile, great service, cool garnishes and personality in the program.

While attendees sipped Flatiron’s signature Beijing Peach—10,000 sold at $13 a pop since 2003—Reiner offered a “what I’ve learned” take on operating a great cocktail lounge. Among her pearls of wisdom: train bartenders and servers on every drink; know when a bartender is burnt out and needs to move on; use jiggers; concentrate on prep and put adequate staff against it; balance the cocktail menu—spirits categories, classics vs. contemporary and signature drinks. Reiner’s passion for and understanding of the cocktail business was in evidence—it’s no wonder Flatiron and Pegu Club, in which she is also a partner, set the standard in Manhattan for great drinks and business success.

Other hot sessions, both of which were SRO, included a pisco seminar on Thursday given by the exuberant Diego Loret de Mola, president of BevMax International, importer of Barsol Pisco. He took attendees through the history of pisco, holding their interest from the origins of the Peruvian unaged brandy to it’s heyday in San Francisco to its decline to its current resurgence. Then he called on everyone to stand, take mixing glass and shaker in hand and make their own Pisco Sour. Informative, interesting and delicious!

Plymouth Gin brand ambassador and author Simon Ford and Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada’s Francesco Lafranconi paired up to present a session on gin to a packed house on Saturday afternoon. There’s nothing like hearing the history of gin from someone with a wonderful British accent, and Ford did it justice. Ever dapper in his white jacket and tie, Lafranconi added his Italian-accented commentary as he mixed up cocktails throughout the session—including the traditional Clover Club and the newer Lost in Translation, which combines gin and Tyku sake liqueur. Ford led the group through a tasting of four distinctly different styles; the session ended with a shaker of Ramos Gin Fizz going down each row, with each attendee giving it a good shake (and smiling, as per Lafranconi’s instruction), then passing it back for each to strain a bit into their glass and enjoy.

Other sessions brought forth equal exuberance, great questions and the opportunity to taste spirits and cocktails and learn, learn, learn. The Spirited Dinners all sold out, and the cocktail parties, cocktail contests and other social events were all standing room only. It’s not hype: cocktails are truly hot. I’ll book now for 2008!

Coffee: Commodity No More

Coffee is one of the youngest and least explored beverages available today. What’s more, it’s in jeopardy of never being appreciated for its true range of styles and flavor variations in this country. Those are just some of the points made by coffee expert and importer George Howell during a seminar on the beverage given at Johnson & Wales University campus in Providence, R.I. Howell'€™s passion for the beverage - from bean to brewing - was, well, palpable and eye-opening during the sessions, which held J&W students rapt attention for three hours (sampling a dozen or so coffees probably helped as well). 

Howell is on a personal mission to transform coffee from a commodity beverage of mediocre quality at best to an experience and a specialty drink, not to mention a way to help drive the economies of coffee-producing countries, some of which rank among the poorest of the world.

Literally just off the plane from Colombia - €”he landed a few short hours before arriving at J&W, with no jet lag evident (hmmm - a little java involved, no doubt)€”Howell explained the origins of coffee, how it migrated from the west coast of Africa to the east and then made its way to be planted in Indonesia and South America. One crucial point was how many plants, beans, hands and how much skill is required to produce a mere cup of the liquid much desired but not quite revered by so many Americans. In fact, Howell asserts that coffee plants take twice as much time to grow and harvest as wine grapes.

Howell is indeed a coffee geek, having been one of the first coffeehouse concept operators when he founded Coffee Connection twenty-something years ago, which he sold to Starbucks. He then went onto delve deeper into coffee, frustrated that it had become merely a flavoring in what he calls "€œmilk beverages."

Largely due to the economics of coffee production in many coffee-producing countries - €”wherein the farmers are actually paid less than the cost of production, making any genuine attention to quality, lest investment in better systems and equipment, a pipe dream - €”mediocre to poor quality coffee is what typically reaching consumers in the U.S. In his view, we put milk in our coffee as a means of obliterating the fact that on its own, our coffee is "€œlargely undrinkable stuff."€ Outstanding quality coffees exist, Howell asserts, you just have to climb up the slippery slopes of towering peaks in places like Colombia to find the lone, isolated coffee farmer and buy them.

Howell does just that. His company, George Howell Terroir Coffee Co., imports high-end, single farm origin coffees which he sells on his web site for up to $15 per pound. He compensates the farmers fairly for their labors—even exceeding fair trade standards, he says—and promotes the individual farmers on the coffee packaging as a way of raising awareness of their existence along with their products.

Interestingly, it's not our nation's high-end restaurants that are clamoring for Howell'™s coffees. In fact, he indicates that restaurants are dead set against paying anything but rock bottom prices for coffee because operators are so conditioned to view coffee as a commodity and feel paying higher prices will negatively impact their precious food costs. 

"€œThe restaurant industry nickel and dimes on coffee prices; operators are just not interested in quality," he said. "€œThey need to start looking at coffee as something special and give up the commodity approach."€

So just how did the coffees taste? Well, I confess, I'™m not a coffee drinker. To me, the aroma of coffee is acrid, bitter and vile, a perception which has not enticed me to drink it. But, I opted to be open minded - €”after all, these beans were plucked off mountaintops in Kenya and Costa Rica. If I'm going to give it a shot, it might as well be the good stuff. So I nosed and sipped. I took seriously his advice that hot coffee can'€™t be appreciated fully because coffee'€™s flavors come out as it cools, especially the lighter roasts. I noted the emerging sweetness and fruit notes as we did a progressive sampling of coffees grown in lower elevations to higher. A selection grown at higher than 6,000 feet proved the most palatable to me (again, I'€™m biased), with a lush, oily feel, some notes of berry flavors and a certain richness.

What did I learn? That there's more to coffee than meets the eye (or the nose, for that matter). There'€™s an opportunity for restaurant and beverage pros to differentiate their operation by differentiating their coffee offerings. Going for quality, educating the guest on where the coffees come from and what makes them unique can get the consumer who today will shell out $4 for a Starbucks in a paper cup to dig deeper in their pocket for something truly special served in a lovely cup and delivered with some flair and information.

 I also learned that I still don'€™t particularly like coffee, but I sure can appreciate it as something special.

In the winner's circle

Winning isn’t everything, but it sure feels good. Just ask Kip Snider. As Cheers contributing editor Jim Scarpa was putting the finishing touches on our profile of Yard House in the January issue of Cheers, the judging of the 2007 Cheers Awards for Beverage Excellence showed the Irvine, Calif.-based chain to be the winner in the Best Chain Overall Beverage Program. As corporate beverage director, Snider received this well-deserved award at the Cheers Beverage Conference in New Orleans on January 29. His year is off to a great start!

Snider is among 11 operator recipients and two industry professionals who received Cheers Awards for Beverage Excellence. We received a record number of entries this year from a range of multi-unit operators, and our judging panel—comprised of several previous winners and Cheers Editorial Advisory Board members, along with members of the Cheers Beverage Conference team, including myself—were challenged to identify the best of the best.

What put these companies’ programs over the top? For the most part, programs long on creativity, operational excellence, ease of execution and positive results edged out the competition.

While these are the official winners, the beverage business is full of individuals and programs worthy of recognition. While in Chicago recently, I had the pleasure of dining at Shaw’s Crab House, where wine and spirits director Steve Tindle personally selected wines to accompany the meal. From the Sigalas Asstrtiko 2005 from Santorini, Greece that accompanied the buttery bay scallops to the Australian Huber Eiswein 2003 that ended the extraordinary experience, Steve’s passion for leading us on a wine exploration makes him a winner in my book.

Who are the winners on your team? Look for them, call them out. Is yours a winning operation? If not, why not? If so, how can you make that known? (Here’s a hint: entering the 2008 Cheers Awards for Beverage Excellence or, for independents, the Cheers Benchmark Awards are good opportunities…)

Winning can do more than make you feel good. Winning draws attention from management, media and guests, pumping up employee morale and pride. Bottom line, it’s good for your business.

Here’s to a winning 2007! Cheers!