Does your menu look like the gatekeeper of a lost archive? A woman with centuries of wisdom etched into her face. Each book is labeled like a sacred text: Merlot. Chardonnay. Riesling. Pinot Noir.
If you didn’t know better, you’d think she was guarding state secrets.
But she’s not. At least, that’s what it feels like in most restaurants. Wine service has become a ritual of exclusion.
Menus written like archives. Servers afraid to admit what they don’t know.
And guests left feeling like they should’ve studied before dinner.
It’s not wine that’s the problem.
It’s how we present it.
If your guests need a scholar to interpret your wine list, it’s not clever, it’s costing you money and certainly not client centric.
Here’s what to do instead:
*Build menus that are inviting, not intimidating
*Use language that real people use (“light and zesty,” not “high acid, low tannin”)
*Offer flights so guests can discover without risk
*Train staff to guide, not gatekeep
Great wine service doesn’t feel like research. It feels like connection. Something you want to share with a friend.
You don’t need to make your guests smarter.
You just need to make them feel seen.
Every pour has a purpose. Every menu, a strategy.
Uncork your menus potential. DM if you want to talk strategy.