No matter what beverage brands you use or which beverage companies you use as beverage vendors, you can set your restaurant apart from the competition by simply knowing what beverages are popular and offering them to your customers.

By following beverages news and trends you can develop a good sense of what’s selling in other markets before you even make the investment in time and energy to change your beverage menu. As you look at new beverage products, there are some trends to consider:

1. The continuing love of all things coffee. Adding specialty coffees is a good moneymaker.

2. The popularity of water. Bottled waters are popular beverages and you can easily add the new flavored waters and vitamin waters to your beverage menu.

3. The development of new beers and other alcoholic beverages. You can create your own house specialty mixed drinks or stock beers from microbreweries.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Sign up for newsletters about beverages

Whether the newsletter provider is one of your beverage distributors or an independent source of information, you can gather many ideas about news and trends within the beverage industry.

I recommend: Manitowoc Food Service Group offers a free newsletter. As you read about the drink industry, you can use its newsletter as a guide to beverages. News and trends are major topics in each monthly issue. Sign up for the Lawson newsletters to track beverages news and trends from this industry leader. For breaking news on the beverage industry, try BevNET.com, Progressive Grocer or Beverage World.

Read articles and white papers about beverages

As you read informative articles, you can find new ways to serve beverages in your establishment. You can also find solid business tips to help you make more money from your investment in your beverage equipment.

I recommend: Read news and trends about alcoholic beverages at FoodReference.com. From seasonal beers to flavored vodkas, you can find information about what’s new in the alcoholic beverage industry. ChowBaby.com has several articles about beverages on its website. Scroll down the page to find the selection of titles, including information about new beverage products, as well as ways to increase beverage sales for your business.

Find blogs that discuss beverages

Quite often blogs are more current with news and trends within the beverage industry. Find blogs that discuss the types of beverages that you serve to your customers.

I recommend: The REthink Wine Blog by the Inertia Beverage Group offers insight into news and trends in this sector of the alcoholic beverage industry. BevBlog.net provides news and trends for beverage distributors, as well as drink manufacturers.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Be sure to stay in touch with the distributor of the beverage brands you offer in your restaurant. He should be able to keep you informed of news and trends within his business. Another valuable contact person is the delivery person. He should also have a good idea of what products are selling and what products aren't.

In restaurant sales, beverage products weigh heavily into the bottom line. Ounce for ounce, beverages are the biggest money makers, especially when you factor in things like alcoholic drinks and cocktails. So if you choose your beverage products wisely, your restaurant will thrive. Choose incorrectly, and your sales may suffer.

Stocking your restaurant and bar with the right combination of beverage brands can be a bit tricky. It's important to look at your demographics and your own business plan to make sure that you have all your bases covered. You need to find a vendor that has good contacts in these groups:

1. Alcoholic beverage industry

2. Non-alcoholic beverage industry

3. Various other beverage vendors

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find a good go-between with the beverage companies

Trying to keep track of all the different beverage brands can be a nightmare, which is why a professional, reliable beverage vendor is essential for any busy restaurant. All you have to do is order the products, and the vendor deals with the rest. Your vendor should work with both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages so that you can get everything in one place.

I recommend: Find the right beverage vendor for your restaurant's needs. Check out a beverage vendor directory such as the Food and Beverage Market Place Online Database or the MNI Guide to find one close to you. Once you've narrowed down the list, start contacting vendors to compare prices and product availability.

Keep tabs on beverage sales

If you pay attention to sales patterns, you'll start to see some clear-cut favorites in your beverage lineup. This may vary depending on the season, so it's important to check your drink sales weekly, monthly and quarterly to look for trends. Over time, you can anticipate needs and stock up before you have a run on ice tea or frozen lattes. You may also find it helpful to ask the servers regularly what customers are asking for that you don't already have in stock.

I recommend: Keep a good inventory of what you have and what you need. You never want to run out of anything, so keep tabs on drink orders with a point of sale system like NuRol or Aldelo, or do it the old-fashioned way with paper and pen. Some drink vendors keep track of what you ordered last time, to help with re-ordering, so always ask for the last order's data. It doesn’t matter how you do it, as long as you look for those trends and patterns.

Stay on top of the newest beverage brands coming down the pipeline

The drink industry is constantly evolving and changing, so it's imperative that you keep on top of the newest trends for your restaurant. If you're the first on the block to offer the latest cold coffee drink or sparkling water, you can bet that the sales will follow.

I recommend: Educate yourself on the drink industry. Read up on drink news at Drinks Business, and focus on the research center for in-depth reviews on the current market. Just-drinks.com is another site that can help you see trends and sales forecasts for the upcoming seasons.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you plan on serving alcoholic beverages, make sure that your liquor license is up to date and covers everything. Some only allow for wine or beer, while others allow a fully stocked bar.

Bartending may look fun and easy, but it takes a lot of hard work, business and people skills and beverages education and training to be successful. Bartenders not only mix drinks and take care of beverage sales, they work with the wait staff, have a strong understanding of beverage brands and care, stock beverages through beverage vendors and more. In most bars and restaurants, bartending jobs are tough to come by--so do everything you can to impress your future boss. Get great training and ease your way into the job you desire.

Although on-the-job training as a cocktail waitress or waiter is a time-honored way to learn the ropes of bartending, there are several other ways to enhance your skills in the alcoholic beverage industry:

1. Attend brick-and-mortar or online alcoholic beverages school.

2. Immerse yourself in the magazines of the alcoholic beverage industry.

3. Keep on the lookout for other educational materials for alcoholic beverage makers.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Train formally to serve beverage products

Bartending school is a good way to supplement your experience as a server. You'll learn recipes, business tips and other necessary skills for being a successful bartender.

I recommend: Get bartending training in the comfort of your own home through Bartending College Online, or find a training school near you on the American Bartender's School website.

Read periodicals targeted at the drink industry

To keep up to date on new drinks, new business ideas and new trends, immerse yourself in good magazines targeted at beverage companies and bartenders. Bartending is a competitive business; you can't afford to fall behind.

I recommend: Bartender.com is the home of "Bartender Magazine," an essential educational resource for bartenders. "Chilled Magazine" is a newer, hip periodical devoted to the trade of bartending.

Keep an open eye for other opportunities in the alcoholic beverages business

To keep in the know, it's essential to keep up with new recipes and trends. Magazines certainly help with that, but it's also wise to have a few classic and newer bartending guides on hand. Most of these will be in book form, but sometimes bartending software will be useful, too.

I recommend: Upper Hand Software offers BarSim, interactive drink recipe and bartending training software. Bottles-Up offers a good collection of bartending books on the market, including "Bar Code Book," "Low Carb Cocktails Book" and "Drinktionary."

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When looking at bartending schools, look for one that will help you find a job or internship at a local bar or restaurant serving alcoholic beverages.