Know the latest trends in alcoholic beverage consumption You need to know which type of alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, liquor) are seeing a rise or fall in consumption in order to choose the most profitable types for your restaurant.

I recommend:  Technomonic Inc., offers an Adult Beverage Category Report that lays out the latest alcoholic beverages trends and V&S Vin & Spirit offers information more specific to spirits or hard liquor.

Consider establishing an alcoholic beverages niche to keep inventory costs down Establishing a niche has a little bit to do with research and a lot to do with knowing your local market. If you find most people in your local area are beer drinkers, consider stocking a wide variety of beer (domestic, imports, micro brews) and a limited supply of liquors and wine. This not only draws in a diverse beer drinking crowd, but it also keeps costs down because you aren't buying and holding a lot of slow-moving inventory, which eats into profits.

I recommend:  Purchase inventory control software from The Bar Cop Network or Restaurant Resource Group to help you track alcoholic beverages inventory sales and costs.

Determine your potential profit from alcoholic beverage sales Discover your potential profit margins from the sale of beer, wine and liquor to determine which type of alcohol has the potential to make your restaurant the most profit.

I recommend:  Use Applied Beverage Technology Inc.'s Drink Profit Calculator to determine the profit margin per keg of beer. Purchase SellTech's Profit Story calculator for more detailed profit information on beer, wine and liquor sales.