Culinary Communion: Server Wine Education

	The pleasures of the table belong to all ages, to all conditions, to all countries and to every day; they can be associated with all the other pleasures and remain the last to console us for the loss of the rest.
—Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826)

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Living Room Wine Classes Server Wine Education

Server Wine Education

Restaurant servers are relied upon to know about all of the wines on a restaurant's list and to be able to accurately describe those wines and match them to menu items. But restaurants can't afford to open every bottle on their wine list so that new servers can learn about all the wines. So a lot of servers don't know much about the wines that they're selling; often, they're forced to guess and stumble when asked to describe or pair a wine.

Guests can tell. No one wants to be given the wrong information about wine, especially an expensive bottle, and especially by someone who's supposed to be the expert. Yet a server doesn't want to make him- or herself, or the restaurant, look bad by admitting lack of knowledge.

If servers had the opportunity to learn the attributes and characteristics of the big bottles on their restaurant's list, they would be better able to comfortably, confidently talk about wine with their guests. Everyone benefits from this: The guests can tell that their server knows of what he or she speaks (especially after they themselves taste the wine); the server is better able to sell the big bottles and to appear knowlegeable; and the restaurant not only looks good but makes a bigger sale, too.

Culinary Communion's Server Wine Education Program focuses on teaching servers about the specific bottles on a their restaurant's list. Servers will learn how to describe the wines, compare them against one another, and pair them to items on that restaurant's menu. They will be able to feel confident about talking to their tables about wine, which will lead to happier customers and bigger sales.

For Servers:

Improve your add-on sales by increasing your wine knowledge: register for a Culinary Communion Server Wine Education Class. We'll work with your group on the date and on which of the bottles on your wine list you'd like to start with. We can do one class or a series of them, to cover all of the wines on your list. Here's what to do:

Gather a group of your friends and/or coworkers (if you're all from the same restaurant, or restaurants with the same wine list, the class will suit everyone better).
Talk to your manager about hosting the class at your restaurant, maybe after hours, on a day you're closed, or even before service (we'll spit the wine tastes out, we promise!). Or,
Host a wine class in your home (yes, even if it's a small apartment: this is a casual, informal class). You'll get free tuition! This is the way to go if you're broke, but still want to do the class.

For Restaurants:

Increasing servers' wine knowledge increases your bottom line. Help your servers achieve greater sales through a more in-depth understanding of the bottles, not just the glasses, on your list. Management involvement can fit in anywhere in a wide spectrum:

Post information about CC Server Wine Education in your break room, tell your servers about it, and encourage them to come. (We can provide fliers and cards; just give us a call at 206.284.8687.) And/or...
Volunteer your restaurant's dining room as a venue for the class, either before or after service; and/or...
Donate a few big bottles from your list to increase the span of the class's curriculum; and/or...
Make an investment in your servers (and make them happier and boost morale at the same time) by partially or fully subsidizing servers' class tuition.

Call us today at 206.284.8687 to set up a Server Education Class!