310 Chapter 14 The Customer Experience: Product, Service, and Training Issues
unique services can improve their competitive position in the marketplace. This differenti-
ation is an effective strategy to help build customer loyalty and reduce competition based
solely on price.^2
There are a number of tactics that are useful to round out a food and wine pairing
capability. Some of these issues include product and service considerations for a food and
wine program, menus and wine lists, service elements, and wine selection considerations.
Many of these issues are based on tradition and ritual, while others have more to do with
innovation and fashion.FOOD AND WINE TRAINING PROCESS
Akey promotional tool of any successful food and wine program is the implementation
of an ongoing training process within the food and beverage unit. Prior to its implemen-
tation, each food service firm needs to determine an ideal food-and-wine program based on
the needs of its customers.The wine steward—a
traditional symbol of
knowledge and service.What constitutes the ideal restaurant experience for the typical
food-and-wine customer? Of course, service quality is in the eye of the
beholder, and the process has many intangible elements, including re-
liability, responsiveness, competence, courtesy, and communication, as
well as understanding the consumer. One aspect of quality relates to
how the organization conceives of its business objectives, how food and
wine fit into that perspective, and how it all meshes with the expectations
of the customer.
To provide a good wine and food program, several items need to
be in place. First, the wine list (in whatever form) needs to be readily
available to the guest. Automatically presenting a wine list to each table
is one method. A second method is to ensure that all of the members
of the team are knowledgeable and excited about wine and food. An
ideal situation is an establishment that values the role of wine and how
it can enhance the cuisine as well as the guests’ enjoyment. In other
words, you should strive to create a culture of wine and food.
One simple method to reinforce this culture is to encourage your
associates to discuss only wine and food while at work rather than sports,
movies, or other unrelated topics. When staffers constantly communi-
cate with each other, interactive and continuous learning will take place
and will help the entire staff be more comfortable discussing wine and
food with guests and more likely to take the initiative in doing so.
The ideal restaurant will also have a wine-by-the-glass program
to encourage individuals and small groups to have wine with their food.
This includes offering things such as a single glass of Champagne as an
aperitif, a single glass of white wine with an appetizer course, and a glass of dessert or
fortified wine to finish the meal.
The ideal restaurant will have a wine list of appropriate length featuring wines that
enhance the style of cooking on the menu. The list should provide an ample number of
choices in a variety of price ranges; the service should provide enough time to consider wine
choices with food selections; the server should be ready when signaled to make recommen-
dations and complete the transaction; and all of the wines on the list should be in stock and
be the vintages listed on the wine list.
Having staff that can effectively, confidently, and enthusiastically recommend wine and
food pairings is at the heart of an ideal situation. A big part of achieving this objective is
tied to the pairing instrument, decision tree, and scoring method presented in this text. All