A few weeks in the US are the best way to fuel inspiration in a sometimes overwhelmed mind. The last few weeks were no exception.  I had the opportunity to go to various restaurants and noticed a few changes in the way some hospitality businesses are run in our lean times.

Two years ago, Leslie Thomas, a young wine consultant in Santa Barbara, CA, partnered with an organic local restaurant, Spiritland Bistro,  to offer a rather creative program, BYOB wine and dine. Once a month, people bring their own bottles of wine to match the theme: Pinot Noir, Roussane and Marsanne, Zinfandel, or whatever fits the attendees or Leslie.  The menu is designed to pair the wines. Of course, there is no corkage fee.  At the beginning, there were about 20 to 30 people attending the dinner. The relaxed setting, the convivial tables, the quality of the wines brought by the attendees and the moderate costs – the price of your bottle and the dinner – brought an immediate success to the event. Nowadays about 50 people gather every first Wednesday of the month to the dinner.

While in Santa Barbara or in Napa, we brought bottles to several restaurants. Some of them lifted the corkage fee (ZuZu in Napa), one reduced it from $20 to $14 dollars and charged only once for our several bottles (Arts and Letters Café) while the last one, Olio e Limone, charged full price ($20 for each bottle) in spite of the fact the chef and the waiter were offered to share a glass with us.  What did those various policies tell me as a consumer?

- Some restaurants really care about their customers: they want them to have a nice experience and to come back with more friends. After all, what is the extra cost to a restaurant for washing a few extra glasses and having a waiter opening a bottle?

- Some restaurants think it is more important to make money than to care about their customers’  happiness. Too bad but this “European” attitude is not what will make customers loyal, at least not in the uS and even if the food is good.

BYOB is a very good way to attract wine lovers to a restaurant but corkage fees can (and sometimes should) be lifted when customers are loyal customers or, on the contrary, new customers who could become trendsetters.

Wine by the glass is a different story.  The price of bottles are sometimes a little extravagant. Why spend $50 or more on a bottle of wine you know you’ll buy from $15or 20 in a store? Consumers are usually ready for new experiences: why not a glass of a very good wine at $10 rather than a bottle of average wine at $30? A lot of restaurateurs understood this new trend and are now offering more wines by the glass. When a few years ago consumers had the choice between 6 wines and were not sure of how long the bottle stood open, they are now offered a more interesting and long list of wines: “The public has become more interested in different wines and different producers of different varietals, and there are more varietals available than there have been in the past”, said the owner of the Prohibition-Speakeasy Wine Club in Healdsburg, Richard Rosenberg, to The Fresno Bee. The quality of the experience is enhanced and the consumer happy.  And it’s much easier to get back behind the wheel after moderate drinking.

BYOB if you are not sure of the wine list or select your restaurant by its offer of wine by the glass? The consumers’ choice, but now at least there is a choice.

For a non American, the three-tier system of wine distribution  is very puzzling.  But some wine professionals are now working on improving the system for the benefit of the consumers or at least suggesting some solutions.

In his interview to Vin65 a few days ago, Paul Mabray, CEO of VinTank and founder and former CEO of Inertia Beverage Group,  raised several interesting points.

First of all, what is the most important component of a marketing strategy for a wine brand? It is to be consumer centric. Every wine brand is in direct competition with the other 55,000 brands.

Then, next question, how to reach this consumer? For Paul, “DTT  provides a healthy route to market for small brands or products. It acts as an incubator for brand building”.  What is DTT? It means Direct to Trade Sales and refers to a sale made directly by a winery to a restaurant or wine merchant.  Wholesalers feel threatened by this cut in the three-tier system. In fact, DTT provides, as Paul pointed out, a way for smaller brands to reach the end consumers, get awareness and then be in a position to push the sale.  I’m not an expert on distribution but I’m convinced that the three-tier system has to open up to other routes. Wine brands need to be able to access the end consumers while not only reducing their costs but mostly by providing the end consumers with a brand at a fair price, especially now that Americans are cutting on their restaurants’ meals. It could be a great incentive for them.

DTC is a different story. Most wine drinkers buy a bottle to drink it within the next few hours. E-commerce or wine clubs are more dedicated to wine consumers who are ready to wait for a special brand, cellar it if necessary and let it age.  E-commerce provides brands widely recognized by the consumers for their rarity, their price and/or their quality. Wineries clubs help the wineries build the loyalty of their customers and raise the brand awareness.

Paul’s suggestions are roads to be explored widely by wineries and brands.  Too many wineries are not yet convinced that Internet is the best and the cheapest way to build awareness, reach potential consumers and interface with customers.  Let the people talk between themselves, don’t be afraid of a bad review, get in the conversation, tweet, be on Facebook.  But mostly listen to people: you’ll learn a lot on their expectations as consumers and you’ll be able to build a better service to them, answer their needs, cater to their wishes and be recognized as their favorite brand.