Increasing drinks margins: Panel discussion at The Restaurant Show

At 22.7bn and in growth, the UK on-trade beer, wine and spirits market remains a star performer. This panel discussion at The Restaurant Show explores some of the current trends and identifies how you should be revising your drinks list over the next 12 months accordingly. 

Money made from drinks in food-led operations should account for 30-50 per cent of your total revenue, but even though consumers are now seeking cheaper options, there are a few tricks you can use to help your drinks offering fight back. As consumers look to cut back on their restaurant and bar bills, this panel discussion takes a look at the ways you can help your drinks offering boost your bottom line.

Ben Taylor and Gemma Pym from national drinks wholesaler Matthew Clark and Alastair Scott from Catton Hospitality discuss how to add value to your drinks offer to increase margins, differentiate your business and improve sales.

"I don't need to tell you that the market's really tough out there, it's pretty tricky," said Taylor. "It's not helped by the supermarkets which are having this price war at the moment, and the on-trade are really struggling to keep up with price."

"This is why we encourage our outlets to avoid trying to compete on price by trying to add additional value to differentiate themselves from the off-trade - so you have to give your customers a reason to use your outlet - give them something they can't get at home."

The panel discussion is broken into the drinks category of beer, spirits, soft drinks and wine - so whether you’re running a bar, restaurant or hotel, this podcast will give you all the tips you need to make sure your drinks offer has plenty of fizz.