
Another year, another dry January. But this year was different. A call from a friend last week, “They have a duo playing at The Boat House on Tuesday. Wanna go?” Ugh. Of course I want to go! But can I go and keep my commitment to myself by not drinking? And this place is super tiny. I can’t take up a seat and order a club soda. Much to my pleasant surprise, I arrive, sit down at the bar and ask the bartender, “do you have anything non-alcoholic?” “How about a glass of red wine?” Shock! What?! Here?! I look down and there’s a sign:
Dry January? We have zero-proof wine.
Finally. It’s catching on. It wasn’t spectacular, but it did the job. I felt at ease. I didn’t feel like I was being judged. I could hold a wine glass while listening to the band and it was no big whoop.
Then I see an event one of my clients is holding - Ska Flow Yoga at Broken Goblet Brewing with Home Brewed Events. Price includes the one-hour yoga class and a beer, cocktail, or mocktail afterwards. Yay! I can go a brewery and try a zero-proof cocktail? Sounds good to me. Exploring this new world of zero proof beverages is suddenly fascinating (and also now I don’t feel like a shut-in).
So, as I’m scrolling and seeing restaurants and donut shops complaining about how slow January is, I have a few recommendations:
You build your January business in December. Give them a reason to come back in January, whether that’s ska yoga with a mocktail, or a $10 coupon. One year, we did scratch offs, prizes good for the month of January. You may have also heard of the “secret envelope” promotion. You can’t open it—you bring the sealed envelope back in sometime in January and the server opens it when you sit down and tells you what your freebie is. How fun is that? You can promote late holiday parties (book your holiday party in January and get 1/2 price wings!). These ideas largely depend on your concept. The important part is, don’t get so bogged down in the busy-ness of December. Always be planning your next month.
For crying out loud, develop a zero-proof menu. And it’s not just for dry January. The trend is toward consuming less alcohol. Whether folks are getting older and can’t tolerate it as much anymore (ahem), or just never started drinking like the Gen-Zers, they are looking for a fun alternative, and willing to pay for it. My colleague Heather Ransome has been saying this for years, and now has a website dedicated to promoting inclusion for non-drinkers:
Zero Proof Go’s vision is to create space for those who are abstaining from alcohol for any length of time for any reason. We aim to participate in the creation of a new normal of inclusion in our bar, restaurants, venues, events, and society at large via awareness, education and connection.
There are many vendors for sourcing N/A beer, wine, and spirits. Try proofnomore.com, thezeroproof.com, and faire.com.
And guess what? According to a new survey, two out of three UK adults say the non-drinkers in their group influence the choice of venue when they go out. So just one N/A beer isn’t going to cut it. Why sell someone a $2 club soda when you can sell them a $12 zero-proof cocktail?
Take a vacation. January is a great time to go to the Bahamas, or Iceland, or anywhere but working at your restaurant. People aren’t just abstaining from alcohol, they’re also not eating sugar, trying to drop the 5-10 lbs they gained over the holidays, and likely also on a spending moratorium after the gift-giving season. January is also a good time to work on those repairs.
Did you know that restaurant operators who track and budget their prime costs on a weekly basis on average improve their net profit margins by five points? I can help you stay focused with weekly profitability coaching. Want to set up a call first? Book here.
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