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Starting a Wine Club at Your Restaurant: A Step-by-Step Guide

Starting a Wine Club at Your Restaurant: A Step-by-Step Guide
Introduction

Have you ever wanted to start a wine club at your restaurant? It's a great way to bring in extra revenue, get your customers more involved, and show off your knowledge about the seemingly endless variety of wines.

If you're considering starting a wine club at your restaurant, you're in luck! We'll cover the ins and outs of what it takes to create an amazing wine club experience for your customers. You'll learn the basics of how to create an appealing rewards program or offer discounts for wine purchases.

We'll also go over creative ways to educate your customers about different kinds of wines, including offering fun tastings or organizing events around specific wineries. With this guide in hand, you can have a thriving wine club that customers can't get enough of. So let's get started!

Benefits of Starting a Wine Club

Creating a wine club for your restaurant offers a great way to generate a steady cash flow that can be both beneficial and lucrative. Not only will you be able to give your guests exclusive access to small production wines and hard-to-get bottles, but you'll also have the opportunity to increase revenue through the sale of specialty glasses, corkscrews, and other related items.

In addition to providing customers with access to unique wines, wine clubs are great for customer loyalty programs. As members pay for each bottle of their favorite product, you can reward them with discounts on future purchases or by offering special events such as tastings or food pairing nights.

By creating an attractive membership option, you'll be able to attract more customers who are looking to build a relationship with your restaurant while also enjoying exclusive access to curated wines.

How to Promote Your Wine Club

Once you start your wine club, you want to make sure customers are aware they can take advantage of it. The most important thing is to tell your story; how do you source the wine, what type of wines do you offer, and how does your pricing work?

When it comes to pricing, consider what customers typically spend on a bottle of wine and use this as a guide for setting prices for the wine club membership.

You should also make sure to take advantage of online marketing and social media to increase direct sales. Creating content on Instagram or Twitter that highlights rare and interesting bottles in your collections will help engage potential customers. You can also create an email newsletter to keep current members informed of upcoming events and give them sneak previews of new bottles being added to the collection.

Using a Mobile App for Your Wine Club

A great way to give your customers access to the wine club experience is by creating a mobile app for them. With an app, you can provide personalized offers, generate loyalty rewards, and integrate with your loyalty program. You’ll also be able to showcase your wine list and create a space for people to chat in the app and get notifications when new wines or special deals arrive.

Having a mobile app also allows you to:

  • Generate new customers and retain current ones
  • Keep customers up-to-date on special offers, events, and new product releases
  • Track purchases and analytics to optimize the Wine Club experience
  • Allow customers to easily register for Wine Club events
  • Offer members exclusive access to certain features or rewards
  • Integrate with third-party software for automatic payments, orders and more

Using a mobile app for your Wine Club can make it more accessible and give it an extra layer of convenience and engagement with customers. With the right strategic planning — plus integration with other software — you’ll have the success of your Wine Club at your fingertips!

Offering Exclusive Deals and Promotions

Next, you'll want to make sure that your Wine Club members are getting something special for their membership. Offering exclusive deals, discounts, and promotions can be a great way to make your Wine Club stand out from the competition.

For example, you could offer:

  • Discounted wine bottles: Provide bargain deals on bottles of wine to members. This will give them incentive to join and enjoy the discounts only your club offers.
  • Special offers: Include rewards like free tastings or a free bottle of wine after five purchases. Having the ability to earn rewards adds value to the membership and makes it more attractive.
  • Bundles or packages: Offer bundles that include multiple bottles of wine at reduced prices as an added bonus when someone joins your club. This also saves members time since they don’t have to search around for different wines; plus, bundles reduce the amount of time needed for packaging.
  • Promotions: Run digital advertisements and promotions through social media or email that allow members to spread the word about your Wine Club and share unique discounts with their friends or family.
Building Customer Loyalty With Your Wine Club

Starting a wine club at your restaurant is not the same as starting any other loyalty program. While you may offer discounts and other promotions, your wine club needs to focus on elevating customers’ experience with wine and giving them some extra perks.

Making it Fun

By focusing on one lane—whether it's a particular region, producer, grape variety or style—you can help members become mini-experts in your wines and make the wine club an interesting experience. You could even host blind tastings to stimulate their palates and challenge them to identify flavors, scents and notes in the wines.

Building Relationships and Trust

In order for a wine club to be successful, you must have strong relationships with members of your club. Offer personalized service by getting to know their tastes so you can tailor wine recommendations to their individual preferences. When building relationships with customers, trust is essential; they must feel comfortable knowing they’re in good hands when they are offered special or limited edition bottles or unique selection crates.

Added Benefits

Offer additional benefits like invite-only dinners featuring winemakers or access to special events at your restaurant in order to make the wine club feel more like a loyalty program. These extra benefits will not only delight members but also encourage them to purchase more than just the bottles of wine that come with membership privileges.

Tips for Successful Running Your Wine Club

Starting a wine club can be rewarding, especially when you build a loyal following. A successful wine club needs some extra care and attention. Here are some tips to help you make it successful:

Know your laws and set goals

Make sure you are up-to-date with local regulations about running a wine club. Educate yourself on your responsibilities as the leader of the wine club. Make sure to consult an attorney for any legal advice regarding the running of your wine club. Set realistic goals for your wine club, such as increasing sales or building relationships with customers.

Assign duties for each meeting

In order to make sure each meeting runs smoothly, it's important to assign duties to different people. It will help keep things organized, especially if your group is large. Assign someone to be responsible for selecting wines and setting the agenda, someone to manage finances and reservations, and someone to handle the marketing of each event.

Focus on Three Areas

To ensure growth in your wine club, focus on three areas: marketing, infrastructure, and retention. Work on spreading the word about your upcoming meeting through word of mouth and social media. Invest in technology that will make managing reservations easier as well as keeping track of memberships and payments. Finally, reward loyal members with discounted prices or exclusive discounts so they keep coming back!

Conclusion

Ultimately, a wine club can be an excellent way to incentivize customer loyalty and reward your regulars at your restaurant. Think of it as a way to offer exclusive offers, discounts, and special events that are only available to your wine club members.

Through a virtual wine club, you can create a mobile app with app-only promotions, reward points, and monthly email newsletters. Plus, you can add a social element by connecting customers with each other—allowing them to share their favorite bottles, food pairings, and experiences at your restaurant.

By investing in a wine club, you can create a unique experience, engaging your customers with exclusive loyalty programs and offering them an opportunity to explore and learn about their favorite wines with an expert touch.

Starting a Wine Club at Your Restaurant: A Step-by-Step Guide

Starting a Wine Club at Your Restaurant: A Step-by-Step Guide
by
Soma Amir
by
Doron Segal
by
Tomer Molovinsky
by
Olivia Terenzio
by
Jessica Buckley
by
Ashley Rodriguez
March 25, 2020
Introduction

Have you ever wanted to start a wine club at your restaurant? It's a great way to bring in extra revenue, get your customers more involved, and show off your knowledge about the seemingly endless variety of wines.

If you're considering starting a wine club at your restaurant, you're in luck! We'll cover the ins and outs of what it takes to create an amazing wine club experience for your customers. You'll learn the basics of how to create an appealing rewards program or offer discounts for wine purchases.

We'll also go over creative ways to educate your customers about different kinds of wines, including offering fun tastings or organizing events around specific wineries. With this guide in hand, you can have a thriving wine club that customers can't get enough of. So let's get started!

Benefits of Starting a Wine Club

Creating a wine club for your restaurant offers a great way to generate a steady cash flow that can be both beneficial and lucrative. Not only will you be able to give your guests exclusive access to small production wines and hard-to-get bottles, but you'll also have the opportunity to increase revenue through the sale of specialty glasses, corkscrews, and other related items.

In addition to providing customers with access to unique wines, wine clubs are great for customer loyalty programs. As members pay for each bottle of their favorite product, you can reward them with discounts on future purchases or by offering special events such as tastings or food pairing nights.

By creating an attractive membership option, you'll be able to attract more customers who are looking to build a relationship with your restaurant while also enjoying exclusive access to curated wines.

How to Promote Your Wine Club

Once you start your wine club, you want to make sure customers are aware they can take advantage of it. The most important thing is to tell your story; how do you source the wine, what type of wines do you offer, and how does your pricing work?

When it comes to pricing, consider what customers typically spend on a bottle of wine and use this as a guide for setting prices for the wine club membership.

You should also make sure to take advantage of online marketing and social media to increase direct sales. Creating content on Instagram or Twitter that highlights rare and interesting bottles in your collections will help engage potential customers. You can also create an email newsletter to keep current members informed of upcoming events and give them sneak previews of new bottles being added to the collection.

Using a Mobile App for Your Wine Club

A great way to give your customers access to the wine club experience is by creating a mobile app for them. With an app, you can provide personalized offers, generate loyalty rewards, and integrate with your loyalty program. You’ll also be able to showcase your wine list and create a space for people to chat in the app and get notifications when new wines or special deals arrive.

Having a mobile app also allows you to:

  • Generate new customers and retain current ones
  • Keep customers up-to-date on special offers, events, and new product releases
  • Track purchases and analytics to optimize the Wine Club experience
  • Allow customers to easily register for Wine Club events
  • Offer members exclusive access to certain features or rewards
  • Integrate with third-party software for automatic payments, orders and more

Using a mobile app for your Wine Club can make it more accessible and give it an extra layer of convenience and engagement with customers. With the right strategic planning — plus integration with other software — you’ll have the success of your Wine Club at your fingertips!

Offering Exclusive Deals and Promotions

Next, you'll want to make sure that your Wine Club members are getting something special for their membership. Offering exclusive deals, discounts, and promotions can be a great way to make your Wine Club stand out from the competition.

For example, you could offer:

  • Discounted wine bottles: Provide bargain deals on bottles of wine to members. This will give them incentive to join and enjoy the discounts only your club offers.
  • Special offers: Include rewards like free tastings or a free bottle of wine after five purchases. Having the ability to earn rewards adds value to the membership and makes it more attractive.
  • Bundles or packages: Offer bundles that include multiple bottles of wine at reduced prices as an added bonus when someone joins your club. This also saves members time since they don’t have to search around for different wines; plus, bundles reduce the amount of time needed for packaging.
  • Promotions: Run digital advertisements and promotions through social media or email that allow members to spread the word about your Wine Club and share unique discounts with their friends or family.
Building Customer Loyalty With Your Wine Club

Starting a wine club at your restaurant is not the same as starting any other loyalty program. While you may offer discounts and other promotions, your wine club needs to focus on elevating customers’ experience with wine and giving them some extra perks.

Making it Fun

By focusing on one lane—whether it's a particular region, producer, grape variety or style—you can help members become mini-experts in your wines and make the wine club an interesting experience. You could even host blind tastings to stimulate their palates and challenge them to identify flavors, scents and notes in the wines.

Building Relationships and Trust

In order for a wine club to be successful, you must have strong relationships with members of your club. Offer personalized service by getting to know their tastes so you can tailor wine recommendations to their individual preferences. When building relationships with customers, trust is essential; they must feel comfortable knowing they’re in good hands when they are offered special or limited edition bottles or unique selection crates.

Added Benefits

Offer additional benefits like invite-only dinners featuring winemakers or access to special events at your restaurant in order to make the wine club feel more like a loyalty program. These extra benefits will not only delight members but also encourage them to purchase more than just the bottles of wine that come with membership privileges.

Tips for Successful Running Your Wine Club

Starting a wine club can be rewarding, especially when you build a loyal following. A successful wine club needs some extra care and attention. Here are some tips to help you make it successful:

Know your laws and set goals

Make sure you are up-to-date with local regulations about running a wine club. Educate yourself on your responsibilities as the leader of the wine club. Make sure to consult an attorney for any legal advice regarding the running of your wine club. Set realistic goals for your wine club, such as increasing sales or building relationships with customers.

Assign duties for each meeting

In order to make sure each meeting runs smoothly, it's important to assign duties to different people. It will help keep things organized, especially if your group is large. Assign someone to be responsible for selecting wines and setting the agenda, someone to manage finances and reservations, and someone to handle the marketing of each event.

Focus on Three Areas

To ensure growth in your wine club, focus on three areas: marketing, infrastructure, and retention. Work on spreading the word about your upcoming meeting through word of mouth and social media. Invest in technology that will make managing reservations easier as well as keeping track of memberships and payments. Finally, reward loyal members with discounted prices or exclusive discounts so they keep coming back!

Conclusion

Ultimately, a wine club can be an excellent way to incentivize customer loyalty and reward your regulars at your restaurant. Think of it as a way to offer exclusive offers, discounts, and special events that are only available to your wine club members.

Through a virtual wine club, you can create a mobile app with app-only promotions, reward points, and monthly email newsletters. Plus, you can add a social element by connecting customers with each other—allowing them to share their favorite bottles, food pairings, and experiences at your restaurant.

By investing in a wine club, you can create a unique experience, engaging your customers with exclusive loyalty programs and offering them an opportunity to explore and learn about their favorite wines with an expert touch.

Soma Amir

About the author

Doron Segal

About the author

Hey I'm Doron, the co-founder & CTO of Per Diem — a mobile app platform for restaurants. I'm also a dad and a husband. I love to travel and meet new people.I love creating things, and see people using the stuff I built.Prior to Per Diem I worked at Saildrone, OpenTable, Apple, Beats Music, Siemens.

Tomer Molovinsky

About the author

A second time founder with a passion for building products at the intersection of hospitality and technology. I've had the pleasure of launching reservation systems, mobile payment solutions, and loyalty programs at OpenTable and Resy, and witnessed how operators were losing a direct connection with their customers online. We built Per Diem to strengthen the relationships that businesses have with those customers, and to ensure that local businesses can thrive in today's economy.

Olivia Terenzio

About the author

Jessica Buckley

About the author

Ashley Rodriguez

About the author

Ashley is a freelance writer and podcast producer based in Madison, Wisconsin. She hosts a podcast called Boss Barista and writes an accompanying newsletter with full transcripts of each episode and articles about coffee and restaurant work. You can check out her work here (ashleyrodriguez.work/).

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