You can increase your sales by offering food and beverage pairings in your restaurant. This will enhance the customer’s experience and help you to stand out from the competition. We will look at some techniques for food and drink pairings that you can use in your restaurant’s menu.
How important is food and beverage pairing for your restaurant’s success?
Food and beverage pairings are often overlooked but can help you to increase your profits and make you stand out from the crowd, by showing that you care about customer satisfaction.
Your drinks menu must always compliment your food menu. If you take it a step further, and suggest food and beverage pairings you can reduce the customer’s decision fatigue.
Your menu will help them to make the right choice.
This is something that not many restaurants do, and it will make your brand stand out. increase the rate of customer retention.
Beer, Wine, and Spirits Pairing Chart
Here is a chart that will help you understand the basics of food and beverage pairing. It includes ideas for wine, beer and spirits, which are all popular beverages.
Use these food and beverage pairing techniques to boost restaurant sales
1. Learn the basics of food and wine pairing
Wine is the most popular beverage for food and drink matchings. What are the basics of pairing wine and food?
- Acidity If you are eating rich foods such as spicy Chinese dishes, crabcakes, or sauces like chicken alfredo then you should choose acidic wines, like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio.
- Sweetness Serve spicy or salty foods with sweet or semisweet wines like Merlot or Garnacha.
- The tannins in red wine give it a slight bitter taste. You should avoid pairing them with spicy foods like Mexican and Thai. Choose prime rib or ribeye steak to pair with red wines. Roast duck is also a good choice. Zinfandels are excellent examples of red wine, as well as Cabernet Sauvignons and Malbecs.
2. Consider pairing food with beer to reach a wider audience
People also enjoy pairing their food with beer. Here are some rules for food and beer pairings to remember:
- Light Lagers pair well with spicy foods, salads and burgers.
- Wheat beer pairs well with spicy foods and fruity desserts
- India pale ales (IPAs) go well with Mexican, steak, and barbecue.
- Amber ales pair well with pizzas, fried foods, and smoked meat.
- Dark Lagers go well with pizza, hamburgers, and hearty soups.
- Brown ales pair amazingly well with sushi, sausage, and fish.
- Porters pair well with seafood and game meats as well as coffee-flavored desserts.
- Stouts pair well with shellfish and Mexican cuisine. They also go great with chocolate desserts.
3. Select the perfect food and beverage pairings to complement your main dish
Think about your main dishes when deciding what food and drinks to serve at your restaurant.
Take inspiration from these specific food and beverage pairings:
- White meat poultry: Pair white meat poultry with Chardonnay or Riesling for saucy dishes. Red wine is required for dark poultry meat.
- Pork Choose: White wine (Chenin blanc, Riesling), stouts or wheat beer that are bold, light and acidic (Pinot Noir).
- Lamb and beef: Choose a robust red wine like Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec or Super Tuscan for steaks or roasts of beef, or a light ale, pale ale or amber ale. Choose a lighter red, like an Italian Chianti, Pinot Noir, or pale ale, for lamb.
- Fish: Chardonnay pairs well with fish and seafood, including lobster, shrimp and scallops.
- Spicy Food: Choose light, acidic wines such as Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling or beers, like Belgian ale, IPA, or Belgian ale, if you are serving spicy food.
- Desserts: When it comes to desserts, you should find the right balance between sweet and acidic. Select a Champagne or semi-sweet sparkling. Zinfandel pairs well with dark fruit pies, while pecan pies pair well with Port, apple pies with Gewurztraminer and Creme Brulee goes with Moscato. Dark chocolate desserts go with Shiraz.
4. Think of non-alcoholic cocktails and food combinations
Some people do not want to or are able to consume alcohol in a restaurant. Offer non-alcoholic beverages and food combinations that appeal to a wider audience.
Create non-alcoholic cocktails using the ingredients below:
- Green Tea for Sushi
- Grape juice for pizzas
- Ginger for Indian food
- Lemon For Seafood
- Unsweetened Ice Tea for Steak
- Sparkling White Grape Juice for Fried Chicken
- Sweet Tea for BBQ
- Pomegranate or cranberry juice for chocolate deserts
5. Organise a special event with a food and wine pairing menu
Wine-tasting events are a great way to showcase your culinary skills and show off how your favorite dishes complement your drinks.
It will bring in more customers to your restaurant by offering a fun night of tasting different foods and wines.
Create strong partnerships within the community. Look for local distributors and wineries who will work with you on this special event.
6. Online ordering of food and drinks is easier with combos.
Food and beverage pairings should be available to customers who order their food from home. You can recommend drinks to go with specific foods by creating combinations at the top your online menu.
7. Food pairings can encourage customers to purchase more.
Customers will return to your restaurant if they can save money and enjoy a food and beverage pairing.
Offer promotions that showcase your food and beverage pairing techniques, such as offering a free drink to customers who purchase an appetizer with a main course or a 10% off a main meal and drink combination.
Wrapping up
These food and beverage pairings will improve your restaurant’s menu and offer customers a more enjoyable experience. They’ll be back again and again.
