Results of Restaurant Wine Program Survey

In the February 2009 Connect With Wine eNewsletter, we conducted a survey on the sales & service of wine in area restaurants. Since our subscriber-list is 80% consumer (and 20% industry), the majority of responses is likely to be from the viewpoint of customers, not servers. The results of the survey showed conclusively that Atlanta-area diners to restaurants/country clubs want some changes in the way they purchase wine, and the way wine is sold and served to them. Here are some "surprises" that came out of this survey: Consumers not only liked the idea of reviewing the wine program at restaurants, 97% felt it was helpful information for the restaurant! The majority of respondents asked to keep the review centered primarily on wine, with only a brief mention of cuisine. 82% of respondents said "Give us the low scoring restaurants too!" In the final question (open-ended) we saw multiple responses on the same few themes: Many people said they wanted us to cover restaurant wine corkage laws (bringing in your own bottle) as they felt too many restauranteurs stood behind these laws as an excuse to restrict service, as well as enforce unreasonable mark-ups on the wines. Similarly, many wanted us to publish a list of BYOW establishments We will strive to do our best in reporting the findings of a "mystery shopper". We understand that many restaurants work diligently to provide good selections and service, so our findings will aim to show both sides of the coin. In the end, we are hoping this information will be used to raise the level of wine service in dining situations. Full Disclosure: Atlanta Wine School is not involved in selecting the restaurants for review--that is the sole decision of the "mystery shopper." The mystery shopper will be just that--an unannounced and anonymous diner--who pays for 100% of their meals. Atlanta Wine School will provide a small stipend to the mystery shopper to off-set their dining costs. In the case of very low review scores, Atlanta Wine School will give the restaurant the benefit of the doubt by demanding another visit on another day. The mystery shopper will utilize a fixed review and scoring format, which will be identical for all restaurants. Finally, while reviewing/shopping package stores elicited great interest, we are going to focus only on restaurants for now.

Question 1: Do you think reporting on wine programs in Atlanta area restaurants is helpful information for consumers?		Question 2: Do you think reporting on wine programs in Atlanta area restaurants is helpful information for RESTAURANTS?


Question 3: Would you like to see cuisine also addressed in the same review?		Question 4: Is it helpful to post reviews of restaurants who obtain low scores?


Question 5: What is important to you personally when it comes to ordering wine at a restaurant or country club? (Check all that apply)		Question 6: Were you personally aware of this National Restaurant Association statistic: 95% of a fine dining restaurant's profits come from BEVERAGES?

	Question 8: Finally, is there anything we missed that you would like to share? A suggestion, an idea? (Open-ended question) "I like this idea as long as it's totally unbiased and not connected in any way with sponsors/advertisers. Unlike what we've learned about Wine XXXX magazine." "What about exbanding the area of coverage, especially to resorts, inns and restaurants where those of us in Atlanta vacation and travel for the day or weekend such as: Northeast Georgia Mountains and Savannah." "A spreadsheet/list of local and national restaurants with their corkage fee and BYO policies would be helpful, if that is public info." "Wine service and general server wine knowledge has got to improve. I would be interested in learning more about restaurants that have good programs for the reasons you mentioned above." "the wine service in most up scale restaurants in Atlanta is at fault. Especially when one decides to drink wine by the glass. The bottle should be brought to the table and the wine poured in front of the consumer, who should see if the wine poured is , in fact, the wine he is paying for, as well as the vintage, label and bottle." "Speak to markup... I bought a $60 bottle the other day at a nice restaurant in Alpharetta and saw the exact same bottle the next day in Costco for under $20. I'll never buy from that restaurant again." "If commenting only on positive achievements, the requirement for certified or authentic expertise of the writer/reveiwer is greatly diminished, (i.e. eliminates the need for a CSW, master Sommelier, a Culinary degree, etceteras). It also allows that your publication would be able to provide more balanced and accurate reviews, allowing the publisher to do a second opinion of restaurants that receive exceptionally bad or good reviews. This also provides for some tempering of reveiws that may be skewed one oway or another due to relationships, personal tastes or one having a "bad night", whether it be the writer or the restaurant. Should you require additional input, it would be my pleasure to assist in this project; it sounds like a wonderful idea that would serve an important function for your readership."
Question 7: Would a review of package stores--wine selection, service & pricing--be of interest?