Wine & Liquor Guides

Tap into the top guides for wine and liquor and discover new ways to enhance your menu with ideas from experts, cocktail recipes, and more!
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Do I Need a License to Bartend and Serve Alcohol?

Posted by Grace Lee-Weitz, August 9, 2022

Whether you’re a high-end cocktail emporium, one of the best watering holes around the country, or a neighborhood bar, chances are your bartenders and servers are part of the beating heart of your team. Accordingly, you need to make sure that they have all the proper licenses or certificates required to legally serve alcoholic beverages. Does a bartender or server need a license to serve or sell alcohol?

The question might be a little bit more complicated than you think because the answer varies from state to state and sometimes even county to county or city to city.

So we dug into the details to help you understand what your bartenders and servers legally need in order to serve or sell alcohol across the country.

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What Is the Difference Between Bottle Service and Table Service?

Posted by Grace Lee-Weitz, July 13, 2022

If you’ve ever been to a nightclub, you’re probably familiar with the term “bottle service;” and if you’ve ever worked in a restaurant, you’re probably familiar with the term “table service.” But what exactly is the difference between the two? And as a bar or restaurant owner, why should you care?

These may seem like simple or silly questions, but there is a distinct difference between bottle service and table service. Knowing the nuances of each can help you make better decisions for your business.

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A Guide to Corkage Fees

Posted by Sarah Buckholtz, July 6, 2022

There are a number of reasons why your patrons might enjoy bringing their own bottle of wine to your restaurant. Not only is it affordable, but it also enhances their experience.

As a business owner without a liquor license (or even one that has a license but still offers “bring your own bottle”), letting your customers bring their own wine or bottles encourages more traffic through the door. Plus, offering BYOB helps your restaurant’s profit margin so you can focus more on the quality of cuisine and dining experience.

But before popping the cork, make sure you understand how to determine a corkage fee and the proper corkage etiquette. With that in mind, we’ve compiled a complete corkage fee guide to help you get started.

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The Comprehensive Guide to Pricing Liquor

Posted by Tom Lyon, August 24, 2021

Many bars and restaurants offer a wide selection of alcoholic drinks, including beer, cider, wine, and spirits. While we’ve written extensively on exactly how to price your craft beer selection, finding the right price for your liquor drinks is a different game. Liquor prices that are too high could turn customers away while prices set too low could affect your bottom line. Because of this, a business owner needs to find a sweet spot in order to retain guests while simultaneously making a profit.

Mastering the pricing calculations of liquor drinks is an art because many factors go into determining the price, including how you serve your drinks, drink pour size, the competitors in your market, and your customer demographics. However, there’s also a science to pricing liquor drinks, and that’s what we’ll cover in this article.

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