Offering food and beverage pairings in your restaurant can increase your sales. This will enhance the customer’s experience and help you 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.
What is the importance of food and beverage pairings for your restaurant’s success?
Food and beverage pairings are often overlooked but can help you increase your profits and stand out from the crowd by showing that you care about customer satisfaction.
Your drinks menu must always complement your food menu. By suggesting food and beverage pairings, you can reduce the customer’s decision fatigue.
Your menu will help them to make the right choice.
This will make your restaurant stand out and 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 slightly 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 and beer. Here are a few rules for food and beer matching.
- 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 meats.
- 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 poultry meat with Chardonnay or Riesling for saucy dishes. Red wine is required for dark poultry meat.
- Pork Choose light wines (Pinot Noir), white wines with acidity (Chenin Blanc, Riesling), bold beers, or wheat beer.
- Lamb and beef: Choose a robust red wine like Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec or Super Tuscan for steaks or roasts of meat 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: If you are serving spicy food, choose light, acidic wines such as Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling or beers like Belgian ale, IPA, or Belgian ale.
- Desserts: When it comes to desserts, you should find the right balance between sweet and acidic. Select a Champagne or semisweet 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 unable 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 pomegranate Juice for chocolate desserts
5. Organize an exclusive 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 favourite dishes complement your drinks.
Offering a fun night of tasting different foods and wines will attract more customers to your restaurant.
Find local wineries or beverage distributors willing to work with you on this event.
6. Online ordering of food and drinks is easier with a combination.
Customers who order their food from home should have access to food and beverage pairings. Create combos to display at the top of your online menu. This will allow you to easily suggest drinks that go with certain foods.
Learn how to easily create a food-and-drink combo with GloriaFood’s Promotions Module by watching the video below:
Create an irresistible combo by using GloriaFood’s promotion module. Get started
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 a main course and an appetizer or 10% off a main meal and drink combination.
In the tutorial, you will learn how to make a range of restaurant promotions.
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.
