Restaurant and Bar Upselling
Offering the aperitif, the wine, the dish of the day and dessert at the moment the guest is ready to accept.
- Price
- From €275 per person
- Duration
- Agreed with the hotel
In the restaurant and at the bar, a sale grows out of a recommendation: the aperitif when the guest sits down, the wine suggested to match the dishes chosen, the dessert offered before the guest asks for the bill. The programme teaches staff to make an offer in a single sentence, at the right moment, and to recognise when it is better to offer nothing. It is the food and beverage counterpart of Front Office Upselling, and it is measured with figures the hotel already has in its system: average spend per cover and wine and dessert sales.
The outcome
Restaurant and bar staff make each offer at the right moment and in a single sentence: aperitif, wine, dish of the day, dessert, digestif. Average spend per cover rises, and the guest experiences the offer as advice.
Targeted Groups
This programme is designed for:
- Chefs de rang and restaurant commis
- Maîtres d' and assistant maîtres d'
- Sommeliers
- Bartenders and lounge servers
- In-room dining staff
- Newly hired restaurant staff
Course Objectives
By the end of the programme, participants will be able to:
- Recognise the moments during dinner when an offer is welcome
- Offer an aperitif when the guest sits down
- Suggest wine based on the dishes chosen
- Present the dish of the day and the specialities with their story
- Offer dessert, coffee and digestif before the bill
- Make an offer in one sentence rather than asking a question
- Take a refusal without insisting
- Read average spend per cover and sales by category
Targeted Competencies
Participants will develop the following competencies:
- The moments for an offer
- Aperitif and first drink
- Wine suggestion
- Describing the dish
- Dessert and digestif
- The one-sentence offer
- Taking a refusal
- Reading average spend
Unit 01
Recommendation as a sale
- Why a restaurant guest expects a recommendation
- The moments during dinner when an offer is welcome
- The difference between offering and insisting
- The guest who should not be offered anything today
Unit 02
Arrival at the table
- The aperitif and the first drink
- Water: which to offer and how
- Presenting the dish of the day
- The tasting menu
Unit 03
Wine and drinks
- Suggesting wine to match the dishes chosen
- By the glass and by the bottle
- The second bottle
- At the bar: the second cocktail and a snack
Unit 04
The end of dinner
- Desserts, cheeses and sweet wines
- Coffee and digestif
- Making the offer before the guest asks for the bill
- The next occasion: another dinner, the bar, breakfast
Unit 05
Reading the numbers
- Average spend per cover
- Wine, dessert and drink sales per person
- Reviewing your own numbers ninety days later
- Working with the maître d' and the F&B manager
Every DolceVita programme is individual and tailored: one participant at a time, online or at your property, in live service. Content, pace and case material are calibrated to the competencies and the role of whoever is being trained.
From €275 per person
This is the starting price. The final one depends on how many people we train, the time it takes and what your hotel needs.