Group Serves
There was a time when sharing drinks was THE thing to do. Who can forget the Scorpion Bowl? Today, even though people aren’t necessarily tasting each other’s drinks or touching straws in a bowl full of punch, there are still plenty of opportunities to serve up a fun group experience.
Setting the Scene
You don’t need to set a cocktail on fire to get a group excited for a shared beverage experience. Take a cue from a server recommending a bottle of wine for the table—suggesting large-format cocktails is a chance to engage with guests, inform them of drink offerings and a significant opportunity to upsell. After that, it’s about the right props, making sure the drink is delicious, eye-appealing and then adding a little bit of drama.
Yes, you’re making drinks, and you’re also making memories for everyone at the table and creating the ultimate shared experience. Visually appealing drinks leave an impression and drive sales. Play with how the drink is served: think about punch bowls (who doesn’t love a ladle?), branded pitchers, silver platters, trays, or even oversized cutting boards. Get creative with vessels: fill signature glassware with a colorful cocktail, jazz things up with garnishes and have fun with flourishes. Is there a season, place, style, or even a food you want to evoke? If so, let that guide you.
Pull Out the Punches
And the lemonades, whisky sours, margaritas, and so on. Nearly any drink recipe can be tailored to larger formats and any bar or restaurant can do it. The key is the right tools, following measurements and testing every batch.
While it’s always important to give guests the best possible experience, group serves aren’t just a benefit to customers. Large-format drinks are simple to bring to life, which means servers are teed up to spend more time interacting with guests and less time cleaning bar tools, a great way for venues to diversify offerings. Want to create specialty serves for a holiday or an event? Large-format recipes make it easy, work equally well for dine-in and take-out/delivery methods and are a great way to drive online orders. Plus, offering up group serves is a great way to keep larger parties coming back to your venue.