How do I train my servers to sell more wine?
Run a fixed 10-minute pre-shift huddle: name tonight’s two BTG pushes, teach a two-sentence pitch for each, and drill one hesitation line. Servers sell more when they repeat the same words on ribeye and strip tables - not when they memorize the full list.
The 10-minute pre-shift structure
Most steakhouse floors skip wine training because “full list tastings” don’t scale across a 40-cover Friday. A workable huddle fits in ten minutes if you never try to cover everything:
- Minutes 0–2: State tonight’s two BTG priorities (one red, one white or sparkling if you push bubbles with oysters/caviar).
- Minutes 2–5: Each server reads the two-sentence pitch aloud once - manager corrects wording, not personality.
- Minutes 5–8: One role-play: guest says “We’re not big wine drinkers.” Server uses the hesitation line below.
- Minutes 8–10: Bottle default rule: when a table wants a bottle, start with the second-cheapest option in the tier they signal - not the cheapest, not the top.
Track attach rate weekly: wine orders ÷ entrees sold. A room doing 800 entrees/week with 240 wine orders is at 30% attach. Moving that to 33% on a $95 check average with $18 incremental wine per attach adds roughly $4,320/week before bottle upsells - without adding covers.
The two-sentence pitch
Every push wine gets exactly two sentences - no producer history monologues:
- Food bridge: “This [varietal/region] is what we pour with the bone-in ribeye - the tannins handle the char without fighting the pepper crust.”
- Social proof + ask: “It’s been the best-selling glass with steak this month. Want to start with a glass while you look at bottles?”
Write both sentences on a pocket card or server tool screen. If a server improvises sentence two into “it’s smooth,” you’ve lost the table’s trust and your margin story.
When guests hesitate
Hesitation is not rejection - it’s missing permission. Train one line, not five:
“Totally fair - most people start with one glass to split while the apps land. The [BTG push] or the [second BTG] are the two we send with steak most often. Which sounds better?”
That’s a two-option close: guests choose between pours, not between wine and nothing. If they decline twice, drop it - pushing a third time on a business table kills tip averages and return visits.
Why second-cheapest beats “safe”
Servers gravitate to the cheapest bottle because it feels low-risk. On a steakhouse list priced $52 / $68 / $84 / $110, the $52 bottle often carries the worst margin after vendor deals. The $68 bottle is frequently your target pour cost and sell-through sweet spot.
Rule for the floor: after the guest names a color or price band (“something under a hundred”), offer the second option in that band: “We have a [region] at $68 and a [region] at $84 - most guests who want a cab with the ribeye go with the $84, but the $68 drinks great if you want an easier red.” You’ve anchored value without opening at the top.
What this means for your program
Wine training is a scheduling problem, not a talent problem. One ten-minute huddle, two BTG pushes, two sentences each, one hesitation script, and a second-cheapest bottle default will outperform ad hoc “wine knowledge” every week. Measure attach rate and BTG mix against your pushed pours - if the numbers don’t move in two weeks, the pitch is wrong or the list doesn’t support the story.