How should wine list pricing be structured?

Wine list pricing should follow a bell curve; most restaurants use a flat markup formula. A list structured around a single cost percentage treats every bottle the same way, which is the fastest path to a program that’s either leaving money on the table or pricing guests out of engagement.

Here’s a framework that actually works for normal to high-end restaurants:
Roughly 25 percent of selections below $100, 50 percent between $100 and $300, and 25 percent above $300. That distribution puts the list's energy exactly where check averages are built. It gives the widest range of guests the widest range of options, and it concentrates selection depth in the tier where most guests are actually willing to spend.

Patrick Wert identified this missed opportunity during the Uchi Austin wine list critique, where the list was weighted heavily at the low and high end. Strong trophy bottles at the top, entry-level options at the bottom, and a thin middle that left the most valuable pricing real estate underserved. Pulling toward the center doesn’t mean removing DRC, it means filling the space around it.

Pricing tiers also serve the staff. When a team understands that the list is structured to create natural stepping stones from entry to mid to premium, the conversation at the table has a built-in direction. The guest who arrives at $80 does’nt need to jump to $250. There’s somewhere to go in between. That gap is where most programs bleed revenue without ever knowing why.

Structured pricing low-mid-high is going to open all possible lanes of traffic. It’s the operators job to pay attention to what guests frequently order in the dining room to make selections within each pricing tier’s funnel.