Can a Large By-the-Glass Program Hurt Bottle Sales?

Yes. A large by-the-glass program can reduce bottle sales when it gives guests enough variety and volume to satisfy the entire wine experience without opening the bottle list.

That doesn’t make a strong BTG program a mistake.

The problem appears when the restaurant has also invested heavily in bottle inventory based on the assumption that guests will move beyond the glass program.

If guests can drink several compelling wines by the glass, half-bottle, or carafe, the restaurant may create an excellent experience while reducing the demand needed to move its bottle inventory.

That becomes an inventory management issue when substantial capital is sitting in bottles waiting for demand that isn’t arriving.

The two programs need to work together.

A strong BTG program should create its own economics, support bottle discovery, or serve a clearly different guest occasion.