What has happened to hospitality and the pursuit of quality wine lists?

I don’t usually criticize restaurants and wine bars for their low-quality or overpriced wine lists. I try to keep my vibes positive and only talk about the good and the great, not the overpriced or the lazy.

And I don’t usually call out restaurants for bad service. I’m the first to say, “I’m sure it’s not always like this.”

My capacity for the benefit of the doubt is pretty high.

But we recently had three experiences, all within one hour, that infuriated us to no end and made me honestly question what has happened to hospitality, customer service, and the pursuit of quality wine lists at restaurants.

Before I go into this, let me put a little context into the discussion.

We were in Rochester, Minnesota, for staff training and development at the new Red Cow location, and it’s a program I’ve delivered many times this year focused on hospitality (ironically), sales, wine knowledge, proper service of glasses and bottles, and much more. The overarching theme of the training is that wine, when presented correctly (correct stemware, temperature, etc.), with knowledge and enthusiasm, and with a touch of class and panache, is worth more than the same wine being served in a crappy glass, at the wrong temperature, by a server who obviously is just in it for the money or has never be trained correctly.

(And many thanks to Red Cow for investing in training such as this.)

When I’m training for Red Cow in Rochester, I do a 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. training so I can teach the whole staff in one day. That leaves me with a few hours in between to bum around and see what’s going on.

This is where my tirade begins.

Strike One: Salute! Wine Bar and More

The bartender was nice enough (though not very enthusiastic, energized, engaged, or smiling … he seemed to be there for the money, and that was all). He threw two coasters before us and asked what we’d like. “A wine list?” (This is supposed to be a wine bar … and more! … after all.)

What we got stunned me.

This has to be the most big-name, corporate-driven, and overpriced wine list in the state of Minnesota.

By ‘big corporate’ wine list, I mean the big distributors are playing a big game with big brands (I’m pretty sure only one wine distributor is representing this list). There is nothing artisanal or interesting going on here, but the pricing really caught my eye.

Here are a few crazy highlights for you (along with the average national retail price via Winesearcher):

Veuve Cliquot Champagne, $239 (average retail price, $65 a bottle). They don’t indicate that it’s the vintage bottling, so I’m assuming it’s the common “Yellow Label NV.” If it is vintage wine (retail $99), they need to put that fact on the list. Regardless, their pricing is insane. (I don’t think strip clubs in Vegas charge this much for Champagne. Oh, wait, they do. But that includes a golf cart ride to your table, apparently.)

Maso Canali Pinot Grigio is $29 a glass, $99 per bottle (the average retail price is $19 a bottle). This HAS to be some kind of mistake, but what a mistake it is! Holy Dionysus, Batman!

Canyon Road Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, all $9 a glass and $29 per bottle (average retail price $8 a bottle). Canyon Road is a mass-produced and under-performing wine designed for the catering world when wedding couples or parties need loads of wine to pour. It basically prints money for the host location while delivering a product that has low quality. I’m pretty sure the Minnesota distributor for this wine keeps it on-premise only to hide the retail price from people (I could be wrong about this, though).

But here’s my bigger beef with this wine: there are SO MANY BETTER CHOICES for barely any more money. Assuming the restaurant is paying about $96 a case for this wine (i.e., $8 a bottle cost), they are making bank. Take that same dollar profit level (+$21 per bottle), offer better wine, and charge an extra buck or two if needed. People who love wine will happily pay for something better.

Also, having four Canyon Road wines by the glass is simply lazy buying or corporate-ordered by some spreadsheet wonk who wants to gouge the customers even more.

One more interesting example on this ‘fleece the customer’ lineup:

La Marca Prosecco, $59 a bottle (often found for $15 a bottle, even at Haskell’s). Why any restaurant has La Marca on the list baffles me. This Gallo-owned behemoth of a brand is so consistently boring and one-dimensional. And in the Prosecco category, where there is often a fight for placements, there are literally dozens of family-owned labels of higher quality that cost the same or just a touch more. Customers don’t order this wine because of the brand, they order it because they want a Prosecco, or just the cheapest bottle of bubbly available. Why not give them something good?

So, after a quick look at the wine list, we told the bartender sorry, but we just got a text and had to go. We ran out the door fast. Let’s head down the street to a local standard-bearer, Victoria’s, where we know the wine list is better.

Strike Two: Victoria’s

We walked to Victoria’s and asked the hostess for a table outside. It was a beautiful evening, and we wanted to enjoy it. With little smiling or interaction, she grabbed all the menus needed and led us toward the tables.

And past the tables under the trees.

And past the tables with some atmosphere and character.

And down from there.

She finally landed at a table at the extremely far end of the row. It was piled high with plates, napkins, and silverware, like the servers were rolling the knives and forks between shifts. She looked confused about what to do. I said, “Let’s take that table back there” (pointing backward about 30 feet), and I just walked to it and sat down.

I’m not slamming the hostess. She was young and possibly new, but the key is this: she was simply doing what she was told to do. So, I’m blaming the managers and trainers for this odd start to the evening.

We’ll move on from this, I told myself.

A quick review of the wine list shows a more reasonable markup (note La Marca Prosecco for $38 a bottle, but it’s still La Marca). Yes, there are far more big brands on this list than I would want, but ranging from $10-15 a glass, we can make do. However, I will call out that $54 for Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc is insulting, and Ghost Pines Red Blend for $54 (retail $18, often on sale for $14), is insane. The best buy is the Poliziano Montepulciano for $50 a bottle (though they don’t indicate if it’s the Rosso or the Vino Nobile).

Also, take note of the repetition you find on this list compared to Salute! Wine Bar and More. This either shows that the sales rep representing those brands is extremely good at their job, the buyer is lazy and only seeking big brand wines, or some combination of the two. However, looking at the list and seeing the brands shows me exactly who they are buying from, and there are SO MANY MORE INTERESTING WINES available from the mid-sized wholesalers they already work with. Why not play a different game from the competition down the street?

We figured out what wines we wanted. We browsed the menu, even though we were only there for drinks. We watched servers come and go. We read the menu again. We watched more people get sat. We watched them get served, including one table that sat after we did and already were into their drinks. We read the menu one more time out of complete boredom.

“You can see me, right?” Angela asked me. “I’m not like transparent or anything, am I?”

We sat there far longer than we should have, and not a single person stopped to say hello or I’ll be right back, or we had to figure out who had this table.

The paramount in hospitality is customer communication. As I said in my training at Red Cow, there are only two people most customers interact with during their night out when they’re spending hard-earned money: the host/hostess and the server/bartender. The owner is in charge of the managers. The managers are in charge of the service staff. But the service staff is in charge of the customer’s experience. That’s a big weight. It’s an important position. Servers need to be trained on top-notch hospitality and what that means.

Customers are not at the restaurant because they want calories. That’s what fast food is for. We want to be lifted up, have an experience, and be acknowledged and cared for. That’s the whole idea of why we’re culturally expected to drop a 20% tip (on top of “service fees that aren’t a gratuity”).

We asked ourselves a reasonable question: why are we here?

So we started to count down, out loud, from thirty. We hit zero, got up, and left.

We decided to head to a restaurant we know, one that is busy (we walked by it about a half hour before), and one that has a nice bar staffed by many bartenders. All we want is a damn glass of wine; how hard can it be?

Strike Three: Chester’s

Chester’s is located in the center of Rochester, in the popular U of M development. The restaurant is casual and somewhat elegant if dated. The bar is nice. They were busy, which is always a good sign. We walked in and immediately grabbed two seats at the bar. A bartender whipped around and asked right away, “How ya doing tonight?”

Here we go! That’s four more words than anyone said at the previous stop!

We asked for the wine list. Here it is:

Here are a few things to notice right away:

The ever-present La Marca makes yet another showing, this time at $42 a bottle.

Veuve Cliquot Champagne is less than half the cost than it was at Salute! Wine Bar and More (where I’ve decided the “More” refers to more markup).

The ever-present Kim Crawford, J, Murphy-Goode, Edna Valley, Joel Gott, La Crema, and Justin are also here. All of these are brands you can find stacked high at almost any retailer, and many are poured by the glass at nearby restaurants.

But there is some more interesting stuff to be had at Chester’s. Drappier Brut Rosé Champagne at $76 is a bargain (retail average of $64). Several selections from Cline and Pedroncelli are always good to see. A nice little “Old World” section on the reds is a good touch. On the white side, the Bretonniere Blanc from the Loire is a stunning wine for $11 a glass (this is a Muscadet, which they don’t list … you’re on your own to figure out what it’s made of — Melon de Bourgogne — or where exactly it comes from — Muscadet).

So we decided on a couple of glasses.

A second bartender was in the corner of the bar, talking to a couple of customers, just as she was when we arrived. Another bartender (or was he a bar back? We don’t know, but bar backs are usually younger and buzzing back and forth between the bar and kitchen with tubs of dishes …. this guy was just polishing glasses) didn’t look up from what he was doing while talking to a server.

And the bartender that greeted us right away? She helped the single woman in the corner, got her a glass of wine, and chatted it up a bit. Then she walked out to the booths near the bar and talked with the four top for two minutes before getting their next drink order, coming back to the bar, making four cocktails (not quickly, either), and delivering them. Then she wandered the floor and checked on other tables while picking up plates.

The chatty bartender in the corner continued gabbing with her new friends. I think phone numbers got exchanged.

The bar back, or whoever he was, made damn sure every one of those glasses was polished. Never looked up.

Our four-word bartender returned, didn’t look at us, and started to restock the rail while making another cocktail.

We sat there for a solid six minutes with nobody communicating with us. And it’s not like we were in a big conversation and shouldn’t be bothered. We both sat there, looking straight forward, TRYING to catch someone’s eye even though it shouldn’t be the customer’s job to hunt down a server.

We started to count down from thirty. We couldn’t believe it. Three strikes, all within an hour, on a day when I’m training a competitor on the importance of hospitality. You can’t make this shit up.

Finally, some happiness: Twigs Tavern and Grill

By this time, we had had it. Three attempts at simply getting a decent glass of wine resulted in frustration.

We returned to our car, pulled out the Google Maps, and started searching for something.

(At this point in the story, you may ask why we didn’t just head back to Red Cow. That is a good question. But remember, we already had lunch there, spent two hours training the staff, and still had two more hours of work ahead of us. Plus, we like to see what else is around when we find ourselves out of town.)

Twigs Tavern and Grill is located in a hotel a bit off the beaten path, about a mile outside of the downtown core. The hotel has a captive audience of people staying at it, and it is in a prime location next to a Mayo campus. It was quite busy.

We snagged two seats at the bar right away. We were greeted with a smile and some small talk. We asked for the wine list. “Let me know if you have any questions at all,” said the cheery bartender, looking us in the eyes (thank you!).

The first thing I noticed was the Canyon Road White Zin. I didn’t know anyone served White Zin anymore, but there you go. Another quick run-through: I counted five Canyon Road wines and other brands I’m not too excited about.

However, a bit more searching reveals some better-than-average wines: Zenato Pinot Grigio is consistently good, Twin Island Sauvignon Blanc is wonderful, and Hahn Cabernet lately hits above its weight class. We can make this work.

The bartender returned to take our order! We’re not invisible! Yay!

She poured our wines into decent stemware after measuring them into a little carafe (a classy touch). I like the half-glass options on the list. The bartender was conversational and super friendly. She returned a minute later to ask how the wines were. We finally found ourselves in the mental spot we were seeking out. Granted, I had to drop some ice cubes in my Cabernet to bring the temperature down, but I’m used to that.

We were happy to leave a good tip. We left feeling satisfied and saying we would be back.

A little sidebar on Twigs as a restaurant: we only had bowls of wild rice soup (quite good and hit the spot), so I’m unable to judge the food. But the menu is hands down one of the largest I’ve ever seen. Page after page of pasta, meat, fish, tacos, waffles (all day), and much more. Check it out. It’s kinda funny. Also, their patio is darling. Lots of plants, plus a little creek running through. Cute!

Which brings us back to Red Cow

We drove back to Red Cow for the 8 pm training, and I couldn’t wait to share my experiences regarding the wine lists I saw and the (lack of) hospitality I experienced. It was a great conversation with the staff about why hospitality matters.

And here’s what I told them:

Nobody who lives in town goes out to eat because they have zero food in the house, or all the grocery stores are closed and there are no other options.

People go out to eat to feel good. To feel taken care of. To feel fancy. To enjoy food and drinks that they can’t easily have at home. To have fresh experiences. To relax and smile and laugh.

And it’s 100% on the restaurant to provide the atmosphere to spark those emotions. And it’s 100% on the host/hostess to say “Welcome!” and “Have a great night! See you next time!” And it’s 100% on the server/bartender to do what they can to make a wonderful evening for the customer spending their hard-earned money.

Sidebar: if you run a restaurant and want to talk with me about my staff training classes (which have been presented to Red Cow, Red Rabbit, all Blue Plate Restaurant Company locations, Gianni’s Steakhouse, Restaurant Alma, The Bachelor Farmer, Cafe Latte, and many more) reach out to me at jason@twincitieswine.com.

In conclusion

Wine lists are important. (Just as cocktail lists, beer lists, and food menus are important, but I’m talking about wine here.) A wine list conveys an impression right out of the gate, sticking a flag in the ground often before a server has even said hello, about WHO and WHAT the restaurant is all about.

When I see La Marca, Canyon Road, Apothic, Ghost Pines, and other mega-brands on a list, my first impression is that this is a restaurant that only exists to serve the minimum viable audience with the most average food and drink to make the most profit. Why should I think anything less?

Do I want every list full of only obscurities and tiny producers? Nope. It’s too hard to train the staff and too alienating to the average consumer.

But a balance can be found. “Safe” grape varieties, regions, and brands without full-on wonkiness. And that’s where I think the Red Cow list has excelled. Check it out (it’s the same list at all locations):

Add to that the fact that Red Cow pours all of its wines into proper Riedel stemware and serves them at the right temperature, and you see why I talk about them so much.

And when it comes to hospitality, this is where almost all restaurants need to step up. It’s an easy fix if it’s prioritized, invested in, and understood. Start by buying a copy of Setting The Table by Danny Meyer, or shoot me an email to come in and get the ball rolling.

What’s your service, hospitality, or wine list story? Good or bad? You don’t need to name names unless you want to, but I think this is a subject we should talk more openly about. Leave a comment below.