Creative Ideas For Running a Restaurant in a Distillery
Posted on: 5 July 2018
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Many working distilleries also operate restaurants on the premises, giving people two good reasons — food and drink — to pay them a visit. If you're in charge of overseeing the restaurant portion of the business venture, you want to do all that you can to make this establishment appealing to people. Those who are interested in seeing how alcohol is made may be eager to visit the distillery for a tour, but your ability to offer an enticing restaurant may compel them to stay a little longer — and put some money into the organization's coffers. Here are some creative ideas for running a restaurant in a distillery.
Have Recipes That Feature the Alcohol
A distillery restaurant will surely have drinks on the menu that are made on-site, but you should endeavor to take things a step further by looking for ways to feature the alcohol that you produce within the food portion of the menu. For example, if the primary focus of the distillery is to produce whiskey, think about having whiskey-glazed ribs or pulled pork with a whiskey sauce on your menu. Alcohol doesn't have to be a feature of each of your dishes, but it's ideal if you're able to incorporate it into many of them.
Use Distillery Products as Props
You want to create an environment that unequivocally tells your diners where they're eating. One way to do so is to look for distillery-related products and to incorporate them as props in your restaurant. For example, if you have a number of wooden barrels that were built to store alcohol, they can make effective props. One idea is to plane the wood from some of the barrels down into smooth boards that you can use as tabletops. Another option if you have a bar area is to make bistro-style tables out of the barrels themselves.
Offer Tasting Events
Work with the distillery side of your business to put on a number of special tasting events throughout the year. At these events, people can buy a ticket that gives them a chance to sample some of the products that the distillery produces, alongside enjoying some special foods that your kitchen team is producing to complement the drinks. Think about coming up with some creative and new foods, rather than just offering those that are on your menu, for these special events. Some dishes may prove to be so popular that you can then add them to your regular menu.