When wine margin drops, the usual reaction is one of two: raise prices or redesign the entire list. The first has a ceiling (market, competition, perception). The second requires time you don't have.
The good news: there are 7 levers you can activate without changing a single price or redesigning the list. They work with what you already have.
Lever 1: Renegotiate purchase prices
The most direct and the most overlooked. Many restaurants have been paying the same prices for years without asking if there is room for improvement.
Actions:
- Compare what you pay with what others pay for the same reference.
- Request a price review with volume and loyalty data.
- Explore alternatives with a similar profile at a better cost.
- Consolidate suppliers: more volume to fewer distributors = better terms.
Typical impact: +2-4% overall margin.
Lever 2: Eliminate dead weight
Every reference that generates neither margin nor rotation takes up space, capital, and attention. Removing it frees up resources.
How to identify dead weight:
- Less than 2 bottles sold per month.
- Below-average margin.
- Not part of a strategic pairing or recommendation.
Typical impact: +1-2% by reallocating space and capital to higher-performing references.
Lever 3: Redesign by-the-glass selection
By-the-glass is the highest conversion tool on your list. But many restaurants use it as a dumping ground for the cheapest wine.
How to improve it:
- Include 1-2 premium options (8-12 € per glass).
- Rotate based on data: which glass sells most, at what margin.
- Use the glass as a gateway to bottle upsell.
Typical impact: +2-4% margin on by-the-glass, +5-10% ticket increase per table.
Lever 4: Train the team on by-the-glass
A waiter who recommends a glass at 9 € instead of one at 5 € doubles the margin without friction. But that requires training.
How to do it:
- Weekly 15-minute briefing: "this week's featured glass."
- Clear incentive: not commission, but recognition.
- Simple tasting notes that the waiter can communicate in 10 seconds.
Typical impact: +2-3% margin by increasing average by-the-glass spend.
Lever 5: Control wastage
Wastage in by-the-glass service is an invisible margin killer. A restaurant serving 30 glasses per day with 12% waste is losing the equivalent of 3-4 bottles daily.
How to reduce it:
- Weekly measurement: pour vs. sold.
- Standardized pouring (150 ml).
- Preservation systems for open bottles.
- FIFO rotation.
Typical impact: +1% overall margin by reducing waste from 12% to 6%.
Lever 6: Rebalance price multipliers
Applying the same multiplier to all wines penalizes premium references and inflates entry-level ones. A variable approach improves conversion.
How it works:
- Lower multiplier on wines above 15 € purchase price (x2.5 instead of x3).
- Higher multiplier on entry-level wines (x3.5 instead of x3).
- The net effect: more bottles sold in the mid-premium range, where absolute margin is higher.
Typical impact: +1-2% margin with no change in list price perception.
Lever 7: Train floor staff
The final lever is the most human. A team that understands margin, knows which wines to push, and can recommend with confidence is the most powerful conversion tool.
How to start:
- Weekly 15-minute briefing with the 3 wines to promote.
- Simple tasting script: "This week we have a [region] at [price] that pairs perfectly with [dish]."
- Visible results: share margin improvement data with the team.
Typical impact: +2-3% margin through active recommendation.
Summary of impact
| Lever | Key action | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Renegotiate prices | Compare and consolidate | +2-4% |
| 2. Eliminate dead weight | Remove low performers | +1-2% |
| 3. Redesign by-the-glass | Add premium options | +2-4% |
| 4. Train team on glass | Weekly briefing | +2-3% |
| 5. Wastage 12% to 6% | Weekly control + standard pour | +1% |
| 6. Rebalance multipliers | Lower on premium, raise on entry | +1-2% |
| 7. Train floor staff | 15-min weekly briefing | +2-3% |
Combined total: +10-17% margin improvement without raising a single price.
When it does make sense to raise prices
- When purchase cost has risen significantly.
- When your pricing is below comparable market rates.
- When you introduce a premium reference whose positioning justifies it.
But even then, raising prices should be the last lever, not the first.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I start? With information. If you don't have real margin data per reference, start there. With one hour of analysis you can identify the 3 highest-impact levers for your case.
How long until results are visible? Renegotiation and wastage: weeks. Price architecture and by-the-glass: 1-2 months. Cumulative effect: one quarter.
Does this apply to small restaurants? Yes. The levers are proportional. A restaurant with 30 references has fewer to optimize, but the percentage impact is similar.
With Winerim, you can visualize the real margin of each reference, detect dead weight, and activate each lever with real data. Request a demo.