Wine Trends: iPad Wine List
The next time you go to a restaurant and ask for the wine menu, don’t be surprised if you are handed an iPad.
The use of iPad wine menus continue to rise. It adds a novelty to the restaurant that people like to talk about and come back for. It also keeps them buying more wine per visit.
Details
In the past, most wine menus were little more than bottles listed by name and price. While this is plenty for a sommelier, most of us had to depend on restaurant staff or our phones for more information. I for one feel bad not going with the recommendation of the wait staff after I ask for it.
iPad wine lists give you access to information on each wine, such as its description, origin, age and ratings. It will also suggest food pairings from the menu. This allows you to pick the perfect wine with just a few finger movements and educates you along the way. It also won’t be offended if you don’t pick the first wine it shows you.
Convenience
It seems like a lot of work for a restaurant owner to put in each wine they have and add all of the information on the wine. Let me ask you this. How often does technology make things slower?
It’s a lot simpler than you think. The apps that make these lists possible, also have databases full of information on just about any wine. The owner simply picks the wines they have in stock and the format in which they will be displayed. The apps also allow restaurants to update their inventory as new wines come in or they run out of others without ever having to sync the iPads.
Cost
Let’s face it. Technology is expensive. You probably don’t think that you’ll see this in your neighborhood bar anytime soon. Restaurant owners know that the cost of constantly changing menus is not cheap either.
If an establishment changes their menu just once a month, they still have to pay for the designs, printing costs, pages and covers every month. The one time cost of 6 or 7 iPads might pay for themselves in less than a year and they can update them as much as you want.
Sales
Everything else aside. People are talking about iPads when they see them at a restaurant. It is still a novelty that you want to tell your friends about and that gets you and them to come back.
Studies have also shown that it will get you to buy more wine or pay for higher priced wine. You can forget about the wine menu that folds up and gets put to the side. The one that interacts with you and teaches you about what you are drinking will keep you interested and buying.
When you stay in, the best way to view your wine is in a Wine Logic wine rack. Click here to learn more about Wine Logic then join in the conversation.