These additions , initiatives , and programs have all been quite successful . But how does Royal Caribbean measure that success ? “ After every cruise , guests receive a survey to rate their experiences ,” says Eiswirth . “ Implementation of the new fleet beverage menu lifted ratings nearly 10 % for all beverage / bar operation metrics . From pre- to post-program , guest experience improved as seen in the results .”

What ’ s more , the quality of drinks rating jumped from 85 points to 93.5 points . To achieve this , Royal Caribbean made several venue-specific upgrades .

At the Wonderland restaurant , four new cocktails were created with a nod to Alice in Wonderland in mind – Cheshire Cat Cosmo , Down the Rabbit Hole , Smoke Rings and White Rabbit-rita . The Boleros concept went through a complete redesign inspired by Old Havana in Cuba , focused on increasing the rum cocktails and offerings .

Izumi now features sushi and sake pairings , plus an Izumi Signature Cocktail with sake , cranberry juice , lime cordial and fresh blueberries . At the seafood venue Hooked , a signature cocktail , the Saint Peter ’ s Spritzer , accompanies the full spirits , wine and beer lists , as well as Oyster Shooters featuring Tito ’ s Handmade vodka and Bombay Sapphire gin .

Enhanced employee training boosted Royal Caribbean ’ s overall bar and lounge experience rating from 87.4 points to 95.2 points . The speed-of-service rating increased from 85.1 points to 94 points and friendliness of the bar staff rating went from 89 points to 96 points . — Jamie Stafford

Multi-concept Entertainment Beverage Program :

The comp [ any recently revamped its beverage program with a focus on building value and loyalty through customer experience . While the program went through a multitude of changes , the pandemic didn ’ t seem to affect the company ’ s choices .

“ We approached the selection and introduction of products as if there was no pandemic ,” says Sean Malone , vice president of hospitality . “ Guest preferences are still what they are , despite any potential product shortages . Thankfully , our partners were terrific and rose to the occasion . While there may have been some bumps along the way , they have been short lived so far , and relatively non-impactful .”

Penn ’ s overall beverage program supports its diverse food and beverage outlets , ranging from the pub grub at Barstool Sportsbook to the fine dining at Final Cut Steakhouse . Every category was updated to reflect a diverse range of customer desires .

The company provided each venue with a listing table that designated which brands they could use for each spirit quality category — casino floor , well , call , and premium . The program also incorporates a discretionary category with more exotic or premium brands that venues can order from .

The national beverage program provides a list of wine by-the-glass options broken down by price point , ranging from 1 to 5 . Penn ’ s fine dining locations have the option to select wines from deeper portfolios of key wine partners : Constellation Brands , Jackson Family Wines , Rodney Strong , Ste . Michelle Wine Estates and Trinchero Family Estates .

The beer program includes 12 domestic brands , 16 imported , 22 national craft , five regional craft and four non-alcoholic brands . Venues can also pick from seven “ beyond beer ” hard seltzer and cider options .

Mixers have also been designated through the national beverage program helping to ensure consistent flavors in recipes and maximize brand partner relationships .

This flexibility and creativity helped Penn Gaming shine as things returned to normal following an extended period of lockdowns . In the interim , Penn Gaming worked with marketing partner MarkeTeam to create more than 80 unique menus and developed promotions and events centered around holidays such as Cinco de Mayo , Oktoberfest and Halloween , and sporting events such as March Madness , Kentucky Derby and NHL season .

Locations recieved a Program Execution Guide ( PEG ), explaining the promotion , including when , where , and how it could be implemented . The PEG also included available signage ( menus , table tents , posters , banners ), merchandise , give-aways , and digital content ( digital signage and social media ) local managers could order .

Penn Gaming ’ s national beverage program now includes comprehensive training for responsible service and promoting responsible consumption . The company standardized the use of jiggers across locations to reduce costs by minimizing waste and lower pour costs . This also helped to ensure consistent flavor profiles .

These efforts have paid off : Penn Gaming says the national beverage program has prompted strong growth in revenue , showing an increase of $ 41M , from $ 87M to $ 129M ( 48 % increase vs . 2020 ). 2019 beverage revenue represented 33 % of total food and beverage revenue . After implementing the national program , beverage revenue in 2021 increased to account for 40 % of overall revenue . — JS

www . cheersonline . com BevX Issue 2022 • 13