Last month, a colleague and I had dinner at a Maine microbrewery. Being unfamiliar with its selection of microbrew beers, I ordered a beer flight from our server in order to sample the variety of ales available on tap.
For the uninitiated, a beer flight is a selection of beers (often arranged from lighter to darker) that offers samples of a variety of beers. Specifications vary but, generally, a beer flight consists of six 3 oz. pours and costs around $5.
To my surprise, our server had no idea what a beer flight was. I then turned to the bartender and inquired about a flight. He said that flights were not offered at the brewery because “We’re not set up for them.”
Instead, he offered to pour me as many samples at the bar as I wished until I found a beer that I liked. I tried three varieties before I found one that suited me—at which time I ordered a pint.
Great customer service, right? Well…not exactly.
Here’s why: Beer flights provide an opportunity to educate customers by including blurbs describing each beer’s unique composition, color, flavor, and perhaps suggested food pairings. This unique “insider” knowledge enhances the guest’s experience and may even, through suggestive selling, contribute to increased food sales.
While it’s true that a knowledgeable bartender can also provide this information while serving complimentary sample pours, it may be unrealistic to expect this level of attention from a busy bartender as drink orders mount… Many customers in this situation might feel as though they were imposing by detaining the bartender and would just settle for the last beer sampled.
While there are many different reactions that microbreweries would like to evoke from their patrons, being an imposition or choosing to settle aren’t on that list.
I’m all for freebies and value-added “little extras” like complimentary beer pours, but the reality is that businesses exist to make a profit. Most customers not only understand this, they are also willing to pay a premium for enhanced service experiences. According to a 2011 survey by American Express, 70 percent of American consumers said they are willing to spend 13 percent more for these experiences.
Not only would offering a beer flight serve customers better, it would also serve the business better.
You can’t charge extra for something that’s expected and ordinary—such as a bartender’s sample pour. (Can you imagine the bartender, after pouring a 3 oz. sample, saying, “That will be 83 cents”?)
But you can charge extra for something that’s unique and refreshing—like a beer flight accompanied by “insider” information about the featured beers.
While some patrons might choose to order a beer flight as their entire beverage order, more often than not, curious guests will order a beer flight and then make their pint selections based on their preferred samples. As a result, the establishment sells six 3 oz. pours for $5 and then sells multiple pints of the favored beers for another $5 each.
The option is to pour free 3 oz. beer samples until the customer finds one he likes. This approach really doesn’t serve the customer well—or the business.
Always look for opportunities to add value by providing unique “insider” knowledge or enhancing the customer’s experience in other ways. And remember, it’s okay to charge for these enhancements. You have a business to run and customers are more than willing to pay!
How have you observed businesses capitalizing on (or forfeiting) opportunities to capture revenue and increase profit by offering customers enhanced service experiences?
