Restaurant Wine List, available on the iPad in the iTunes App Store, allows restaurants and wine bars to get rid of outdated and wasteful printed wine lists.
The first wine list app developed specifically for use in a commercial environment, Restaurant Wine List distances itself from the many wine lists currently available for iPad with the use of a robust administration section while keeping the customer’s interface clean and simple.
Restaurant Wine List for iPad was developed by Automatic for NYC’s Metronome Hospitality Group.
Metronome’s founder Bob Pereira had tried other wine list iPad apps for his facilities, but was unable to find an app suitable for running such a vital part of their businesses.
“The only apps we could find for a wine list were geared toward collectors, or apps for restaurants which required costly design and setup, and we wanted a self-serve option. That’s why we went to a custom-developed app. Once we had Restaurant Wine List for iPad ready, we knew it could help others who weren’t willing to commit to the cost of setting up their wine list using one of the other existing solutions.”
“It just made more sense to have our wine list on the iPad,” says Pereira.
“With an extensive list that is constantly changing, there’s a continual need to add new bottles to the collection, and the costs of a printed list as a leather-bound presentation book can be overwhelming. We’ve found that when a restaurant wants to put a wine on special or add tasting notes, the best option was to add a paper insert to every book, which made the presentation feel cheaper. With the app, now restaurants can add or change everything on the fly and the iPad automatically updates the list.”
Restaurant Wine List lets restaurateurs and owners update and control every aspect of a wine’s presentation to the customer, from photos to tasting notes, flavors, and even food pairings.
The app itself is customizable for the restaurant with a variety of themes and space for the restaurant’s logo which, when uploaded, replaces the Restaurant Wine List’s own logo, giving the app a custom-built appearance.
Prices can be listed by both bottle and glass, and along with the ability to change prices on the fly, restaurants can also highlight wines as being on “Special” with a single click.
Customers using Restaurant Wine List are able to view the full wine list, sorted by criteria such as price or vintage, or browse the list based on wine type or region.
If they know exactly what they are craving, a simple search feature will take them right to their preference.
Unlike other restaurant apps, Restaurant Wine List doesn’t allow ordering directly from the iPad to the kitchen. According to Pereira, that was not an oversight, but a purposeful omission.
“We were very careful about what functions we wanted the app to be capable of, but even more careful about what we didn’t want," says Pereira.
"We didn’t want to ruin the fine dining experience by adding so much technology that it just became high-tech takeout in an upscale restaurant. Our waitstaff enhances the experience by giving amazing service, always being there when you have a question or when you need a new napkin, and we didn't want patrons to feel we were just sending out a server to hand over the iPad for diners to play a game that results in food."
Bob’s brother Cliff Pereira, a successful restaurateur and is the owner of Shelton, CT’s Il Palio restaurant, helped develop Restaurant Wine List. In Cliff ’s experience, the app has already paid for itself many times over even with the initial development costs and purchasing the five iPads that Il Pailo keeps in rotation.
“We have spent an inordinate amount in the past trying to keep our printed wine lists current as our inventory is constantly changing, and it took a lot of training to get each new hire comfortable with recommending different wines for different meals,” says Pereira.
“With Restaurant Wine List we have a wine list that is always current, shows off our inventory and daily specials, and really gets the customers excited. We’re not just handing them an iPad, we’re handing them a great wine list where everything is in stock, they can browse any way they want, and it’s like having a sommelier by their side with the tasting notes and pairings. The response has been phenomenal.”
To learn more about Restaurant Wine List, visit winelistpro.com or find it in the iTunes App Store. Metronome Hospitality Group is located at 915 Broadway in NYC, and Il Palio is at Five Corporate Drive in Shelton, CT.
