The main question is: Are there any benefits to implementing Molecular Mixology drinks in the bar menu? Many people decide it is not worth the time and money to learn how it’s done and purchase the necessary equipment.
Why must we know, learn about it, or incorporate these techniques into the menu? Can we use the well-established ways of making drinks like building, stirring, shaking, rolling, and muddling? The answer is Yes, we can, but so is everybody else. So basically we are on the same level of product service as our competitors, we don’t have any competitive advantage over them, product-wise. I’m not saying we should abandon what we do now; we must build on it and be different simultaneously.
That’s where the Molecular Mixology techniques come into play.
Being innovative allows us to create a different customer experience, a reason for our guests to talk about us, and increase the establishment’s media exposure, potentially bringing in more new and returning customers, more business, and a better bottom line. The experience people have is something they will never forget. For me personally, working for so many years in this business, my primary motivation for going to work is helping create memories.
The three main components of the restaurant and hospitality business are Customer service, Professionalism, and Innovation. These factors are all interconnected. If we underperform in one of them, the business would be underperforming, not operating to its full potential, and not being as competitive as it could be.
For this post, though, I would like to look at the Innovation part.
Let’s look at a simple Bar Menu, which has three different drink menu sections:
- Classic drinks
- Drinks specific to the bar, including Signature drinks.
- Mixology section—Mixology implies innovation and superior bartending skills. This is the WOW section of the menu, where drinks based on Molecular Mixology techniques and beverages created by fellow bartenders, servers, and management staff are introduced.
This section of the menu will give our guests a reason to talk about us and spread word of mouth. It’s also a great marketing tool—giving the media and the hundreds of bloggers out there a reason to talk about their experience and post pictures of the drinks.
A question might arise regarding the Mixology section: Is implementing these techniques too tricky or time-consuming, especially in a busy bar?
I would say that is to take a look at the kitchen organization. How can they execute all their orders on time, even when you have a few tables coming simultaneously? The answer is Preparation; time should not be an issue when everything is ready and prepared. The customers are also willing to give us a little more time when they know they will get something special.
In the next post, we will look at some molecular mixology techniques for making drinks, how they are done, and how they are implemented behind bars.
