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Having a successful and Michelin-star worthy restaurant or bar doesn’t just start with a great wine list. In fact, the key to it all is proper beverage program management. The top beverage directors and sommeliers in the food, beverage, and hospitality industries make sure to stay on top of their beverage programs at all times.
But, how do you make it so that your restaurant is amongst the best in the industry? You can start by using BinWise for beverage program management through real-time reports, sales data, and the new BlueCart Endless Aisle integration.
The modern-day beverage director has many responsibilities so being able to simplify day-to-day tasks is a huge benefit. These responsibilities include managing costs, sales, vendor coordination while also delivering exceptional guest experiences.
This blog post breaks down the essential metrics to track for your restaurant or bar and how BinWise makes beverage program management simple, efficient, accurate, and profitable.
Key Takeaway: Managing a high-performing beverage program doesn’t have to be difficult. With BinWise, beverage directors can access real-time data, automate key reports, and manage their full beverage operation with confidence.
Why Beverage Program Management Matters
Imagine opening a bar or restaurant and having a ton of inventory including hundreds of bottles, kegs, and cases. Not only do you have that inventory in your stockrooms, but it’s also continuously going in and out of your business through sales, dining service, bar service, mishaps, and vendor deliveries. How do you know what you have in stock and how much of it is left? What about when you should reorder a certain product or if a specific product order has arrived?
Beverage program management provides visibility into every bottle and batch from the moment it arrives to the last pour. With this kind of beverage management system, you’ll be able to make smarter purchasing decisions and prevent costly waste while ensuring every product supports your profitability.
For fine dining restaurants, multi-location groups, and high-volume bars, effective beverage program management also means coordinating vendor deliveries, tracking sales trends, and aligning stock levels with real-time demand.
When done right, beverage program management will become the backbone of your beverage operations. It will connect accurate data with performance insights so you can scale your beverage program, protect your profit margins, and deliver a consistent yet elevated guest experience.
6 Key Beverage Program Reports to Track with BinWise
Great beverage program management isn’t just about keeping the shelves stocked with product, it’s about using data to make smart, fast, and profitable decisions. Using the right reporting tools will give beverage directors and beverage managers complete visibility into their programs. This means, they’ll know which items are moving and which ones are sitting as well as where money is being made or lost.
Here are six key reports every beverage director should track with BinWise:
1. Inventory Usage Report
BinWise tracks real-time inventory movement across beverage programs all the way down to the SKU. This way, you know exactly what inventory is moving and what’s sitting. The Inventory Usage report also helps users identify unusual spikes in usage, reduce overpouring, and prevent dead stock.
2. Depletion Report
The depletion report from BinWise shows users what’s selling and what’s not. This way, users have a clear picture of guest preferences. They can also use this information to adjust menus, create targeted promotions, or rotate in high-performing products.
3. Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) Report
BinWise calculates COGS in real-time by product, category, and location. This is essential for keeping margins in check especially for multi-location beverage programs where pricing and vendor terms can differ.
4. Variance Report
With BinWise, users can compare their expected inventory usage based on sales with actual inventory depletion. Large variances can indicate issues related to overpouring, spillage, theft, or training gaps. It’s important to address variance issues quickly in order to protect your margins and stock levels.
5. Sales Performance Report
Beverage directors can break down beverage sales by product, category, location, and/or individual server. They can also identify top sellers, track upsell performance, and ensure the right products are featured on menus as well as food and wine pairings.
6. Purchase and Vendor Management Report
Users can see exactly which items were ordered with BinWise’s Vendor Purchase Reporting as well as when it arrived and at what cost. Pairing this report with BlueCart’s Endless Aisle integration means users will be able to work on having better lead time planning, easy vendor coordination, and fewer missed deliveries.
BinWise consolidates all of these reports into a single platform therefore eliminating the guesswork from beverage program management. Beverage directors can make faster, data-backed decisions, improve profitability, and streamline ordering while also delivering consistent guest experiences.
How BinWise Makes Beverage Program Management Easy
BinWise automates beverage program management for users, especially now with the Endless Aisle integration. Now, the process is much easier and can be even more profitable since all the inventory, ordering, and reporting live in one connected system.
Here’s how BinWise streamlines operations from cellar to service:
Centralized Food and Beverage Inventory
BinWise isn’t just for wine and spirits anymore. With the latest Endless Aisle integration from BlueCart, BinWise allows beverage directors to manage both food and beverage inventory in a single platform. This eliminates the need for separate systems and spreadsheets while also giving you a view into the back-of-house operations in real-time.
Real-time Syncing with Menu Sales
Every item you sell, whether it’s a drink, dish, or wine and food pairing, is synced to your inventory with BinWise. This means your stock levels update instantly. Having this kind of connection between your POS sales data and actual inventory ensures you always know what inventory you have on hand without the need for manual counting.
Predictive Ordering
The predictive ordering feature in BinWise is possible through the BlueCart Endless Aisle integration. Now, BinWise helps you order exactly what you need and when you need it. The BinWise platform also analyzes sales velocity, vendor lead times, and seasonality to create smart suggested orders. As a result, you can reduce waste and avoid costly stockouts.
Budgeting Tools and QuickBooks Integration
BinWise gives beverage directors precise budget tracking and integrates seamlessly with QuickBooks for accounting accuracy. This means no double entries, fewer errors, and more time spent on strategy rather than reconciliations.
Auto-generated Reports
Whether it’s variance reports or COGS breakdowns, BinWise automatically generates the reports your restaurant or bar values the most. Each report also includes actionable insights so users get clear recommendations on how to improve performance and protect margins.
BinWise helps fine dining restaurants, hotel bars, and multi-location groups work smarter, not harder, by combining beverage program management with predictive ordering in a single platform.
To see how BinWise can help you manage your beverage program better at your establishment, be sure to book a demo today.
Frequently Asked Questions About Beverage Program Management with BinWise
Beverage program management requires more than just inventory tracking. With BinWise, users can make data-backed decisions that drive profitability and consistency. Here are some commonly asked questions regarding beverage program management and how BinWise can streamline the process for your business.
What is beverage program management?
Beverage program management is the process of overseeing a restaurant or bar’s full drink operation including inventory, ordering, sales performance, and vendor coordination. A well-managed beverage program keeps costs low, quality high, and operations consistent.
What reports should a beverage director review on a regular basis?
Beverage directors should regularly review inventory usage, COGS, sales performance, depletion, variance, and vendor purchases. These reports help maintain profit margins and align inventory with real demand. It’s possible to view these reports through the BinWise platform. In fact, most are updated in real-time to provide users with up-to-date information on their inventory.
How does BinWise simplify beverage program management?
BinWis simplifies beverage program management by automating reporting, syncing inventory with real-time menu sales, and integrating with BlueCart’s Endless Aisle for streamlined ordering. Beverage directors using BinWise can quickly identify problems in their inventory and make data-driven decisions while saving hours of manual work each week.
Can BinWise track both food and beverage inventory?
Yes, with the BlueCart Endless Aisle integration in BinWise, users can manage food and beverage inventory in one system. This gives teams a full picture of inventory flow, cost, and vendor timing in a single dashboard.