How to Build a Gluten-Free Restaurant Beverage Inventory

For owners of bars, restaurants, hotels, country clubs and other such businesses, it’s crucial to build a great beverage program from the start. But even if you have a great bar and restaurant beverage inventory, there’s always room for improvement. 

The need for doing more and better comes from the constantly changing market. In the last few years, there’s been a big shift towards drinks like CBD cocktails, coffee drinks with plant-based milks, as well as gluten-free beverages. 

Other beverages worth mentioning are specialty coffee, cocktails with locally-sourced ingredients, matcha teas, and vegan drinks. And that’s not all! There are so many drinks worth discussing that should make it into wine lists, seasonal menus, and more. 

Here, however, we want to pay special attention to the gluten-free beverages that are taking over lately. It’s important to include them in your beverage inventory and serve them to clients, as soon as possible. But how you can do that? Let’s find out!

Build a Restaurant Beverage Inventory with Gluten-Free Drinks

What’s truly great about great cocktails is that many of them can be made with vegan milk or with gluten-free liquors and other ingredients. This allows businesses in the hospitality industry to attract an even larger customer base.  

Building a good restaurant beverage inventory that includes a range of gluten-free drinks requires: 

‍Key Takeaway: Good research, observing customer behaviors, finding suppliers, and promoting new offers are just a few of the steps to take towards a great restaurant beverage inventory and success.

1. Proper Research of Gluten-Free Options

Begin the process by learning about gluten-free cocktail options, as well as non-alcoholic gluten-free drinks. The non-alcohoic options can include infused waters, smoothies, freshly squeezed juices, herbal teas, mocktails, coffee and matcha, and gluten-free sodas. 

Look into pre-made gluten-free drinks, but also research different recipes you can make. A cocktail expert can help you greatly in narrowing down cocktails to serve for your customers who struggle with gluten intolerance and allergies. 

2. Learn More about Customer Preferences

Always think about your customer base when adding new products to your restaurant beverage inventory. Don’t order large quantities of ingredients and bottles before you have tested the waters with a few different gluten-free drinks. 

One of the many great features of BinWise Pro is the SmartView Report which allows you to look really closely and see when and what your customers are consuming. These details can help you decide which drinks from your test run deserve a permanent place on your beverage menu. 

Something else you should not underestimate is the opinion of your bar staff. Since they have the chance to actually speak with clients on a regular basis and get some of their feedback, get their opinion. They can give you valuable insights into what customers really want.  

3. Evaluate Possible Suppliers

Research suppliers in your area that offer a wide range of gluten-free products you can use in your bar drinks. It’s better to look locally so you can save on logistics but if there are no good options, look further from your location. 

The goal is to find supplies that can deliver what you need at a reasonable price within the set timeframe. Establish good connections with the suppliers to ensure smoother operations in your business as well. If the communication is not going well, consider switching suppliers so you can ensure the quality of your services. 

4. Menu Development

Once you have researched suppliers and you know what type of gluten-free drinks your customers would enjoy, it’s time to create a great gluten-free menu. Even if you have the best restaurant beverage inventory filled with the tastiest gluten-free drinks, it would mean nothing if the menu is not describing the options well. 

Take the time to categorize the different gluten-free drinks you are offering. Are they refreshing, fruity, or maybe they are great poolside cocktails? During this step, you should also stick to the concept of your own restaurant business and categorize the drinks in a way that makes sense for you.  

Try incorporating seasonal ingredients and make sure all details are on the menu. People who struggle with gluten intolerance, allergies, or celiac disease need to know what exactly is in their drink. 

5. Promote the Gluten-Free Drinks

A sure way to earn new customers and increase customer satisfaction with existing ones is by communicating the changes you are making to your menu. Utilize online restaurant marketing tools to the maximum. Get the news out that you are now offering some pretty cool gluten-free drinks!

Share across all your social media platforms that you are adding new items to your menu. Here, you should not underestimate the importance of good glassware. Sharing a picture or a video of a drink in a pretty glass can prove to be a very powerful tool for bringing new customers to your restaurant. 

6. Organize the Beverage Inventory

Great beverage inventory is not done in a day. It takes time, effort, a lot of planning, discussions, budgeting. And even when these initial steps are completed, you still need to have a good inventory organization system in place so everything can run smoothly. 

The use of a proper beverage inventory software is something many people tend to overlook, which costs them a lot of time and trouble. Which, if you think about it, leads to losing money. So to avoid the mistake many business owners make, look into the great functionalities such software has. Taking inventory and keeping track of everything from ordering to invoicing and everything in between will be a lot easier. 

If you are currently looking for such software, check out what BinWise has to offer by booking a demo. You will be amazed to see how much easier things can be for you, as a restaurant manager! 

Frequently Asked Questions about Restaurant Beverage Inventory

Keeping restaurant beverage inventory in check is no walk in the park (see: how to manage a bar inventory). Especially when you are serving special, gluten-free drinks. That’s why it’s normal to have many questions.

Let’s see what else we can answer for you!

How to Avoid Cross Contamination for Gluten-Free Drinks?

The most important factor in keeping drinks really gluten free is having great hygiene. Make sure all employees are following a bar cleaning checklist that outlines well all the steps to be taken when opening and closing the bar. 

Keeping surfaces clean will help you ensure all drinks made by the bartender are in fact free of gluten. Cross contamination can happen if any foods or another drinks that include gluten have been in contact with anything used to create the gluten-free drinks. 

Are Popular Soda Brands Gluten-Free?

The majority of soda brands in the United States are selling gluten-free drinks. In order part of the world it strictly depends on the manufacturer whether the drink will contain gluten or not. 

Make sure to always read the label of buying a pre-made drink and look for a gluten-free mark on the packaging. 

Can Beer Be Made Without Gluten? 

It’s possible to make beer without gluten. Usually, regular beer is made of grains that contain gluten.  However, there’s a way to create beer without gluten, which is a game changer for anyone who can’t have gluten. 

As a restaurant or bar, it’s important to add gluten-free beer to your menu. This way you will be able to satisfy a larger range of people.