The power of buying wine and the politics of managing a beverage program make for odd business relationships. Sometimes these relationships can become contentious. Eleven years managing a complex on-premise wine account has caused me to realize that a partnership based on mutual benefit for my employer and my suppliers is the best outcome. Buying wine for a large property such as Four Seasons Resort and Club (my employer), or any establishment, is about finding “the best” for my guests and my employer. This keeps the guests returning and the hotel or restaurant profitable. A good working relationship with suppliers is key to making this happen. In order to fulfill this goal, and to help supplier account representatives understand my expectations of both them and myself, I developed two lists: a wish list for reps; and a list of promises from me. I can’t say that I abide by all of these promises all of the time. However, I do my best to make certain that the standard I set for myself is always considered when engaging with suppliers. I still hear of buyers who threaten reps with banishment from a restaurant if unreasonable demands or concessions are not met. But I do believe that such practices are diminishing as the sommelier position is increasingly accepted as a business profession. I hope these lists will spur you to consider your relationships with your suppliers, and how we all might improve the image of our profession through our interactions with business associates.
This is extremely concise and a very important piece of literature. Thank you for sharing this James! I love the "full of it" as a good way to end a heavy piece of info...well balanced and makes the relationship more human to human as it is sometimes forgotten.
-I understand no one wants to be the bad guy but, what are some of the penalties for non-performance you incorporate?
-How do you work with your vendors and staff alike to ensure you maximize this performance and not just say, if the product doesn't do well..."
-I am also interested to know what kind of business parameters are you setting on banquets and by-the-glass placements in order to max profit to placement?
James, thank you for the informative and thoughtful piece regarding our relationship between buyers and suppliers. Hopefully all can take note on the honesty and ethics presented in the article. Great piece and thank you for sharing!
And to follow up, what kind of business parameters are you setting on banquets and by-the-glass placements? With those spots being "prime real estate," are the parameters profit related, margin related, volume related, based on reliability and consistency of product, or a combination of the above? I'd be interested to know as an aspiring beverage director!
Many thanks!
Great meeting you!! Thanks for your helpful input.
Great and thoughtful on all points. Thanks for putting this together and try to live by. Thanks, James!
Thanks - nicely written and a good example for folks to follow. I just passed it on to a team of reps.