If there has been any positive outcome from the COVID-19 pandemic for restaurants it is the relaxation of Byzantine rules that control how, when, where, and what we serve our guests. From outdoor dining to limits on the costs of third-party delivery fees, leaders of most states and municipalities have rallied behind our industry to facilitate its continued existence.

Perhaps the most immediately effective change other than outdoor dining has been allowing restaurants to provide beer, wine, and prepared cocktails for carryout service. While this has been welcomed by restaurant operators, has it made a difference?

Well, we decided to ask you, our readers, in our most recent survey and here’s what we learned from you about your experience providing to-go cocktails.

The success of restaurant’s alcohol delivery programs & alcohol to-go services during COVID-19

Restaurants are Taking Advantage of Alcohol To-Go but Sales Lagging

The first thing we confirmed is that 78% of you are currently serving alcohol to-go in some form, which accurately reflects the states that allow it. The mix of products you are selling is no surprise with over 90% of restaurant and bars offering beer/wine for carryout. However, nearly 83% of responding operators are also serving mixed cocktails and spirits, which is clearly where the relaxed rules have helped the most.

Allowing the sale of alcohol is a necessary first step, but we also wanted to know what impact restaurant alcohol delivery was having on overall sales. Unfortunately, the success of adding alcohol to-go hasn’t translated into significant sales increases for the operators that embrace it. Only 31.3% of you experienced a bump of more than 5% to sales when you added carryout beverage service. In fact, 44% of you noted that the sales only grew between 1-5%, while a small number (9.4%) saw more than a 15% increase in sales.

These numbers make it difficult to determine the success or failure of adding alcohol to-go. However, they do show that there is efficacy in embracing those sales, even if it’s just to match your competitors and stay relevant to your guests. The real challenge that most of you are facing is the fact that you have never served booze to-go before. You’re not package store operators, so where did you turn for support to implement this new operational system?

Get Support for Your Restaurant’s Off-Premise Alcohol Delivery Program

To start, operators should contact their local wholesaler/distributor to find some inkling as to best practices and the most efficient ways to promote your off-premise alcohol service. Our survey responses paint a grim picture of the support you have received from your distributors and, frankly, it’s alarming. Nearly 70% of you observed that you had received no support from your distributors. If that’s not depressing enough, under 23% of got printed POP materials, 8.6% were provided with generic carryout packaging, and just over 11% of you received best practices direction.

Given that these same distributors serve the liquor stores in your area, you would think they have readily available support for restaurants that are selling alcohol for consumption off-premise. Alas, they seem to have ignored your needs and we believe that needs to change immediately.

We strongly encourage you to challenge your wholesalers and distributors to step up and deliver more than just the order you made for this week. From cups to carryout trays, they have access to lots of materials that will assist you in better service alcohol to-go. They can also provide insights and experience derived from their many years of supporting liquor store operators.

There will be a restaurant industry when this pandemic ends. It may not look like the old one, but it will for sure be a true force for introducing new products, selling product and building brand awareness. For those reasons alone you deserve any support they are providing to their off-premise accounts and it’s up to you to demand it.