Cioppino Restaurant & Cigar Bar Streamlines Wine Cellar Inventory with CorkGuru

One of the most common problems that restaurants with extensive wine lists face is not having the ability to quickly and efficiently organize their wine inventory. It also becomes nearly impossible to remember every single wine in their cellar the longer the list gets, therefore making it even more difficult for every staff member to provide proper suggestions to guests. Here’s an example of a well-known and successful restaurant in the Pittsburgh area that was having similar problems and how they were able to solve it.

Profile

Client: Cioppino Restaurant & Cigar Bar
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
http://www.cioppinoofpittsburgh.com/

Accolades:

Cioppino Restaurant & Cigar Bar routinely earns dining accolades:

• “Award of Excellence” Winner – Wine Spectator Magazine 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
• “Best Of Pittsburgh Wine Bars” and “Best Of Pittsburgh Steaks” – Thrillist.com
• Voted “Best Of Guys Night Out” and “Best Cigar Bar in Pittsburgh” (featuring 20 of the top 100 cigars sold worldwide) by local CBS affiliates
• OpenTable Diners’ Choice Winner in 2017

About Cioppino:

Nestled within Pittsburgh’s Famous Strip District, Cioppino Restaurant & Cigar Bar offers an eclectic dining experience, perfect for any occasion. Savor a meal from our seasonal dinner menu featuring fresh seafood, hand-cut steaks and chops, house fare with a focus on local produce and livestock. Our menu is also vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free friendly.

Enjoy a selection from our award-winning wine list inclusive of over (450) international and domestic labels. Visit our separate luxury Cigar Bar and sip a selection from our collection of over (300) whiskeys. Enjoy live music every Thursday through Saturday in our Bar Lounge Area.

Complimentary valet parking offered after 5pm daily, Monday through Saturday.

Challenges Faced

In 2014, with over 450+ wine labels, Cioppino Restaurant & Cigar Bar was using way too much paper to keep track of the restaurant’s wine list. It was becoming cumbersome to keep an accurate list and at the same time get all the information out to guests at their table. It was time consuming to train staff members on all the wines available and assure they were knowledgeable enough to provide recommendations based on taste and pairings.

At that time, Cioppino Restaurant & Cigar Bar worked with CorkGuru to implement the iPad wine menu app and wine cellar portal to keep track of wine inventory and provide guests with a simpler way to select wines at their table.

How Does CorkGuru Help?

Today, the Cioppino Restaurant Group continues to use CorkGuru to help manage their wine program. We asked what they think about CorkGuru.

Our wine directors have noticed that the app has made selling some of the wines that we like to highlight easier. For example, we have a specific list set for all of our highly rated wines. Many of our guests really like seeing the scores from major publications to help them choose. It’s utilized a ton! I also have wines on our list paired specifically with entrees we serve and I like to show guests that feature. The app definitely helps us move specific wines.  

We also love that CorkGuru totals the cost of goods for us in an Excel sheet so we can tell whether or not our program as a whole is priced too high or too low.

The Result

Not only has CorkGuru eliminated the paper trail for Cioppino Restaurant & Cigar Bar’s wine inventory, it has helped with training employees and managers on wines to recommend to their guests. CorkGuru has saved Cioppino upwards of two shifts monthly for the restaurant’s bottom line; translating to less time and money wasted on organization of their wine list and mundane back office tasks.

Since he cannot visit every guest, every night of the week, Cioppino’s wine director remains confident that his staff can convey meaningful information and that his guests will make satisfying wine choices.

[Editor’s Notes: article updated April 2017]