How Restaurants Must Evolve for the Changing Wine Consumer

I had a great meal last night at Trestle on Tenth, a cozy Swiss restaurant around the corner from my apartment. I was with my immediate family plus my aunt, uncle, and cousin, who love collecting wine as well. Between my Dad and my Uncle, we brought seven bottles of wine to dinner. We started with a buttery Far Niente Chardonnay then had a complex White Chateauneuf-du-Pape. For reds we had a hardy Remirez de Ganuza 1994 Rioja, a South African Shiraz, and a Walla Walla Washington State Cabernet. The wines were as diverse as can be so not all of them pleased everybody. But it didn’t matter, there was little risk involved with the $20 corkage fee assigned to each bottle. We weren’t paying a 100% markup for each bottle like we normally would, had we ordered from the wine list.

The restaurant was near empty on a Sunday night at 7:30. Despite our rowdiness and our quirks, I think they were glad to have our business. Nobody questioned the fact that we brought our own wine. Truthfully, how could they? In today’s economy, avoiding a restaurant markup is an easy way to save money. A recent survey by the Wine Market Council showed the majority of participants were eating out less, with the most significant decline (39%) in fine dining.

Of course everybody needs a reprieve from the stress that all of this causes and people may still be gripping the bottle to calm their woes. But they aren’t buying $100 bottles, they’re looking for the sweet spot of great wines at affordable prices in the $15 range. I know this from experience, promoting wine every day on WineExpress.com, but it’s no secret. Knowing all this, fewer people will needlessly pay $45 in a restaurant for a wine that’s on sale for $15 at the wine shop around the corner. Restaurants will need to wise up to meet the changing consumer, or risk facing empty tables.

My predictions for what needs to happen:

• BYOB will become more of a standard habit, with nominal corkage fees
• If not, prices will have to come down. Consumers are smart and know what a wine should cost and what it costs on a menu. They simply won’t pay double.
• If not, menu prices will have to come down. I get that restaurants make most of their money on drinks. Maybe it’s unreasonable to expect prices to come down on wine, but people need some incentive to open their wallets. Maybe more prixe-fixe meals or weekly specials?

Something’s gotta give, or I’m afraid restaurants might have a painful year (or more?) ahead of them.

Kuma Inn (BYOB Asian Tapas)

Hidden above a lower east side store front is Kuma Inn, an eatery serving up Asian tapas that deliver unique tastes well beyond their modest price tags. Though the relaxed decor makes it feel like a neighborhood joint, Kuma Inn commands long waits on weekend nights. I stopped in with a couple of friends on Thursday evening and was very pleased with what they have to offer.

The solo waitress greeted us at the door, asking if the third member of our party would be here shortly. We don’t typically seat parties until all of the guests have arrived. She said. I glanced around, puzzled at the host of empty tables in the restaurant. I understand this policy for a crowded restaurant, but it seemed silly for us to stand and wait knowing our third friend was in a cab on her way. Really? You can’t just seat us now? I mean…. I gestured around the empty restaurant. She acquiesced and let us sit. With cold Winter temperatures perhaps keeping people at home, Thursday night must have been an anomaly for Kuma. She was used to policing diners more aggressively. No matter, she agreed and we sat down.

Kuma Inn is BYOB, a great cost savings in itself. I brought a 2000 David Frost Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. It was showing beautifully after some age with a seductive velvety texture and a lingering length. The menu consists of a list of about thirty tapas, inspired by the chef’s Filipino mother and Thai Father. Some were real successful while others fell short but at $2-$8 a plate, you can’t lose. They also had some great specials that we tried as well. We started with steamed edamame with thai basil lime oil then moved to a host of small plates which arrived in rapid-fire, overwhelming our table. Wasabi pork shumai, sauteed Chinese sausage with thai chili lime sauce, stir fried noodles with pork, sausage, and bean sprouts as well as deeply aromatic garlic rice were the big hits in my book. Some skippable items were a crispy tilapia special, a grilled baby octopus with bamboo shoots and some Thai sticky rice. It seemed that meat dishes were more well executed than seafood, something to keep note of for future visits. Though not a perfect meal, it was a lot of fun sampling the menu items.

Kuma Inn: 113 Ludlow, 2^nd Floor, near Delancey
Cuisine: Asian, Tapas
Average App/Entree Price: $7-$11
Food: Good
Service: Good
Value: Excellent
You Gonna Finish That? Every last bite.
Word to the Wise: Order a few dishes at a time to pace the meal and prevent table crowding.