Learning from China's Mastery of Door-to-Door Cocktail Delivery w Guest-Blogger Chris Lowder
East Imperial Yuzu Tonic and Roku Gin delivery kit from Shanghai's Bar Epic (plus bar snacks!)
This guest post is by Chris Lowder. Lowder is General Manager of Proof & Company's offices in Mainland China. For the most up-to-date content on how the Chinese F&B industry is responding to COVID-19 Pandemic, please follow Chris on Instagram at @GetLowderNow
The COVID shutdowns are hitting bars around the world, and some cities are legalizing delivery cocktails for the first time. Cocktail deliveries are new concepts in a lot of western markets, but here in China, they have been par for course for over four years, and so this booze delivery market is very advanced. For bars in the west who are just getting in the game, there’s lots to learn, and I’m happy to share with you here a few of the strategies that I have seen in China that seem productive and useful. Make no mistake; Many bars will be starting delivery at the same time due to COVID, and people in quarantine will be spending less. So competition will be fierce! Here’s my two cents anyway, as someone who works with and services hundreds of cocktail bars in China and has seen these systems develop over time. To my friends and family, good luck and stay healthy. You’ve got this!! Love you all.
As an example for today, here are some pictures from my friend’s bar “Enjoy Bar” in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia.
INNER MONGOLIA!!!
If a bar in Inner Mongolia is succeeding with this level of sophistication in delivery cocktails, I do believe that you can make this happen.
What makes these offerings special?
✅ Presentation. The bottles are fly, the branding is consistent, and everything about the offering is thoughtful. Also, the offerings are professionally photographed, which is so important when people are just stuck at home and looking online for something to do
✅ Great Menu. Beautifully designed and straightforward. Bar’s brand gets across, and it’s easy to make a decision
✅ Look/Feel. Vacuum-packed clear ice. Sealed garnishes. Quality mixer. It’s hard to see, but they have also included a little card explaining the flavor profile. I love this because it helps fill the gap of the bartender experience and storytelling that’s otherwise missing in a delivery setting
✅ Sanitary. The garnishes are double-bagged. There’s even a set of two sanitary wipes affixed to the outside of the bag so that the guest can wipe things down before opening. This is a great detail!
✅ Thoughtful. That’s a hand-written note from one of the bartenders there under the ice cube packs. Also, I love that they are showing you in the photoshoot ways to reuse the delivery bottles and East Imperial Tonic bottle by recycling them as little flower vases.
Best of luck to all of my F&B brothers and sisters around the world who are facing an unknown future together during this pandemic. We can get through this as a family. Much love.