You want the rotgut or the goodstuff?

Opportunities for upselling are everywhere. My friend Micheal and I were working the bar one Valentine's day and I saw a great job from him. A guy and his date come up to the bar and he orders, " A margarita and a scotch on the rocks." Micheal without missing a beat replies, "You want the rotgut or the good stuff?" I'll say up front it was a little manipulative - I mean what guy is gonna say give us the cheap stuff on V-day in front of his girlfriend. That being said, - The girl was a lot happier with the top shelf Margarita and the difference in the Scotch was noticeable as well. He got a higher percentage tip on a larger tab and the customer was happier.

You don't need to go to the extreme of calling your well rotgut. I've had good luck with, "Do you want the house gin or something a little nicer? We have this really good Blue Sapphire if you want to try something a little nicer." I've guaranteed that before as well. "If you don't think this is worth the difference, I'll take care of it for you." You will need to learn to read your tables a little bit for that though.