Quartino:

The name of a fabulous restaurant in Chicago!  Also named after a small decanter that holds a quarter liter (hence the name) of wine.  That is equal to 1/3 of a 750 ml. bottle or …a glass and a half.

 

Why  Quartinos?

Let's start with the customer coming into the wine bar or restaurant.  There are a few scenarios that make the quartino a viable option:

What if you are craving a little peace from the work day with a glass (or a little more) of wine and some alone time to unwind and relax.  Like me, you don't need to have a companion, you are completely content entering a restaurant or wine bar alone and finding your own little space to relax and breathe.  You know you would definitely like a glass of wine and maybe a bit more….2 glasses might be too much.  A quartino is perfectly satisfying because it comes with a glass part full and a quartino for you to finish off at your own pace.

If you are two and you want to try a couple different wines; say a white with the appetizer and a red with dinner; the Quartino is the perfect option once again. 3/4 of a glass of each wine,  and you got to try two different wines for much less than it would cost to have a glass of each per person.  That would be 4 glasses or the equivalent to a bottle and probably a little to much to drink.

Option #3:  You would like to try a fabulous wine that is only offered by the bottle.  Whether you are just one or two people, a whole bottle is  a little much plus  it may seem like an expensive experiment if you don't already know the wine.  Some restaurants will either feature special wines by the quartino or offer any bottle by the quartino because they know they can move it.

Option #4: A party of 4 people or more makes it difficult to agree on one wine, and most likely they are looking at bottle prices and entertaining the idea of spending quite a bit on one wine.  You could get three or four bottles of wine poured as a quartino if the restaurant has all bottles by the quartino.  If not, each person could get a quartino and then a bottle or two to follow.  That way, everyone is happy with the wine decisions and it is still a great value.

RESTAURANTS:

I have talked about the benefits of quartinos for the customer, which also helps the restaurateur but would like to really focus on the benefits for the restaurants now.  You can definately see your options and potential with quartinos now that you see the different ways it can benefit your customer.

But really?  What about you and your bottom line?  In San Francisco, I have introduced the quartino  to a few different restaurants who have been using this program for about a year now.  Ottimista was my very first convert.  There wasn't much conversion to be done, they saw the opportunities in front of them immediately.  Ottimista had just changed wine directors and were revamping the list.  They had a lot of wine in the range of $44 /bottle retail  they needed to move through.  This is not wine by the glass!    They really needed to move through this wine because of storage restrictions. Quartinos are the perfect answer. 

A wine by the glass is between $8-$12 for most places.  If you have some wines that you want to move through  that are slightly over that price point, the quartino is perfect!

Pricing:

The recommended pricing for a Quartino is 1/3 the bottle price plus $1.00.  For Example, if a Barbaresco  is $45/bottle, the quartino price would be $16 ($15+$1).  A great deal!  Trying a $45/bottle for only $16.  A great way to promote a new wine on the list by featuring it by the Quartino.  Also, if you have a new vintage coming in or a new wine to replace another, it's a great tool to move out some inventory.

On the other hand, you could also have a set list of wines by the Quartino just as you have a set list by the glass.  Be creative and have fun!

Other restaurants in San Francisco using Quartinos are A16 and BarBambino.

Visiting NYC?  Check out another Quartino fan, Babbo.

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