Wine bars and wine shops

Inventory in wine bars and wine shops - full control over every bottle

Wines are high-priced products with considerable margin potential - but they are sensitive to losses. Even a single missing or broken bottle of a top wine can mean a noticeable drop in profits. In addition, wine storage requires care: if wine is stored incorrectly or the stock is not monitored, there is a risk of loss of quality and dead capital in the cellar. In short: without an accurate inventory in your wine bar or wine shop, you run the risk of losing track - and that costs money. Studies show that efficient stock control can save up to 20% of the cost of goods. At the same time, around 20% of sales are lost every month in restaurants due to shrinkage, theft or losses. It is therefore worth keeping a close eye on every bottle.

Why a precise wine inventory is crucial

A digital wine inventory brings full transparency to your wine stock - and that has tangible benefits. On the one hand, you can precisely control the inventory of your wine list. You know at all times which wines are in the cellar and at what cost price and can make recalculations as to whether the sales prices are still correct. This keeps the margin intact and avoids nasty surprises at the checkout. On the other hand, an up-to-date inventory helps you to optimize purchasing and stock levels. You avoid overstocking, which is dead capital on the shelf, and recognize early on when a popular vintage is running low. Nothing is more embarrassing than recommending a wine to guests that is actually already sold out - or having the wrong vintage on the wine list. With a precise inventory, you can keep the wine list up to date, keep an eye on vintage availability and reorder in a targeted manner. Last but not least, an accurate inventory creates trust within the team: everyone knows what is available, what is missing and what needs special attention. In short, regular stocktaking is the basis for profitable work and satisfied guests.

Typical challenges in the wine inventory

Stocktaking in wine bars and wine shops is particularly tricky. Here are some of the most common challenges:

• Shrinkage and breakage: wine bottles are fragile. If a bottle breaks or "disappears" in an inexplicable way, there is an immediate loss. Without a precise inventory, such shrinkage is often only noticed late - by which time it is too late to take countermeasures.
• Open partial bottles: In many wine bars, high-quality wines are served by the glass. This means that there are opened bottles on the refrigerated shelves. Counting these partial quantities correctly (e.g. "0.5 bottles left") is tedious, but is necessary for the exact use of goods.
• Changing vintages: A wine remains on the wine list, but the vintage changes as soon as the old bottles have been drunk. During stocktaking, you have to meticulously separate whether the Merlot is 2018 or 2019 on the shelf, for example. Differences in vintage influence price and availability - keeping track of this is difficult without digital help.
• One-offs and rarities: Wine shops often have individual stocks - rare bottles of which there are only 1-2 left. Such rarities are easily lost in mass storage. They require special attention when counting, as every shortage means hard cash (and possibly a disappointed collector customer).
• Wine cellar without reception: Not forgetting the practical circumstances: Wine storage is often located in a vaulted cellar or an outbuilding with thick walls. No WLAN, no cell phone network. This is a problem for a digital bottle inventory if the app needs an internet connection. Many conventional inventory apps fail here - and pen and paper are used again.

Digital wine inventory with BarBrain - functions especially for bottled goods and wine shops

Fortunately, there are specialized solutions for this. BarBrain was developed for restaurant inventories and offers extra functions for wine bars, wine shops and wine retailers. Digital inventory software for wine like BarBrain not only makes the process faster, but also more precise. Important features at a glance:

• Fill level detection for open bottles: BarBrain makes it possible to record opened wine bottles easily via app. For example, you can count 0.3 or 0.7 of a bottle. This means you know exactly how many glasses can still be sold from an open bottle and your cost of goods remains traceable.
• Scanning and counting entire layers or crates: Instead of counting each bottle individually, BarBrain allows you to record entire wine crates in one go. Scanner support and intelligent quantity entries make it possible, for example, to directly transfer 6 or 12 bottles at once to the inventory list with one scan - ideal for original boxes in the warehouse.
• Offline inventory in the wine cellar: You can work with BarBrain even in the deepest wine cellar without internet reception. The app supports offline mode, so you can count your wine cellar digitally even when there is no WiFi available. All data is stored locally and synchronized when the connection is restored. No more interrupted stocktaking due to thick cellar walls!
• Sorting by vintage, location, producer, article group: The digital stock list can be filtered and sorted with just a few clicks - exactly according to the criteria that count in the wine sector. For example, you can display all stocks of a specific vintage, filter by location of origin or producer or group by wine type (red, white, sparkling wine, etc.). This flexible view makes stock management in the wine shop child's play.

Advantages for wine bars and wine shops at a glance

Inventory software for the wine trade and gastronomy such as BarBrain offers numerous advantages for you as the operator of a wine bar or wine shop:

• Huge time saving: Digital wine inventory is much faster than the pen-and-paper method. Many BarBrain users reduce their inventory time by more than half, even with extensive wine cellars. This saves personnel costs and nerves.
• Greater accuracy, less shrinkage: fewer errors occur thanks to scanning and digital quantity recording. No bottle is "forgotten" and discrepancies are noticed immediately. This reduces shrinkage and gives theft virtually no chance because every movement can be traced.
• Current stock overview: You have an overview of your wine stock at all times. You can quickly check whether you have enough Chablis for the weekend or whether the last vintage of a Barolo is coming to an end. Your wine list is always up-to-date in terms of availability.
• Optimized purchasing policy: With precise data, you can make smarter purchases. You recognize slow sellers and bestsellers and can use your budget in a targeted manner. Overstocks are avoided - your money works in sales, not on the shelves. At the same time, you ensure that there are always enough bottles of the bestsellers in stock.
• Better costing and higher margins: thanks to the cost of goods sold analysis, you know exactly what each wine sold costs you. This transparency makes it possible to manage prices and offers in a targeted manner. The bottom line is that profitability increases because there is less loss and more accurate costing.
  

"Since we started inventory in the wine bar digitally with BarBrain, we finally have full control over every bottle. In the past, two people spent a whole day counting and yet something was often wrong. Today, I count our 600 or so items in just over 3 hours. Stocktaking in the wine bar used to be a horror, now it's a breeze. And we discover immediately if something is missing - there's practically no more shrinkage. BarBrain is a game changer for us in wine bar management!"

Conclusion with CTA: Test BarBrain now free of charge

Inventory no longer has to be the enemy of the connoisseur. Especially in wine bars and wine shops, where digital bottle inventory can mean the difference between chaos and control, it's worth switching to smart tools. With BarBrain, you can keep an eye on every bottle - from the full crate in the warehouse to the opened rarity at the bar. This way, you can secure your margins, delight your guests with wines that are always available and save time and money at the same time. Try BarBrain now for free and experience how much easier stocktaking can be in the wine business! Good luck and here ' s to efficient stock management in your wine bar or wine shop.