Your favorite bartenders have had great success revamping beverage options for Outback Steakhouse! Throughout 2018, our yearlong training initiative helped increase beverage sales by nearly $4 million. The Spirits in Motion worked with largest Outback Steakhouse franchisee Cerca Trova to create this whopping company-wide revenue increase.

How does a restaurant franchise increase beverage sales by millions of dollars? For Outback Steakhouse, the answer was developing high-quality service practices. The Spirits in Motion know bartending has an undeniable human element, so we helped cultivate leadership and customer engagement in Outback’s staff.

Different clients have different needs, said The Spirits in Motion co-founder Phil Wills. Fortunately, The Spirits are great at elevating employee standards from any level. This project had a strong emphasis on ergonomics and cultivating knowledge, skills and technique amongst bartenders.

It may come as a surprise to know friendly competition amongst staff was a key factor in increasing sales. “We input a weekly contest for the hourly employees,” Wills said, “as well as incentives for the managing partners. This was the main driver in increasing beverage sales throughout the company.”

Not only did largest Outback Steakhouse franchisee Cerca Trova improve beverage sales by increasing employee standards, they also created lasting change by implementing a yearlong program throughout 2018. Wills said the program was designed to make sure the entire company was on board with the new bartending practices.

“Each restaurant has a certified trainer within the four walls,” Wills said. “This ensures that the program continues to be upheld and any new staff promotions in the bar have the same training that the previous bar staff has. This helps to create continuity throughout the brand. Often after a training or opening, the training for new staff tends to change. With a certified trainer in place, we can assure that the training will be consistent.”