Establishing a well-known and trusted brand is one way to make your business shine amid a sea of competitors, and every choice you make, including your selection of a wine menu cover, should jive with your company brand.
If your restaurant, wine bar, or cafe is located in a city, you know all too well that competition is fierce and your market share is on the line each time you open your doors for business.
Each task you undertake should contribute to your business branding strategy, whether that means remembering to order the secret ingredient for that exquisite dessert your customers depend on, or choosing a wine list cover which reflects your restaurant’s ambiance and personality. While it’s simply good business to give your menus and decor a fresh face from time to time, whatever look you choose must reflect the brand your clientele has come to trust.
When selecting a wine list cover design, first consider your restaurant’s style. Is it elegant and formal? Choose a richly textured cover, such as moire silk or velvet, embossed in silver or gold with your company logo. Is your establishment trendy? Try one of the strikingly modernistic aluminum menu covers with minimalist designs or whatever is in keeping with your overall decor. Do you run a casual cafe? Perhaps a wine list covered in heavy cardstock with a window for a sketched design or hand-lettered name would reflect your brand.
Your choice of a wine menu cover should also take into account the nature of the food you serve. Because in a restaurant setting the wine should compliment the food, the cover you choose should naturally coordinate with your overall menu. This means that if you operate an upscale steakhouse, you might consider a leather cover, stamped, brand-like, with your logo. The luxurious scent and feel of the leather will underscore your brand. If your place is a wine bar, a cover of cork would be apropos. For a bar or restaurant in a mountain lodge, why not choose a pine clipboard-style menu holder?
If your establishment has earned a reputation for originality, you can enlist the talent of a local artist to design a cover or reinvent the design of your existing cover; you can then present the artwork to your printer or menu company for reproduction on your choice of cover stock.
Have your customers come to expect the unexpected at your place? Then get really creative. Present your wine list as a cleverly printed label on an empty wine bottle, or place it in an ornate picture frame. Use a wine glass cover by curling the menu carelessly in an empty glass and presenting it to your guests.
Whatever cover, folder, or sleeve you choose in which to present your wine selection, your restaurant’s name and logo should figure prominently to reinforce your brand. Be sure to use your business’s signature colors in your wine menu cover, either overall, on the inside, in the printing, or in the artwork.
