Why Your BTG Program Quietly Leaves 20-30% of Profit on the Table - And How to Fix it

If you run a restaurant, chances are your by-the-glass (BTG) wine program feels… fine.

The wines aren’t bad.
Guests order them.
Nothing is obviously broken.

And yet, for most restaurants, BTG is quietly underperforming.

Not because the wines are wrong.
Not because the pricing is crazy.
But because the system behind BTG makes it almost impossible to optimize.

The Hidden Truth About BTG

BTG success isn’t about wine knowledge.

Even experienced wine professionals will tell you the same thing:

Every neighborhood is different.
Every dining room behaves differently.
What works in one restaurant often fails in another.

At the start, everyone is guessing.

The real problem is not guessing —
it’s being stuck with the guess.

How Traditional BTG Programs Actually Work

For most restaurants, BTG decisions follow this pattern:

1. Pick BTG wines based on experience, distributor input, or what worked elsewhere

2. Buy inventory (often by the case)

3. Print the menu

4. Hope it works

If a BTG wine underperforms:

• Inventory sits

• Cash stays tied up

• The menu doesn’t change

• Pricing stays conservative

And because operators are busy running service, staffing, and food costs, most BTG programs don’t get actively monitored or adjusted.

So what happens?

Restaurants play it safe the next time.
BTG lists stagnate.
And meaningful upside never gets unlocked.

The Opportunity Cost Nobody Talks About

A suboptimal BTG program doesn’t fail loudly.

It fails quietly:

• Guests default to the same safe pours

• Price ceilings never get tested

• Higher-margin styles never get a chance

• Learning happens slowly — or not at all

And once busy season starts, most wine programs freeze for months.

That’s where the real loss happens:
not in one bad wine, but in months of missed iteration.

How Chu’s Wine Fixes This

Chu’s Wine was built around a simple idea:

BTG profit comes from iteration speed, not perfect upfront selection.

Instead of asking restaurants to “get it right the first time,” we remove the risk that prevents experimentation in the first place.

How the Chu’s Wine BTG Model Works

1. A Seasonal BTG Strategy — Not a Static List

We help restaurants design a seasonal BTG special menu tailored to:

• Neighborhood

• Cuisine

• Guest price sensitivity

• Dining patterns

There is no one-size-fits-all BTG list.

2. Start Small, Not Locked In

Restaurants begin with just a few bottles, not cases.

This immediately removes:

• Inventory lock-in

• Fear of slow movers

• Pressure to “make it work” even when it doesn’t

3. Observe Real Sales, Not Theory

We look at:

• What guests actually order

• How pricing is received

• Which styles move — and which don’t

Not what should sell.
What does sell.

4. Proactive Review (Bi-Weekly or Monthly)

On a cadence that fits the restaurant:

• Every two weeks for faster-moving programs

• Monthly for steadier ones

We review performance and proactively suggest:

• Replacements for underperformers

• Adjustments to style or price

• Opportunities to push higher-margin BTG options

5. Fast Replacement, Continuous Improvement

Underperforming BTG wines don’t linger for months.

They get swapped out quickly.

Over time, the restaurant converges toward its optimal BTG mix — one that actually matches its clientele.

Why This Directly Increases BTG Profit

This approach unlocks multiple profit levers at once:

• Higher pricing confidence (often +$2–$4 per glass)

• Better guest acceptance

• Faster learning cycles

• No inventory risk

• No added operational workload

Most importantly, it prevents BTG programs from getting stuck.

Why Waiting Is More Expensive Than Most Owners Realize

Every month a restaurant waits:

• They run a suboptimal BTG mix

• They lose another iteration cycle

• They lock in conservative pricing

And BTG learning doesn’t compound retroactively.

Once a season passes, that upside is gone.

The Bottom Line

Most restaurants don’t underperform on BTG because they lack taste or expertise.

They underperform because the traditional model:

• Punishes experimentation

• Locks in guesses

• Consumes time and cash

Chu’s Wine replaces that model with one built for speed, flexibility, and real-world learning — at no cost to the restaurant.

One Simple Question to Ask Yourself

If there’s no inventory risk, no setup cost, and no added workload —
does it make sense to keep guessing for another season?