Heat up drink sales with hot beverages after dinner

“One of the great sales opportunities in a restaurant meal is to add a dollop of satisfaction at the end,” says Tom Pirko, president of Bevmark, a beverage consultancy in Santa Barbara, Calif.

And premium hot beverages — typically alcoholic, but not always — he adds, could be the post-meal pizzazz needed to boost long-static check averages in casual-dining operations.

“Consumers are bored and searching for different experiences,” he says. &l