Bar Louie is rolling out Illy coffee and tea to its 67 locations, offering espresso for the first time in its 34-year history.
The chain of bar-focused casual-dining restaurants has been working with Illy for the past year or so and began installing espresso machines a few months ago. It will complete the process by the end of the summer, vice president of beverage and education Ian Welby told Nation’s Restaurant News.
“Initial feedback from the guests … has been phenomenal,” he said, and customers have been ordering espresso shots and cappuccino at lunch, during happy hour, and after dinner.
He said the machines “are more or less on loan,” with Illy footing the bill and Bar Louie and its franchisees buying the coffee and tea.
Bar Louie has just under 20 franchised locations, Welby said.
Sales of Espresso Martinis, already one of the top three Martinis offered by the Addison, Texas-based chain, also are creeping up, apparently as guests have noticed the improved quality.
That cocktail, called Mean Bean on the menu, is made with Smirnoff Vanilla vodka, Mr. Black coffee liqueur, brown sugar syrup, and espresso.
Welby also added a second coffee cocktail to the drink list, the Whole Latta Latte, which is made with Smirnoff Kissed Caramel vodka, RumChata Cream Liqueur, cream, espresso, and cinnamon. It’s garnished with espresso beans.
“We took something that we never really paid attention to, didn’t worry about the quality, and now we’re really giving the coffee program the same care as our cocktail program,” he said.
Although coffee sales are on the rise, Welby said that might be due in part to the fact that Illy has provided printed coffee menus at restaurants where the machines have been installed.
Apart from a regular line of espresso drinks and upgraded drip coffee, guests also can add house-made syrups from the bar to their coffee drinks.
Bar Louie also has introduced black iced tea and a tropical iced tea.
The chain also has expanded other aspects of its non-alcoholic beverage program, in line with a major trend of consumers ordering zero-proof beverages.
In April it introduced its first spirit-free cocktail made with Ritual tequila alternative. Called The Pineapple Upside Down Margarita, it’s made with vanilla, pineapple, lime, grenadine, and Sprite as well as the tequila alternative.
“It’s done really, really well,” Welby said.
That drink, and the Island Hopper, made with orange and passion fruit juices, sparkling water, and lime, are the two cocktails on Bar Louie’s “Sober A.F. (Alcohol Free)” menu, which also lists Coca-Cola products, Liquid Death Mountain Water, Red Bull energy drinks, coffee, and tea.
Welby also has added another non-alcoholic beer to the chain’s offerings, “and we’ll probably offer another on this year,” he said.
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected]
