The night before Thanksgiving tends to be one of the busiest nights for bars and restaurants. This year Chicago-based Technomic Inc. foresees big sales on-premise for some of the fastest-growing beer, wine and spirits brands.
"This isn't a trumped-up holiday — without any prompting from marketers, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving has evolved organically into a huge on-premise night," said Donna Hood Crecca, senior director at Technomic, in a statement. "Many people travel to their hometowns for Thanksgiving and want to catch up with family and friends. Most don't want to entertain the night before a holiday, so meeting at a restaurant or bar is the way to go. Also, most people don't work on Thanksgiving, making a night out an even more attractive option."
With consumers in a celebratory mood, bar and restaurant operators can likely expect a bump in alcohol beverage sales, particularly for the most popular brands, Technomic says.
Technomic's recently released BarTab Report identifies the fastest-growing on-premise brands:
Hard cider: Technomic projects that The Boston Beer Co.’s Angry Orchard hard cider brand will grow 200 percent and MillerCoors’ Crispin hard cider brand will grow by 50 percent this year.
Beer: Technomic projects that Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Stella Artois brand will grow 13 percent and Heineken USA’s Dos Equis brand will grow 11 percent this year.
Spirits: Technomic projects that Sazerac Co. Inc.’s Fireball Cinnamon Whisky brand will grow 68 percent and Fifth Generation Inc.’s Tito’s Handmade Vodka brand will grow 25 percent this year.
Wine: Technomic projects that E. & J. Gallo Winery’s Barefoot wine brand will grow by 5 percent and Constellation Brands Inc.’s Woodbridge wine brand will grow by 4 percent this year.
"Most of these brands are growing because they're differentiated with on-trend flavors or a compelling back story or price point, and they've connected with millennials," Crecca said in a statement. "Black Wednesday should bring plenty of calls for these brands from loyal fans and also from consumers open to trying something new."
Crecca expects creative drinks highlighting these and other popular drinks, such as beer and wine cocktails, shooters, and trending wine varietals by the glass, will likely be popular options for Black Wednesday celebrators.
The 2014 BarTab Report is part of Technomic’s Trends in Adult Beverage series and provides an in-depth look at national on-premise volume and sales information about beer, wine and spirits categories in restaurants and bars, including leading brands, as well as actionable outlooks and projections information, consumer insights around drink purchases on-premise, and operator insights.