Mocktails in Restaurants & Bars: How to Benefit from Them

Soft drinks, water, and espresso drinks are still among the most popular non-alcoholic beverages in the hospitality industry. However, mocktails have become trendy, and a growing number of businesses add them to their menus. You can find non-alcoholic mixed drinks on the menus of restaurants, bars, nightclubs, resorts, and other hospitality and food service businesses. There are many reasons why there has been an increased popularity of mocktails in restaurants and bars. In this post, we’ll share more about the role of these mixed beverages in the hospitality sector and how establishments can benefit from them. Check out our resources on bar profitability and how to do marketing for bars.

Key takeaway: Offering mocktails has become a great way for restaurants and bars to elevate their menus and increase profitability. Since mocktails are trendy among young guests, they can also help hospitality businesses attract new customers.

The Role of Mocktails in Restaurants and Bars

The hypercompetitiveness of the hospitality sector has made the need to adapt a must. That’s why businesses in the food and beverage industry need to regularly change their menus based on careful analysis and strategic planning. That being said, mocktails have evolved from being mixed drinks for teenagers and soda alternatives to an important addition to the menu. One of the main reasons for that is the wide variety of mocktails. There are non-alcoholic mixed drinks that can fit every taste or be paired with different meals. This means waiters can easily upsell cocktails and mocktails in restaurants. Speaking of upselling, another reason for the increased role of mocktails in the restaurant industry is their monetization. Instead of ordering water or an affordable soda beverage, customers can be pushed towards a high-end alcohol-free drink. This boosts the average check size and has the potential to improve the customer experience.

Mixed drinks are among the menu items with the highest gross profit margin. Their fairly low cost of goods sold is the reason why they are very profitable for hospitality businesses. This is yet another cause for their popularity among restaurant managers. 

Thanks to mocktails, restaurants can also attract health-conscious customers. They provide a crafted and complex component to the menu and can be used to boost the dining experience. That’s especially true for mocktails with interactive and Instagrammable presentations, like smoke coming out of the beverage, changing colors, or bubbles.

Best Mocktails to Order

If you’re wondering what mixed drink to order during your next restaurant visit or what mocktails to add when doing menu design for your establishment, here are some of the best and most popular mocktails.

• Virgin Mojito or varieties with berries;
• Shirley Temple;
• Citrus Spritz;
• Seedlip & Tonic;
• Coconut Water Mule;
• Berry Smash;
• Cucumber Mint Cooler;
• Arnold Palmer.

In addition to these classic mocktails, restaurants can add signature mixed drinks with recipes that reflect their specific style.

Benefits of Offering Mocktails in Restaurants and Bars

There are multiple reasons why business owners in the hospitality sector might want to add mocktails to their restaurant or bar menu. Here are just a few of them.

1. Thanks to mocktails, restaurants can expand their client base. These mixed drinks are an excellent choice for designated drivers or other customers who wish to avoid alcohol. This makes them helpful in terms of restaurant customer acquisition.
2. Since mocktails can be considered sophisticated and high-end beverages, they are usually sold at a higher profit markup. This allows establishments to increase the average order value and profitability.
3. Mocktails can also be used as part of restaurant marketing. They help create an upscale environment and showcase staff craftsmanship. Using mixed drinks with stunning presentations as part of the company’s marketing content can also lead to more engagement on social media.
4. The popularity of non-alcoholic drinks has increased significantly among young people. Establishments that wish to attract Gen Z and Millennials should follow the latest trends among these customers. Mocktails are definitely one of them.
5. Although mixed drinks are harder to prepare and require trained staff members, hospitality businesses can improve their efficiency in preparing and serving cocktails and mocktails.

Trends in Restaurant Mocktail Menus

Mixed drinks are a major trend in the hospitality industry. However, like any other subcategory, there are trends within mocktails as well. Here are a few of them.

1. Functional mixed drinks mixed with probiotics, electrolytes, or adaptogens;
2. Use of premium alcohol-free spirits like Seedlip and Lyre’s to achieve more complexity and a high-end mixed drink;
3. The most popular mocktails are often alcohol-free versions of classic cocktails;
4. Craftsmanship through elegant garnishes and visual presentation is a major trend for mocktails in restaurants and bars;
5. The usage of international ingredients like turmeric, yuzu, and tamarind allows customers to taste exotic beverages without traveling;
6. Consumer demand for mocktails is most significant among young people but a growing number of customers look for non-alcoholic mixed drinks when visiting bars and restaurants;
7. Thanks to cocktail and food pairing, establishments can increase their revenue while offering a high-end dining experience;
8. Using powerful software solutions and restaurant data analytics to calculate the profit margin on cocktails and adapt the menu gives managers more flexibility and options to improve their beverage menu.

Frequently Asked Questions about Mocktails in Restaurants and Bars

Whether you’re curious about how to manage bar inventory or wish to know more about integrating QR codes for restaurant menus, you’ll find plenty of resources from different niche markets on BlueCart’s website. Check out our answers to popular questions regarding the role of mocktails in restaurants and bars.

What Is a Mocktail Bar?

A mocktail bar is a hospitality establishment that specializes in serving non-alcoholic mixed drinks. Since mocktails have become very popular in recent years, these bars aim to capitalize on that trend. There are many sober bars that serve alcohol-free beverages. Some of them also offer food.

Mocktail bars are fairly uncommon. That’s because the majority of people prefer regular cocktails or other alcoholic beverages. Some resorts might have mocktail bars where they serve non-alcoholic drinks to guests. In addition to mocktails, these bars might serve other mixed drinks like lemonades, smoothies, or milkshakes.

What Are Popular Mocktails?

Some of the most popular mocktails are alcohol-free versions of classic cocktails. For example, virgin Mojito (also known as a Nojito), Faux Aperol Spritz (sometimes called Citrus Spritz), Virgin Mary, and virgin Margarita are among the most popular mocktails. In recent years, non-alcoholic coffee-based mixed drinks have become trendy as well. They are both refreshing beverages and give an energy boost to the drinker. Shirley Temple and Arnold Palmer are other very popular mocktails in restaurants and bars. Establishments often create their own signature cocktails and mocktails to fit their specific style and atmosphere.

What Are the Disadvantages of Offering Mocktails in Restaurants?

A major disadvantage of offering mocktails or other mixed drinks in restaurant businesses is the fact that these beverages are complex. They require trained bartenders, a wide variety of ingredients, and can slow down service. Another con of adding mocktails to an establishment’s cocktail menu is the potential for overcrowding the menu. More items on the menu make it harder for guests to choose. That’s why adding mocktails to a restaurant or bar menu should only be done after a careful analysis of the benefits. Inventory challenges and higher storage needs can also be considered disadvantages.

BlueCart: Calculate Profit from Mocktails in Restaurants

If you’re looking for beverage inventory software that also has functionalities related to vendor management, BlueCart is the right choice. Our platform allows businesses in the hospitality sector to calculate profit margins from dishes and beverages, track their inventory, and order in bulk. Sign up for BlueCart as a restaurant and witness all the tools our SaaS solution can help you with. If your business is in the distribution industry and you wish to increase your wholesale sales while automating processes, BlueCart is a great option. Schedule a demo and see why our software is a preferred choice for wholesalers.