As bars across Scotland reopen their doors to the public, Karla Sinclair spoke to business owners offering drinks delivery services on how this has affected their sales.
Hospitality venues were forced to diversify their offering throughout the course of the pandemic in order to survive – and launching delivery and takeaway drinks services were some of the ways they did just that.
As a result, we saw an increasing number of people get in on the action and place their online drinks orders, not only in Scotland but all over the world.
Taking part in virtual cocktail making classes and whipping up our own concoctions at home became a weekly ritual for many.
However, as bars, restaurants and pubs welcome customers back to their premises, this ritual has quickly been put on the back burner for many.
Orders have plummeted
Chris Reynolds launched his business, Reynold’s Corporate & Cocktail, around four years ago in Bridge of Don, Aberdeen, providing event catering and cocktail bar services for private and corporate clients.
Before the pandemic, the 32-year-old worked as a chef offshore and ran Reynold’s Corporate & Cocktail on a part-time basis. But when the outbreak struck, Chris was made redundant and shifted all focus to his own business.
“I have been running Reynold’s Corporate & Cocktail part-time for around four years, but full-time since March 2020,” he said.
“As soon as the lockdown was announced, I was made redundant from my job. But I was lucky that I had the basic structure of the business set up and was able to jump into it feet first.
“We are a proper family business, so my wife Lauren is the biggest help with admin and replying to customers (and everything else), as well as our friends and family who have experience in the hospitality industry.”
Starting the cocktail pouches for delivery dramatically changed the way we were trading.”
Chris Reynolds, owner of Reynold’s Corporate & Cocktail.
The business offered a variety of different events pre-coronavirus. In lockdown, Chris had to diversify and began selling his ready-made cocktails – as well as craft beers and wines – for delivery as a way of making income.
“As I became aware that it was going to be quite a long path back to events, we decided that delivery was the best option to increase sales from just offering catering options,” he added.
“Once I had navigated the red tape for licensing terms, it was the best decision we made as we were inundated with bookings.
“We delivered all the catering boxes and cocktail pouches personally but also used a courier service for the cocktail pouches to nationwide addresses (if it was outwith 20 miles of Aberdeen).
“We were unexpectedly slammed with orders and had around 120 orders a week, with the peak at the weekends.
“As we work from home, and with the lockdowns restricting people coming into people’s homes, it was Lauren and me who made every single order from start to finish. Coupled with having two young children at home, we have had to limit our output especially at Christmas, Valentine’s, Mother’s Day, and so on.
“Starting the cocktail pouches for delivery dramatically changed the way we were trading.
“Due to the lockdowns and having to return deposits to clients for the planned events, we used up all available savings just to pay the bills and survive.
“Once we started cocktail delivery and it proved so popular, we were able to get back on our feet and then start helping other local business ourselves by buying local. We know only too well how much it can help a small business survive.”
Since the pubs and restaurants have reopened, we have understandably seen the orders plummet.”
Chris Reynolds, owner of Reynold’s Corporate & Cocktail.
Online sales have progressively slowed down. However, Chris intends on shifting his attention back to events over time.
Chris said: “Since the pubs and restaurants have reopened, we have understandably seen the orders plummet. We are now only doing around 10 orders per week.
“I’ve noticed that we are busiest when either in full lockdown or having no restrictions.
“We are still offering delivery whilst we make the slow transition back to events – including delivery of our afternoon teas, gourmet cheeseboards, home celebration buffets and,d of course, cocktails.
“Once there are no restrictions on guest numbers, we are happy to go back to our full catering services. And when we get back to events properly, we will stop delivery.”
Started with a bang
Like Chris, brothers Scott and Grant Murray, founders of MIXD in Inverness, said their sales took off from the outset after launching in lockdown, on June 10.
Grant added: “A pandemic gripping the world was the kick in the pants I needed to act on my long-held ambition to launch a premium mail-order cocktail company.
“And what started in 2020 as a local delivery service in the Highlands of Scotland has quickly grown to serve satisfied customers in all corners of the UK.
“We launched in June last year, so have just celebrated our first birthday. Plans began right back in March 2020, but we wanted to take the time and make sure everything from the website to the product and the packaging was just right.
“MIXD was established with one simple aim – to bring bar-quality cocktails to your home. Everything we do is guided by this mission.
“In a nutshell, we devise, produce, package and deliver quirky, bar quality cocktails to homes, gardens and, indeed, offices, all over the UK.”
Scott and Grant founded the company along with fellow director, Ken Loades, who also runs CRU Holdings, which operates an award-winning group of bars and restaurants in the Highlands.
They have a selection of nearly 20 handcrafted cocktails, including some old favourites and their unique spins on classics.
“It was important for us to produce a range of drinks that are not only balanced and have great recognisable flavours, but are also convenient to store, prepare and offer fantastic value,” Grant added.
What started in 2020 as a local delivery service in the Highlands of Scotland has quickly grown to serve satisfied customers in all corners of the UK.”
Grant Murray, co-founder of MIXD.
“With a massive build-up to our launch, helped along by our visibility on Facebook and Instagram through the connection to our bars and restaurants, we certainly started with a bang!
“We took almost 200 orders the first week, just servicing the local area, and quickly realised we needed to make more cocktails. From there, and as we expanded our reach to the whole of the UK over the last year, we have averaged over 150 orders a week.
“We certainly have seen a drop in demand for at-home drinking now that the bars are able to open in some decent capacity, although not as much as we had expected, thankfully.
“This was, of course, not a surprise to us, and we have planned for this, stepping into other markets and adapting our business model to suit the current climate. For just the ‘at home’ market, we are probably averaging around 100 orders a week at the moment.”
Quality, convenience and fun
While the majority of us welcome the reopening of hospitality with open arms, Grant included, he says there are a number of perks to creating your own drinks at home.
“Using a company like MIXD, you are guaranteed that the cocktails will be just as good as you would get in a cocktail bar,” he said.
With a massive build-up to our launch, helped along by our visibility on Facebook and Instagram through the connection to our bars and restaurants, we certainly started with a bang.”
Grant Murray, co-founder of MIXD.
“There’s also the convenience aspect. There’s no need to buy lots of different ingredients, mixers and equipment, we make it as simple as possible to prepare at home.
“It’s also fun. With MIXD, you can try a whole range of different cocktails, and also try some quirky ones you might not have thought of before.”
Diversifying
Graeme Gersok, director of The Townhouse Hotel Arbroath, also introduced delivery cocktails during the pandemic and is proud of how his team have adapted to the ever-changing restrictions.
The 45-year-old said: “We began offering cocktail deliveries in Blairgowrie, Forfar and Kirriemuir when we realised the market was growing at a fast pace.
“People were apprehensive about going out during slight easing of restrictions and we had to find ways for producing revenue streams.
“Our service was very popular when hospitality was forced to close, but this has decreased as restrictions have eased.
“It’s a service we offer lesser so now, but the cocktails helped provide a rounded takeaway service for our customers.
“It is incredible looking back now seeing just how my fantastic team have adapted to a new takeaway service, which included food as well as drinks.”