Take Oregon Wine Month to the next level at your top accounts, including extra exposure for Oregon Wine A-List restaurants.
The Oregon Wine Board is excited to announce a new partnership with leading restaurant reservations company OpenTable to promote on-premise events during Oregon Wine Month this May. With more than 5 million people using OpenTable, this new partnership is certain to raise the visibility of Oregon Wine Month in this important channel. Plus, it gives you the opportunity to sell in a program that provides added value to your restaurant accounts!
OpenTable Partnership – how it works
- Starting in April, OpenTable will launch an Oregon Wine Month promotional page on its website and mobile app. The promotional page will list OpenTable restaurants participating in Oregon Wine Month and details of each restaurant’s month-long promotional activity.
- To be included, restaurants must sign up to host a month-long Oregon wine feature or promotion during May. This can be anything that is different from the restaurant’s normal offering; for example, special Oregon wine flights, by-the-glass features, a discount on all bottles of Oregon wine, a featured menu item with pairing or even a full Oregon Wine month prix fixe menu with Oregon wine pairings.
- The details of the promotion must be submitted to OWB to ensure inclusion in the promotion. While submissions will be accepted until Apr. 30, accounts enrolling by Apr. 1 will reap the full benefit of the promotional activities!
- OpenTable will also promote its Oregon Wine Month page through its digital marketing channels.
On-Premise Activity – OWB promotion
- ALL restaurants participating in Oregon Wine Month – not only OpenTable accounts – will be featured on a promotional page on the Oregon Wine Month website.
- The same parameters apply as above and details of the promotion must be submitted to OWB to ensure inclusion.
- OWB will promote all on-premise activity through digital advertising, its social channels and consumer newsletter.
- Prominence will be given to Oregon Wine A-List restaurants participating in Oregon Wine Month.
Oregon Wine A-List Restaurants – additional programming
- OWB is reaching out to all Oregon Wine A-List restaurants to explain Oregon Wine Month and encourage their participation. While they may choose to participate in any capacity described above, we are suggesting they offer a Oregon Wine Month food and wine pairing menu.
- Unlike during Portland Dining Month, OWB will not be directly facilitating winery-restaurant connections; wineries are encouraged to reach out and organize activity with these accounts – for example, pitching pairings of your wines with their menu items.
- In addition to the featured placement on the Oregon Wine Month site, OWB is offering a server incentive to participating A-List restaurants to help drive sales of Oregon wine at these accounts during May.
- Here is a list of all Oregon Wine A-List restaurants around the country. More than half are also OpenTable clients.
Get Involved! – Participation in Oregon Wine Month on-premise activities is open to ALL wineries and ALL restaurants.
- Pay a visit to your top restaurant accounts by the end of March and get them enrolled with an Oregon Wine Month feature.
- Spread the word – be sure your distributors know about the new OpenTable partnership and how to sign up accounts via this form.
- Don’t forget – menu templates are available to download and customize through the OWM Toolkit.
Bonus! – Meet the Winemaker Nights
- All wineries are encouraged to organize “Meet the Winemaker” nights at various accounts throughout the month of May. A more approachable alternative to a typical winemaker dinner, these nights allow the winemaker to work the floor, greet guests and talk about their wines in the context of the restaurant’s menu.
- Per feedback from the OWB’s recent Portland Dining Month promotion, these kinds of events provide good opportunities to build relationships with the buyer, conduct server training and potentially keep a feature on the restaurant’s wine list for weeks beyond the event.
- Be sure to submit any Meet the Winemaker nights or other one-time events to the Oregon Wine consumer calendar for extra exposure.
Amplified awareness through OWB’s new OpenTable partnership as well as increased emphasis on the Oregon Wine A-List program provide wineries and distributors with the opportunity to make this May the best Oregon Wine Month at restaurants yet!
If you have any questions, contact Jess Willey or Christina DeArment.
