I had a conversation recently with a well-known wine expert (I won’t name them as I didn’t ask for permission). We were talking about the restaurant culture in Western Canada. Both of us noted that one of the things that irks us is the lack of beverage education among servers. And by that I mean beer, wine and spirits knowledge. They memorize the list and, if they exist, any tasting notes provided by the rep. Many try to sample the offerings so they can provide some specific insight into its flavour, but not much more than that.

That is fine as far as it goes. If I want some advice on whether to pick the Australian Cabernet or the Chilean Shiraz, it can work (I never need help picking a beer). But it feels like the bare minimum expected.

But surely customers can expect more.

I remember a few years ago visiting Boston. I made a point of going to the Sunset Grill and Tap in Allston, as it had a reputation for its beer list. (I have since learned it closed a couple years back, which is a shame.) I spent an hour talking with the bartender about beer. Her knowledge of styles and history matched mine and her grasp on breweries in the region blew me away. It was one of my most satisfying beer moments.

I don’t expect that normally. Clearly Sunset was a special kind of place. But her ability to connect with me highlights something that is missing in the local scene. It is not enough to rattle off a few tasting notes about the drinks on the list. A server should be able to help a customer find out what they would enjoy and help them connect with an experience.

I don’t want to come across as ragging on servers. I know they have a tough job. Time pressured, often sexually harassed (in particular the women), dependent on tips. There is little time or opportunity to develop one’s chops around beer or wine. So you default to what works.

I am pointing my ire at restaurant owners in the region. Not enough of them are taking seriously the art of selecting beer, wine or spirits and then training their staff about the selections. They assume their customers are ill-informed and offer the latest plonk available. And for the most part it works.

Except they are selling their customers short. Most people are not beer experts or wine connoisseurs. They just know what they like. But that does not mean they are not open to experiencing new things or having their horizons expanded.

And that is where restaurants in the region fall short. They don’t see the potential. With a few questions and an extra thirty seconds a server can learn a lot about their customer’s preferences. Which means if they knew their beverages they could direct them in a way that both increased the customer’s dining experience and expanded their palate.

Plus I think it would align with the restaurant’s food goals better. Servers are trained to understand the food flavor profiles and engage customers to help guide them to what they would like. Why not beer and wine?

It is simply a matter of investment of time and possibly money. Putting the same kind of energy into beverage training that they put into other aspects of the business.

I frequently do beer tastings and events and converse with hundreds of consumers. Many of the conversations about are about helping them find a beer they might like (at that moment or more generally). It usually consists of me asking a series of questions to figure out their palate, listening to howthey answer and taking seriously what they have to say and then offering a couple of suggestions. Usually I land on something they like. I know many beer people have similar experiences. Exactly. If restaurants and pubs replicated that approach, imagine what they could accomplish?

The wine expert I was speaking with conducted an interesting experiment. They spent two nights working the floor of a restaurant they work with, going from table to table to discuss wine options. You know what? They doubled the wine sales! Education is not just about purity or geekiness, it is about profits, dear restaurant managers.

Before I get accused of wielding too broad a brush, I know there are some places that do good training. I also know there are many individual servers and bartenders that work hard to learn their beer and stay on top of trends. They tend to be my favourite places to frequent, for obvious reasons.

My point here is to say that having serving staff that understand beer (and wine) and can navigate a knowledgeable conversation about it is not about satisfying beer geeks like myself. It is about offering the best possible dining experience to your patrons.

And isn’t that the job you are supposed to be in?