If you're looking for new ways to get proverbial 'bums on seats' and make the best use of your bar furniture, a focus on beverages with local provenance could be a good starting point.
According to research from Mintel, more and more English wine-drinkers are demonstrating a desire to drink English wine; however, with relatively limited production capacity currently in existence in the UK, it can be difficult for their wishes to be catered for.
In 2011, Mintel reports that the Wine Standards Branch measured English vineyard production at three million bottles - a figure that had risen by 60% over the previous five years, and a clear indication that English vineyard output is on the increase.
Among UK wine-buyers, 72% like to try beverages from many different countries, proving that it is not only the traditional wine-growing regions that are in demand in the current market.
However, 60% of those surveyed also said that they would prefer more English wines to be available in stores, demonstrating that, in this instance at least, market demand may be greater than the available supply and a potential area for profit could be being missed.
"This problem is also relevant in the on-trade," Mintel notes, "where only a minority of venues have given serious thought to stocking a good range of English wines."
One option could be to stock not just English wines, but also other good-quality English beverages, in order to attract more patriotic customers to occupy your bar furniture and indulge their taste for locally produced drinks.
Mintel points out the rising popularity of brands like Aspall Suffolk Cyder as examples of English regional beverages that are making inroads into the mainstream market.
"Adopting a similar approach and using terms such as Sussex Wine or North Downs Wine could arguably give English wines a specific identity, also tapping into the popularity of craft drinks," the analyst adds.
For on-trade operators, identifying locally produced beverages in such a way - not only by the type of grape, but also the region where it is grown, as with international wines - could be a valuable way to establish a clearer identity for English wines, as well as driving customer levels higher.