Ep 13: The Future of On-Premise Drinking: Trends and Predictions From Union's Gary Ross

Who truly understands what people are drinking? In this episode of Drinks Insider, host Felicity Carter chats with Gary Ross, Chief Growth Officer at Union, a point-of-sale and guest ordering platform that gives new meaning to the phrase “data mining”.

There’s not much he doesn’t know about drink trends and consumer behaviour, because Union sees what’s happening in real time. From the meteoric rise of tequila to the enduring power of celebrity brands, Gary dissects the forces shaping what we drink and how we drink it.

More importantly, he explains the inner workings of the Mexican Candy Shot. You'll never look at your drinks menu the same way again.

Here are just 7 of the insights:

1. The most critical day of the week for bars and restaurants. This one day accounts for a quarter of weekly sales.
2. The peak sales window on a Saturday night and how spending patterns change.
3. Sell your customer a malt-based RTD and they will head in one drinks direction. Sell them a spirits-based RTD, and they’ll head in another.
4. Celebrity-backed brands are, on average, 73% more expensive than those without celebrity association. But do people buy them?
5. How has the moderation trend impacted sales and level of spending?
6. What IS the Green Tea Shot? Who buys it?
7. The buyers of which drink are 370% more likely to go on to order wine?