Sample Proposal Prepared by Lisa O’ Doherty

To Mr. Another,

As a follow up to my recent conversation with you, I have put together the following proposal for your attention.

I come from an excellent food and wine background having worked in numerous establishments both at the cheap and cheerful end of the market as well as fine dining, this has given me a great insight into the beverage needs of the marketplace across the board. I have worked as a Sommelier in both No. 27 the Green restaurant at the Shelbourne Hotel and at the 5 Red Star K Club Hotel Golf & Spa. At the K Club I dealt with 7 wine lists for 4 restaurants, function rooms and over 150 hospitality staff. I also won the Wine Experience Award 2006 at the Gold Star Hotel & Catering Review Awards and was Chief Sommelier at the 2006 Ryder Cup Matches. I left the K Club in October 2006 to set up my own consultancy business with the intention of providing services such as those set out below to the hotel and restaurant trade. I feel that beverage service is of the utmost importance at this time when we have more and more discerning customers and I can provide both the expertise and experience to set and uphold your high standards

Proposed Services to Restaurant A

My main objective for restaurant A is to maintain the high standard and individuality of wine on offer in all your outlets and to also maintain the excellence of service provided by your beverage staff. I propose to

Source wine for restaurant A on an ongoing basis. Liaise with your suppliers on the your behalf and to foster new relationships with quality suppliers. Wine will be recommended by me with no obligation on restaurant A to buy.

Recommend En Primeur buying, year on year, choosing your wish list, recognizing key vintage buys thus building and maintaining the excellence of your fine wine collection.

Liaise with the Food & Beverage Manager, once a month after the stock take to identify selling trends, slow movers and high turnovers. This analysis will enable me to recommend wines to push as bin ends and specials.

Hold bi-monthly meetings with the Restaurant Manager, to discuss trends in the restaurant, upcoming events and training issues

Maintain and update all the wine lists at the restaurant on an ongoing basis, this will keep the wine lists fresh and interesting. This service will include meeting with your head chef seasonally as the menus change with an eye to matching food to wine in each outlet.

Implement an intensive training program for the wine waiter in restaurant A. This will also be an ongoing exercise to include fine dining service and cellar management.

Liaise with sales staff regarding recommendations for clients and groups.

Liaise with clients for wedding and function recommendations especially at the premium end of the market.

Be available online to deal with any urgent queries regarding stock levels and wine issues

I believe the above plan will work very well as both a commercial exercise and to maintain the high standard in wine service that your customers have come to expect from restaurant A. There is great potential for wine sales and service, more than ever now, as guest’s expectations and awareness of wine as a product are rising all the time.

To carry out the above plan based on a retainer fee for an agreed six-month period, the cost per month will be €.. ex v.a.t. This contract will have the option to renew after the initial six month period.

The above fee is exclusive of V.A.T. and includes general office expenses such as telephone calls, internet costs and stationary costs.

Any third party costs will be billed directly to you.

I look forward to having the opportunity to discuss this proposal further with you and in the meantime, if you have any questions on any of the above or indeed if you require any further information, you can contact me anytime.

Yours sincerely,

Lisa O’ Doherty