La Planchada uses Mexican spirits to engage its customers
3 Min Read
La Planchada offers a wide variety of Mexican spirits.La Planchada
La Planchada is a modest-sized taqueria in Prescott, Arizona, about 100 miles north of Phoenix, that prides itself on its robust program of Mexican spirits beyond the super-popular tequila and mezcal. That’s largely due to the fact that owner Skyler Reeves loves lesser-known options such as sotol, raicilla, and bacanora.
“I just personally love the stuff,” he said. “The variety of flavors is, to me, so much greater in the agave space than it is, say, vodka, gin, or even whiskey.
“You can go from funky, cheesy, almost rotten tasting sotol [actually made not from agave but a different plant called the desert spoon] to a buttery, oaky, vanilla añejo tequila.”
The 2,000-square-foot restaurant that seats 50-60 people has 70-80 spirits, mostly Mexican, with a couple options each of whiskey, vodka, and gin for the sake of inclusivity.
Most customers order the same thing.
“Carne asada tacos and house Margaritas are how we make our money, and there’s nothing wrong with that,” he said. “But when we have a regular come in we might say, ‘Hey, look, we’ve got this new product.’ And we’ll pour their group half an ounce each and talk about it: ‘Do you like it? Do you hate it? Is it interesting? Is it boring? Is it gross?’”
And all of those answers are okay, he said.
“I try to emphasize when I talk to people that just because something’s expensive or popular doesn’t mean you have to like it, and just because it’s cheap or you’ve never heard of it doesn’t mean you don’t like it.”
Apart from his own pleasure in turning people on to new drinks they might love, Reeves says his approach gives La Planchada a point of distinction.
“I can buy one bottle of some cool, weird raicilla, have it on the shelf, and it’s an extra special thing that the occasional person really appreciates. That’s how I look at it,” he said.
But he also incorporates those bottlings into his training and guest engagement.
“Every week the staff is focused on one tequila, mezcal, or raicilla [etc.] that’s our go-to to talk about,” he said. Usually it’s something kind of obscure, but he’ll also rotate in popular brands just to keep the staff educated on the big movers.
Of course, many customers just want those straightforward tacos and Margaritas with their friends, but others want more engagement from the staff.
“I think people are eager to get off of their phones, whether they are on their phones or not,” he said. “If someone’s eyes are wandering around the restaurant, they either have a problem or they want to chat.”
If they want to chat, he’ll find something unusual for them to try.
“There’s a blue cheese flavor that comes through a lot with sotol, and so I’ll be like, ‘This one tastes like blue cheese,’ and everyone’s like, ‘What?’ I always get a sharp head turn, because I’m holding this clear bottle of liquor and the last thing they’re thinking is that it’s going to taste like blue cheese. It’s a great way to get people’s ears to perk up — not like bringing over a bottle of tequila and being like, ‘This tequila is really smooth.’”
Or he’ll gamify it.
“I’ll be like, ‘Hey, do you guys want to try this mezcal? I love it, but Emily over there, she hates it.’ That’s another way people kind of perk up, and it also shows that it’s okay to not like something, or to like something that someone else doesn’t like.”
Not everyone’s on board with trying spirits that taste like pungent cheese, but if they are, “You open that whole world to them.”
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected]
