A menu with drink recommendations, built around your own list
A menu with drink recommendations is a digital drink list that doesn’t just show what you pour — it tells each guest what to order. With TasteMind, the guest answers a few quick taps about what they’re in the mood for, and a built-in sommelier matches them to three drinks from your own menu, each with a match score and a plain-language reason. It works for wine, cocktails and beer, needs no app, and goes live in about 10 minutes — free.
What is a menu with drink recommendations?
It’s your drink list on the guest’s phone — opened from a QR code — with a recommendation engine built in. Instead of leaving guests to guess from a wall of names, TasteMind’s sommelier asks what they like (lighter or bolder, sweet or dry, a spirit they’re after, what they’re eating) and returns three matches drawn only from the drinks you actually serve. Every suggestion shows a percentage match score and a short, honest reason — “dry and citrus-forward, like you asked” — so the choice feels obvious, not pushed.
How the built-in sommelier works
- A few taps, not a questionnaire. The guest taps through a short quiz — mood, flavour leaning, spirit, and sometimes what they’re eating. It takes seconds and runs entirely on their phone.
- Three matches from your own menu. The sommelier returns exactly three drinks, all from your list — never a generic database. A wine bar gets real wine suggestions; a cocktail bar gets cocktails; nothing off-menu is ever recommended.
- A match score on every pick. Each suggestion carries a percentage match score, so a 94% reads as a confident answer and the guest stops defaulting to the second-cheapest glass.
- A plain-language reason. Every match comes with one honest sentence explaining why it fits — the logic is deterministic and explainable, not an AI black box, so guests trust it and staff can stand behind it.
- Pairs with what they’re eating. When the quiz factors in the dish, the pairing reflects the table — a fuller red with the steak, something crisp with the oysters — straight from your list.
- Respects availability and your picks. Sold-out drinks are never suggested, staff picks get a boost, and a guest’s matches resurface as they keep browsing so they never retake the quiz.
Recommendations: printed list vs basic QR menu vs TasteMind
| Capability | Printed wine / drink list | Basic QR menu | TasteMind sommelier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suggests a drink to the guest | No | No | Yes — 3 picks per guest |
| Drawn from your own menu | — | — | Yes, only your drinks |
| Match score | No | No | Yes, a % per pick |
| Reason for the match | Staff, if asked | No | Yes, in plain language |
| Pairs with the food | Static notes | No | Factored into the quiz |
| Skips sold-out drinks | No | Rarely | Yes, automatically |
| Recommendation analytics | No | No | Full quiz funnel |
| Cost | Reprint each change | Varies | Free today, no card |
How to add drink recommendations to your menu (≈10 minutes)
- 1Add your drinks with taste profiles. Start from a template, import a CSV, or pick from 89 ready-made drink styles with taste profiles already filled in — those profiles are what the sommelier matches against, so most of the work is done.
- 2Print your QR codes. Generate one QR code for the whole venue or one per table, and download print-ready table tents as PDF.
- 3Go live. Guests scan, and “Help me choose” starts returning three matched drinks with scores and reasons straight away — no app to download.
What does a menu with drink recommendations cost?
Nothing today. TasteMind is free to use — the sommelier, live availability, happy-hour automation, six languages and analytics are all included, with unlimited menus and items and no card required.
Let your menu recommend the next drink
Add your drinks, let the sommelier match guests to three picks with a score and a reason, and watch confident orders replace safe ones. Free to use, no card required.
Menu with drink recommendations FAQ
Where do the recommendations come from?
Only from the drinks on your own menu — never a generic database. The sommelier matches the guest’s answers to the taste profile of each drink you serve and returns three picks with a match score and a reason.
Is it real wine pairing, or just guessing?
It’s a deterministic, explainable match based on each drink’s taste profile and, when relevant, what the guest is eating. Every pick comes with a plain-language reason, so the logic is transparent rather than a black box.
Does it help average spend?
Guests who get a confident, well-reasoned match tend to order with more conviction instead of defaulting to the cheapest familiar option — and you can watch the quiz funnel in the built-in analytics to see what’s working.
Do guests need to download an app?
No. The menu and the sommelier open in the browser from a QR scan, and it installs as a web app that keeps working on flaky Wi-Fi.
What languages does it recommend in?
Danish, English, German, French, Spanish and Italian — auto-detected with graceful fallback, including the recommendations and reasons themselves.
Is it free?
Yes — TasteMind is free to use today, with the sommelier included and no card required.