Nightlight

Remote wine direction
for serious independent restaurants.

Nightlight gives restaurants a director layer behind the wine programme: ordering logic, BTG strategy, list architecture, supplier pressure, and staff-ready language.

For restaurants with active wine lists, supplier complexity, and no full-time wine director.

Request a programme review See how it works

What Nightlight is

Nightlight does not replace the face on the floor.
It gives that person structure behind them.

We read your POS, purchasing records, wine list, invoices, and supplier patterns. Then we prepare the next decision: what to buy, what to hold, what to cut, what to question, and what your team should say about it.

Who it is for

Best fit

Nightlight is for restaurants with

  • Meaningful wine sales
  • No full-time wine director
  • Supplier complexity
  • Active BTG decisions
  • A team that needs clearer wine language
  • An operator who wants decisions documented before they move

Not for

  • One-time list makeovers
  • Restaurants unwilling to share purchasing or sales data
  • Operators who want recommendations without review

What you receive

Five deliverables. Every month.

01 Bi-weekly order recommendation What to buy, reduce, cut, and question.
02 BTG rotation or defense Glass pours with role, cost, price, and margin logic.
03 List architecture review Balance, gaps, dead zones, price ladders, and producer mix.
04 Staff and guest language Short selling language your team can use on the floor.
05 Supplier pressure file Pricing drift, vendor risk, overdependence, and rep accountability.

How it works

Four steps. No dead air.

01

Intake

We review your wine list, POS exports, invoices, and supplier setup.

02

Rules

We define what the programme is meant to do: margin, identity, price range, guest fit, and operational constraints.

03

Cadence

Bi-weekly purchasing logic and monthly programme direction.

04

Approval

Your operator authorizes decisions. Nothing moves without review.

Sample signal

"Hold the current Chenin BTG for two more weeks. Velocity is stable, margin is inside target, and the proposed replacement raises cost without improving the list. Push the rep on vintage continuity before the next order."

Example purchasing recommendation — not client data

Built by an operator

Built by an operator who needed it to exist.

Nightlight began as a continuity system for a real restaurant — a way to preserve wine direction, supplier discipline, staff support, and purchasing logic when the director could not be on the floor every night.

Richard Hargreave. Twenty years in independent restaurants, Michelin-starred kitchens, Momofuku. Sydney Morning Herald Sommelier of the Year, 2014.

Common questions

What is a digital wine bureau?

Senior wine direction without a full-time on-site hire. Ordering logic, BTG strategy, list architecture, supplier pressure, and staff-ready language — from your own data.

Does Nightlight replace a sommelier?

No. It supports the person on the floor with structure, purchasing logic, BTG planning, supplier accountability, and language the team can use.

What data do you need?

Wine list, POS exports, purchase records, invoices, or supplier statements. Nightlight reads the data to prepare recommendations. The operator authorizes decisions.

How long is the engagement?

Start with a 90-day programme review. If the cadence is useful, it continues as an ongoing bureau relationship.

Start here

Give your wine programme a director layer.

Request a programme review. A short note is enough.

Request a programme review Or write directly: [email protected]