But for Emily Rieve and Lindsey Schoenemann, the educators-turned-wine-bar-owners of GenuWine Arizona, troubleshooting is a specialty they perfected in their previous careers. This skill led to the creation of GenuWine’s Summer Pass, a punch card program where customers can get discounts on beers or glasses of wine.
“Lindsey and I are former teachers and we are constantly problem-solving and coming up with new ideas and things to try,” Rieve says. “We came up with this so if summer sales are low, we give (customers) a deal to bring them in.”
The program features two options. The $20 Beer Lovers pass includes five draft beers. The Wine Lovers pass offers five glasses of wine from the self-serve dispensers for $40. That comes out to $4 a pint and $8 a glass, smoking deals that give most happy hours a run for their money. And, if you’re into Arizona wares, these prices are a steal for local beer and wine.
The passes are good through Aug. 31 and customers may redeem one beer or wine per visit. This stipulation has been successful at getting customers to cash in on one drink, and then order a second and something to snack on such as bruschetta, hummus or the popular build-your-own cheese board.
During the program’s first two weeks, Rieve says they sold about a dozen passes. This put them on track for the program to have its best year since starting it three years ago.
Rieve and Schoenemann opened their cozy Roosevelt Row wine bar in 2018, with a strong focus on Arizona wine. It made a splash with a sleek self-serve machine that puts wine fans in charge of their pours, whether they be 1, 3 or 5 ounces.
Customers open a tab and receive a chip card. After perusing the 24 self-serve options, they insert the card into the dispenser, choose their wine selection and pour size.
Regulars and first-timers who spot the Summer Pass option on GenuWine’s Instagram page have come in to take advantage of the offer. Some buy both to cover all of their summer sipping bases.
It has also drawn attention to the bar’s summer events, which include trivia, Bingo, live music and other activities. So far, the owners say, it’s been a win-win.
“It’s all about supporting local businesses, especially during these summer months,” Rieve says. “You come in, maybe bring some friends with you to have beer, wine and play games in a cool air-conditioned space.”
Customers get a great deal, and Rieve says the pass program has given the business a noticeable financial boost.
“You know you’re definitely going to have those customers with the Summer Pass coming in,” Rieve says. “It gives us that peace of mind to be able to count on that.”
