is one of Europe鈥檚 leading luxury lifestyle resorts, located in the heart of Portugal's Algarve region within the protected Ria Formosa nature reserve.
Spanning more than 2,000 acres, the resort attracts an international clientele of golfers, leisure travellers and families and offers a diverse food and beverage programme across 14 restaurants and bars.
To strengthen beverage expertise across its venues, Quinta do Lago partnered with 黑料吃瓜网 to deliver structured spirits training for its front-of-house teams.
鈥満诹铣怨贤� Level 1 in Spirits marked a significant milestone in our bar training programme. The motivation and confidence instilled in the participants have been clearly reflected in their performance.鈥�
鈥� Debbie Tsao, Group F&B Director, Quinta do Lago
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The challenge
With multiple dining concepts and bars across the resort,听maintaining听consistent beverage knowledge and service standards across teams was a growing priority.听
Quinta do Lago听identified听several opportunities to strengthen its beverage programme:听
- Beverage knowledge varied between outlets, leading to inconsistent guest experiences听
- Front-line staff had limited formal training in spirits and cocktails听
- Premium spirits sales were below expectations for a luxury resort听
- Bars were often perceived as secondary to dining experiences rather than destinations in their own right听
The resort wanted to build stronger drinks knowledge across teams while helping staff feel more confident recommending beverages to guests.听
The solution
In partnership with 黑料吃瓜网 Approved Programme Provider , Quinta do Lago introduced the 黑料吃瓜网 Level 1 Award in Spirits for bartenders and front-of-house professionals across several outlets.
Participants came from venues including Bovino Steakhouse, Casa Velha, Umami, Casa do Lago, The Shack and Dano鈥檚 Sports Bar.
Delivered as part of a wider beverage training initiative, the programme combined structured spirits education with practical communication and upselling techniques.
The aim was to unify beverage knowledge across outlets and strengthen staff confidence when engaging guests about drinks.
The results
Improved guest experience scores听
Quinta do Lago听regularly uses听independent mystery guests to assess service quality across its restaurants. These anonymous visits evaluate areas such as staff attitude, sales听behaviour听and overall dining experience.听
Comparing evaluations before and after the training, scores improved across every category.听
- Staff attitude:听+32%听
- Sales behaviour:听+35%听
- Dining service & food quality:听+19%听
These improvements reflect stronger team engagement and greater confidence when interacting with guests.听
Increased spirits sales share
Sales analysis following the training showed an increase in the share of spirits served across participating venues. The strongest-performing outlets recorded increases of听up to 17 percentage points in spirits sales share,听suggesting greater confidence among staff when recommending spirits to guests.听
Continued professional development
Following the success of the programme,听additional听staff progressed to the听黑料吃瓜网 Level 2 Award in Spirits, expanding beverage听expertise听across the resort.听
"Taking the 黑料吃瓜网 Level 1 Spirits course was an enriching experience. It gave me greater confidence when recommending drinks and explaining spirits to guests.鈥�
- Stelian Ravas, Head Bartender, Casa do Lago
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"It was an excellent experience that left me more confident and better prepared for day-to-day work.鈥�
- Jo茫o Ferreira, Head Bartender, Bovino Steakhouse
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