Making moves
It’s a bold move to open up a new business during a pandemic, but it turned out to be the right one for Sarb Shoor. Owner of Liquor Locker in Roseville, California, Sarb came from a family who owned gas stations and restaurants — but in November 2020, he branched out into the alcohol retail business. “I just wanted to do something different,” Sarb explained.
Sarb bought the local beer, wine, and spirits retailer Liquor Locker and got to work. It was a steep learning curve, but one that was exciting, too. “I had zero idea of how to buy anything,” he recalled. “I didn’t even know what a pint was, or what a shooter was, or anything!”
Doing the research
Sarb dug into all of the available information he could find, spending hours reading through comments and forums to better understand his new customers and learn more about his new line of business. The information proved invaluable. Sarb learned the ins and outs of what his customers were looking for — and got to work stocking his shelves.
"It's simple: DoorDash has made my sales go way up."
Finding his niche
In particular, Liquor Locker is known for their incredible selection of craft beers. Sarb specializes in sourcing rare bottles from local breweries, like Moonraker Brewing and Prohibition Brewing. “I would talk to reps to learn more about different products, but reps don’t tell you everything. You have to go online and read the comments from your customers, too,” Sarb added.
Researching online is what inspired Sarb to get on the list for several coveted allocations, such as Russian River Brewing’s limited release Pliny the Elder, which customers “go nuts for,” he explains.
Additionally, Sarb’s attention to detail is what keeps customers coming back. Not only does he keep a rotating selection of unique brews and rate spirits in stock, he makes sure that his sales and delivery process is top-notch as well. He works closely with his staff to ensure customers are treated well. “We don’t send out a single order that isn’t cold,” Sarb explained.
Sarb has also extended that keen eye to how he sells and manages his brand on DoorDash.
Powering up DoorDash and alcohol delivery sales
Sarb inherited a DoorDash account when he bought the business, but still felt like there was room for improvement. Sarb explained, “When I bought Liquor Locker, delivery sales were very low — about $4,000 or $5,000 a week. The previous owner had DoorDash but he was never focused on it.”
Sarb began to update his account, uploading high quality photos to better advertise his offerings and exploring promotions like “20% off your first order” to attract new customers. His work paid off: “I want to say in three or four months' time, I started selling close to $15,000 a week,” he said. That’s over 3x in growth in just a few months.
Sarb credits his DoorDash rep at the time for helping him get up to speed quickly: “I would have just emailed the guy, and he would have already responded with whatever I needed.” Now, Sarb spends a lot of time in the DoorDash Merchant Portal, where he tracks sales and trends — and continues to build his business strategy.
If I had my way, I would base my business solely on DoorDash.
Finding the win in everything
Today, Sarb sees DoorDash as a key partner to his business’s success. “If I had my way, I would base my business solely on DoorDash,” he explained.
However, in the meantime, he’s happy to see his company’s presence on DoorDash drive in-person sales — and vice versa. Today, the exclusive bottles that Sarb sells have a secondary function as a marketing tool. Customers who see his unique offerings online are more likely to visit his store in person and make a purchase there so that they save money on high price bottles, like a $999.99 bottle of whiskey.
Additionally, some items sell better online than in store. For example, Sarb was recently able to sell multiple crates of flavored vodka that he had inherited when he bought his business. After sitting for months on his shelves in the store, he decided to offer a steep discount on DoorDash. “It was crazy. We didn’t move a single bottle in store, but I was able to sell ten cases in less than four months on DoorDash,” he explained.
It’s all a win-win for someone like Sarb who enjoys learning the ins and outs of his business, and making his customers happy by sourcing the right products and selling them at the right prices.
The best part about working with an alcohol delivery partner like DoorDash, in Sarb’s words? He shared, “It’s simple: DoorDash has made my sales go way up.”
Learn more about Liquor Locker on Yelp.
Ready to grow your local alcohol delivery sales? Sign up for DoorDash today.
