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Meltdown at Cabo Wabo
Tue, Jan 24 @ 02:10 AM
Apparent mismanagement leads to company changes
Rocker Sammy Hagar has mercifully pulled in the reigns on his Cabo Wabo Tequila Empire after a year of apparent mismanagement and increasing losses of revenue. President Barry Augus has been demoted and seems to take the brunt of the responsibility for the company's downward spiral. The Oakland corporate office and the majority of the staff were given pink slips last Thursday.
An internal email from Hagar stated, "We have hired Steve Kauffman who brings with him over 30 years of liquor industry experience with him. He will be heading all the tequila operations." It's not all looking down for Hagar though as both of his Cabo Wabo Cantina (Cabo San Lucas and Lake Tahoe) outlets are both a hit and continue to make money. The Lake Tahoe outlet owes its success to Flamingo Las Vegas boss Don Marrandino, who had served as GM of Harrah's Northern Nevada properties, and moved mountains to make the first Cantina a hit stateside. Locally, Cabo Wabo is being handled by the tequila's distributor Infinium Spirits (formerly Wilson Daniels) and their local sales representative
Las Vegas Food & Beverage Magazine
Mike MoralesJan 24 2006, 02:59 PM
Anybody seen this yet?
Seems like heads have rolled at Cabo Wabo!
Secret FaceJan 24 2006, 04:28 PM
I could never figure out what market sector Cabo was going for. They always seemed to be a transitional tequila. It's a tequila that people who want something a bit more than the cheap stuff, but aren't experienced enough to know there's better out there. The problem is that Patron has had this locked, so well, in fact, that they've been able to spread across the entire market with it now.
So a consumer wants something better than Cuervo Gold, and either A) decides Cabo is too expensive and doesn't bother to spend the money, or B ) decides they like it and want to try others. And, upon finding other brands, completely forgets about Cabo and it's decent flavor at a HIGH price. Everyone I know that loves Tequila has had a tequila like this that brought them into the fold, and then they never really went back to it, or they do, but very little.
lirubis
Seems like the novelty - star appeal has worn off? As many of us tequila aficionados found out a few years back, CW lacked the correct balance in terms of price/features. Never had, to begin with. Cuervo's lesser quality star child ate CW for breakfast, simply because it is a stronger, better positioned brand/product. I have never quite understood why such a so-so tequila as CW got to be so successful at a given point in time!. Well...I guess it is a much needed reality check for the Red Rocker and his tequilas...best of luck, Sir.
lirubisJan 30 2006, 12:36 PM
Quoting the guy who quoted the magazine that quoted Sammy Haggar about Cabo Wabo, I found yet another CREEPY example of the kind of alchemy that is ruining REAL tequilas, al over the place:
They didn't make it CaboWabo, they made me tequila in jugs they would send me for my club and everyone that tasted it flipped out. So when I finally found Miravalle, the factory that makes CaboWabo, and that's all they make now, but they had a couple other little brands at the time and now they just make CaboWabo. Miravalle said "what do you want it to taste like" and I kept tasting and the chemists there kept making me different tequilas and I would taste them and taste them until I tasted what I thought was close to that, thing it was almost like peanut butter, it was very "caramelly". I then started liking simpler, less aged tequilas, quite honestly, and I am almost like a blanco
Now THATS disgusting. Whatever happened to the emphasis on REAL agave flavor? Obviously it was not at the top of the list of Sammy's priorities. But this is not uncommon. It is pretty much the Rule nowadays. Some brands have such a strongly manipulated taste that I wonder what they were thinking in the first place!
I wonder...I wonder...was it bad management? or was it simply that this tequila is not good at all, AFTER all?
MossyJan 30 2006, 06:12 PM
It's pretty amazing what chemists can do.
If you really want to scare yourself on this topic, and others, check out the book Fast Food Nation.. One chapter deals with flavor chemists and how they basically have every flavor known to man synthesized..
Meltdown at Cabo Wabo
Tue, Jan 24 @ 02:10 AM
Apparent mismanagement leads to company changes
Rocker Sammy Hagar has mercifully pulled in the reigns on his Cabo Wabo Tequila Empire after a year of apparent mismanagement and increasing losses of revenue. President Barry Augus has been demoted and seems to take the brunt of the responsibility for the company's downward spiral. The Oakland corporate office and the majority of the staff were given pink slips last Thursday.
An internal email from Hagar stated, "We have hired Steve Kauffman who brings with him over 30 years of liquor industry experience with him. He will be heading all the tequila operations." It's not all looking down for Hagar though as both of his Cabo Wabo Cantina (Cabo San Lucas and Lake Tahoe) outlets are both a hit and continue to make money. The Lake Tahoe outlet owes its success to Flamingo Las Vegas boss Don Marrandino, who had served as GM of Harrah's Northern Nevada properties, and moved mountains to make the first Cantina a hit stateside. Locally, Cabo Wabo is being handled by the tequila's distributor Infinium Spirits (formerly Wilson Daniels) and their local sales representative
Las Vegas Food & Beverage Magazine
Mike MoralesJan 24 2006, 02:59 PM
Anybody seen this yet?
Seems like heads have rolled at Cabo Wabo!
Secret FaceJan 24 2006, 04:28 PM
I could never figure out what market sector Cabo was going for. They always seemed to be a transitional tequila. It's a tequila that people who want something a bit more than the cheap stuff, but aren't experienced enough to know there's better out there. The problem is that Patron has had this locked, so well, in fact, that they've been able to spread across the entire market with it now.
So a consumer wants something better than Cuervo Gold, and either A) decides Cabo is too expensive and doesn't bother to spend the money, or B ) decides they like it and want to try others. And, upon finding other brands, completely forgets about Cabo and it's decent flavor at a HIGH price. Everyone I know that loves Tequila has had a tequila like this that brought them into the fold, and then they never really went back to it, or they do, but very little.
lirubis
Seems like the novelty - star appeal has worn off? As many of us tequila aficionados found out a few years back, CW lacked the correct balance in terms of price/features. Never had, to begin with. Cuervo's lesser quality star child ate CW for breakfast, simply because it is a stronger, better positioned brand/product. I have never quite understood why such a so-so tequila as CW got to be so successful at a given point in time!. Well...I guess it is a much needed reality check for the Red Rocker and his tequilas...best of luck, Sir.
lirubisJan 30 2006, 12:36 PM
Quoting the guy who quoted the magazine that quoted Sammy Haggar about Cabo Wabo, I found yet another CREEPY example of the kind of alchemy that is ruining REAL tequilas, al over the place:
They didn't make it CaboWabo, they made me tequila in jugs they would send me for my club and everyone that tasted it flipped out. So when I finally found Miravalle, the factory that makes CaboWabo, and that's all they make now, but they had a couple other little brands at the time and now they just make CaboWabo. Miravalle said "what do you want it to taste like" and I kept tasting and the chemists there kept making me different tequilas and I would taste them and taste them until I tasted what I thought was close to that, thing it was almost like peanut butter, it was very "caramelly". I then started liking simpler, less aged tequilas, quite honestly, and I am almost like a blanco
Now THATS disgusting. Whatever happened to the emphasis on REAL agave flavor? Obviously it was not at the top of the list of Sammy's priorities. But this is not uncommon. It is pretty much the Rule nowadays. Some brands have such a strongly manipulated taste that I wonder what they were thinking in the first place!
I wonder...I wonder...was it bad management? or was it simply that this tequila is not good at all, AFTER all?
MossyJan 30 2006, 06:12 PM
It's pretty amazing what chemists can do.
If you really want to scare yourself on this topic, and others, check out the book Fast Food Nation.. One chapter deals with flavor chemists and how they basically have every flavor known to man synthesized..
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