JASON DOYLE INTERVIEW IN NIGHTCLUB & BAR MAGAZINE

With wine bars of all shapes, sizes and types cropping up, one growing concept in the category focuses on offering something unique and special.

Jason C. Doyle (pictured below) is the founder and CEO of The Wine Loft wine bar (www.thewineloft.net), and his concept will have 18 locations open by the end of 2008. The first Wine Loft opened in New Orleans in 2003, and the company has commitments for more than 80 franchise locations in five countries. Additionally, six corporate-owned locations are in various stages of development.

NCB: What criteria are necessary to run a great wine bar?

Jason Doyle: The concept of a wine bar world can be broken down into three types. Number one, you have half-retail, half-tasting. These are concepts like The Grape. Then some places offer a bistro concept. It is a café concept, and they offer some wine. The third is a lounge concept. That is what we are. We offer an upscale atmosphere with heavy emphasis on wines by the glass.

We have 50 percent sales of our sales coming from wines by the glass. Another 15 to 20 percent of our sales come from bottles, 15 percent in food, 15 percent in spirits, and another 5 percent is beer sales.

Lots of people operating in the other categories don’t serve spirits. We do, because our target market is women, and women purchase cocktails a great deal of the time.

I feel that a good wine bar is marked by its wine-by-the glass selection. There should be selections from around the globe –– Chilean, South African, Italian ­­­­–– and then there should be an orbital selection in each varietal. You should be able to get a glass of Australian Chardonnay, California Chardonnay and then also a great French Chardonnay, for example.

NCB: Why do you think your Wine Loft concept in particular has become so successful?

JD: We spend a lot of time training our staff. We have an online training program we utilize called Bacchus University, and we train everyone through that program. Our wine component is called Wine Sage, and it is a partnership with the Wine Spectator School. Our servers, cooks, bar staff, etc., can individually self-promote by going through all the schools Wine Spectator offers, and we also offer it through Certified Specialists of Wine.

Essentially, what this means is, a server can come on with us at The Wine Loft and in three to six months become a specialist on his or her own. We don’t have a lot of turnover, because of our intense training.

NCB: Tell us a little about how you approached the franchise process with your concept.

JD: Our first location opened in 2003 in Louisiana. We began franchising in 2005. During that time, we paid all the legal fees and trademark registration fees, so when we were ready we could just launch. We worked on our intellectual properties — all things a franchisee is looking for. And, we worked on our internal systems to become as profitable as we could.

We then signed leases in Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Birmingham, Houston, Dallas and Atlanta. We wanted to create a regional pipeline of inventory, so again, when we did launch, we would have that pipeline in place. All of that happened from the end of 2004 through June of 2005 … and we were in construction in Baton Rouge and in Birmingham at the same time when someone offered to buy the Baton Rouge location.

From there we sold the second one in Birmingham, and things have taken off. Looking at the long term domestically, we believe we have an inventory of 350 locations. We are also working on an international franchise program in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in the coming years. They are emerging markets. Our goal is to take the infrastructure we developed here and duplicate it in those countries.

NCB: How do you stay on top of the latest trends in wine and wine service?

JD: We dine out and travel quite a bit. I think the best way is to physically be in the middle of it. I am in Las Vegas every quarter and in New York City almost every month. We have construction in Redondo Beach and the Northern Bay area of California. So we are in great food and wine towns regularly.

(On-premise) we have a company intranet we use. When you open it, every week there are new video blogs, articles and any techniques with respect to our business. For example, on there now is the 2007 Wine Blog Awards. Our franchisees know our intranet is a primary source for them to stay on top of trends in food and wine.

NCB: How are you dealing with the rising gas prices and the increased cost of shipping?

JD: They haven’t really hit us yet. We have been more affected by the weak dollar and heightened euro. Wines from the old world have gone up in cost, which means we have to price them higher on our menu. We also have to look harder and deeper for better wines at lower prices. South Africa, Argentina, Chile — those countries haven’t seen increases from a euro standpoint, so we look there too.

With shipping, most inventory has been in those markets prior to six months ago. My gut is that as we approach third quarter, we are going to see our costs go up. Distributors who have employees and trucks — those folks are going to be affecting us with incremental increases.

As for bringing people to our locations, we are a lifestyle brand. When people come in, they are coming for the experience. That puts pressure on our unit level operators to create that great experience, so we can compete with the other venues.

We sell social experience, so as long as we can continue to create that environment, we can beat out our competitors.

NCB: How often do you change your menu?

JD: We have the ability to print off menus every day in every venue. Local operators in our company may want to take advantage of a particular promotion a distributor is offering, and then they can print a new menu that day.

We take the same approach with food. We have 30 items. Six are consistent, and then the operators choose the rest. They have to carry at least 12.

NCB: Where do you see wine bar concepts like The Wine Loft headed in the coming five years?

JD: I think the space is going to be more competitive. Our business is one where people are always striving to carve out a niche. Our goal is to run efficiently as a franchise, but not to be perceived as a franchise.

When people come into our establishment, they come because they want to come to Wine Loft, not just a bar that has wine. We want to be sure that in our spaces customers have the experience they are seeking.

They are coming to us as a destination in mind, and that we capture them for two to three hours at a time is a must.

Elway indignant after bar cuts him off

According to Elway, he and his girlfriend, Paige Green, along with pal Craig Andrisen arrived at the restaurant around 6 p.m. Wednesday and sat at the end of the bar. Throughout the course of the evening the threesome (pardon?) ordered drinks and appetizers

Several hours later, when Elway attempted to order another glass of wine, he was told by the bartender that management was cutting him off. According to the former Broncos quarterback, he asked to speak to the manager.

"I asked her for her card to find out what her name was," Elway said. "I said to her ‘If that’s your policy (to refuse him another drink), then that’s the way it is but I’m not coming back.’ We had been there for hours, and I appreciated them taking care of me, but we were just sitting there having a discussion. We weren’t even being loud."

Anne Wheeler, the manager on duty, claims that Elway was served seven glasses of wine (a number he disputes) and was cut off when he tried to order an eighth. For the record, Andrisen says Elway was refused a fourth — not eighth — glass of wine and was told that he had to order food if he wanted an additional drink.

"(Elway) got upset and was in my face a little bit," Wheeler said. "He stood up and towered over me and pointed his finger in my face. I apologized, and said I was sorry to hear that he would never come back."

Both Elway and Andrisen deny the alleged intimidation. "I did not stick my finger in the girl’s face or try and intimidate her," Elway said. "It was a matter of discussing things. I said ‘If that’s your policy that’s your policy, but I’m not coming back.’"

SO BASICALLY HE GETS CUT OFF AFTER 3 WINES??? WOW...I GOTTA BE HONEST WITH YA', THAT'S PRETTY WEAK (YOU WOULD CERTAINLY EXPECT A BIT MORE STAMINA OUT OF A 240 POUND MAN...IT'S NOT LIKE HE WAS DRINKING WATERMELON MARTINIS...THIS IS FREAKING WINE) I GUESS THAT HIGH ALTITUDE REALLY MAKES THOSE DRINKS EVEN MORE POTENT THAN DOWN HERE IN THE NORMAL SEA LEVELS. MAYBE IT WAS THE TIME ZONE.

BUT REALLY WE CAN'T HAVE INDIGNANT PEOPLE AT THE LOFT, THERE GOES THAT CELEBRITY BOOKING IN PIER VILLAGE.

FRONT DOOR OF THE WINE LOFT

DEMO AT THE WINE LOFT BEGINS

Wine loft construction begins

Wine Loft News Brief Week of July 14th

Pretty in Pink


Believe it or not, the latest news out of France boasts the almighty (well at least now) Rose has surpassed white wine as France's favorite (by volume in sales)! Amazingly enough, it is estimated that one in four bottles sold in France is the pink stuff and with red wine sales declining as well (partly due to the summer heat), the amount of rose drunk could total more than half the bottles consumed all year. A recent study showed that the red stuff is often seen in the hands of the old rich French men, while rose is drunk by both men and women, young and old from different social groups and red wine seems to be reserved for mealtime whereas the pink stuff is popular as an aperitif or at parties.

The numbers are there and are so visible, they are causing some red wine producers to revolt up against those producing rose. Growers in the southwestern region of the Languedoc producing primarily red wines took a stance and rioted against several low-cost wine makers. But that is not stopping them! Sales in some regions have increased 10% this year and the lesser regions are not the only ones getting [back] into the game with Burgundy and Bordeaux upping their production as well.

Quality had improved considerably in the past decade. Doses of headache-inducing sulphur have been cut fourfold, while fermenting vats are now cooled to prevent grapes overheating, which used to produce heavy, coarse wine. Although the lifespan is shorter for rose due to a lack of tannins (from the short time spent in contact with the skins), rose is on the rise and apparently here to stay!

It's summer - what better time to pick up a new habit: Rose! Enjoy and have a good week.




*Taken as a excerpt from Telegraph.co.uk : Rose passes white wine as France's favourite 07/13/08*

Wine Loft News Brief Week of July 7th

Have you heard of resveratrol? It's gotten quite a bit of hype in the wine world recently and continues to be the hot topic among health experts. In the most recent study released on July 3rd, researches noted the red wine laden chemical helps keep the bones, eyes, kidneys, heart, and other muscles in MICE healthier as they grow older, but did not increase the overall lifespan of the little rodent! The study released goes on to say that the chemical provides cardiovascular benefits, greater motor coordination, reduced cataracts, and even greater bone density and kidney function in the mice.

The research continues and gets complicated from there on with different tests run in different situations where resveratrol is compared to CR (caloric restriction upon which one's diet is reduced by 30 to 40% fewer calories). Over time, a trend emerged: mice on either CR or resveratrol diets tended to remain healthier than mice on standard diets san resveratrol. Furthermore, once the deceased mice were biopsied, the mice taking resveratrol demonstrated multiple health benefits (as mentioned earlier): greater bone density, less vascular and kidney dysfunction and fewer instances of cataracts. On a genetic level, the similarity between those on a CR diet and a resveratrol diet were strikingly similar.

Well, the results of the study cannot be too perfect for wine lovers, warning that resveratrol may have TOXIC effects in higher doses. The lead researcher goes on to say the amounts used in the study are "unobtainable" through one's (human) natural eating and drinking habits. "If the resveratrol doses that we used in mice are translatable to humans, it would have to be with a pill (BUMMER)," he said, adding that "red wine is still a great source of resveratrol and probably one of the most common sources for most people."

I guess that will help keep red wine prices in check! Here's to your health. Have a good week.

Wine Loft News Brief for Week of June 30th

Battle in Brunello

Have you heard the hype in Montalcino? Currently, the area is experiencing a bit of turmoil as Italy's financial police, the Guardia di Finanza, have seized several top Brunello producers' remaining stock of the prized juice from the 2003 vintage. Why? In order to be a Brunello, it must be 100% Sangiovese, and apparently there is question as to whether or not some producers cut corners and used something other! Some big names are in the lineup: Castelgiocondo (Marchesi de' Frecsobaldi), Pian delle Vigne (Antinori), and Castello Banfi and according to the police, all subsequent vintages still aging in the bottle or barrel are under seize as well.

The short of it: the government has suspicion that the folks the monitor Brunello production were perhaps sleeping on the job thus turning their head the other direction in regards to DOCG regulations. A three year investigation of the areas vineyards (from 2004-2007) uncovered 42 acres that did not conform to DOCG regulations (which in actuality is only 1% of the total acreage planted to Brunello vineyards).

Although the US TTB (new name for the US governing body over alcohol & tobacco trade) just recently "softened" their stance regarding the possibility of an embargo of the Brunellos, the danger still stands. With the new stance, the agency will accept certification from the Italian government that the wines comply with all the rules. Without the guarantee though, all Brunello imported after the said date (June 23) would be considered a "willful violation" resulting in a possible "suspension or revocation of the importer's permit."

Needless to say, the news coming out of the area in the coming months should be interesting! Stayed tuned to your local wine news source for updates on the fate of the Brunello di Montalcino...also look for the developing story based on reports of a different investigation into the illegal use of oak chips in a red wine produced in the town of San Gimignano!

Wine Loft News Blast Week of June 23rd

The 2008 Australian Harvest: Trials & Tribulations

Wow...mother nature strikes again - this time with the 2008 Harvest in Australia! Heat, frost, snow, drought, floods, and brushfires! Although this devastation will directly impact what we see coming out of Australia per the 2008 release in several years, the concern lies more in the future. The Aussies are having to learn very quickly how to deal with tricky and challenging vintages. Whether you blame it on Global Warming or not, the trend is not letting up in the least and the future will require some drastic adjustments in the land down under.

"This year we picked less than 15% of our usual Hunter reds," said Tyrell's chief winemaker, Bruce Tyrell. With water supplies at their lowest in history, growers watched their crops shrivel right in front of them. Cab production in the south was cut by three-quarters and following a small 2007 vintage, Australian exports are down in its biggest markets of Britain and the US, dropping 8.5% overall. If 2008 is the new norm, the year's to come are not going to easy.




*Taken as an excerpt from Wine Spectator July 31, 2008: Australia Grapples with a Calamitous Year*