Vinology Wine Bar and Restaurant is celebrating its tenth year of business in downtown Ann Arbor with an extensive renovation of its space on Main Street. But when new patrons come in the restaurants ownership expects they will notice more than just a refreshed look.
Vinology plans to offer more educational experiences with its dining experiences when it comes to consuming wine. Those include more wine tastings and other educational offerings so patrons can feel both comfortable and better acquainted with what they’re drinking.
"We are trying to stay true to being a wine bar that is accessible to the novice and interesting to the wine connoisseur,” says Kristin Jonna, co-owner of
Vinology.
The restaurant occupies about 7,500 square feet of space at 110 S Main St. Vinology is a full-service restaurant with wine-friendly cuisine. It locally sources the meat and produce in the food it prepares. The restaurant employs about roughly 60 people on average.
A restaurant that refreshes its decor or reinvents itself through renovation is nothing new. Most successful eateries go through this process (or rely on familiarity and nostalgia). Vinology is choosing to improvement and update its missionrather than reinvent.
"It's a general rule because there because there is so much wear and tear on restaurants that you always have to be doing improvements," Jonna says. "Every once in a while you need a full overhaul."
The largest part of the remodel will be evident in its upstairs, which the business is turning into a space for private parties and events. The new space will allow the restaurant to capitalize on the private party side of its business, which has grown 15 percent each year for the last five years. Private parties now account for 30 percent of Vinology's business.
"It grows every year," Jonna says. "It's the area of the restaurant we have seen the greatest growth."
Source: Kristin Jonna, co-owner of Vinology
Writer: Jon Zemke
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