The highly anticipated arrival of Detroit’s City Winery, a famous New York City based chain, will still make it’s Michigan debut but inflation and high interest rates have delayed the project, according to Detroit Metro Times.
“If I had — and this is a technical financing term — a shitload of money, I would start faster,” CEO Michael Dorf said per the article. “But I don’t.”
Dorf says that budgets are tight, even for a national live music brand that he says has “become the largest independent music chain in the country, which is kind of cool.”
“But we’re still an entrepreneurial, independent company, without deep pockets.”
Dorf founded New York City’s Knitting Factory nightclub in 1986 and in 2008 he opened the first City Winery in Manhattan, New York. A second location would arrive in Chicago in 2012, in Nashville in 2014, and Atlanta in 205.
Now, the chain boasts 12 locations and eyes spots in Toronto and Columbus, Ohio.
“We’re being very consistent and deliberate with the size of our spaces,” Dorf said. They go from about 1,000-capacity venues to the biggest arenas and stadiums, and then they have everything in between. So 300 really is a number that I like, because it’s below their radar.”
“At eight o’clock, you can have a great meal and the whole food and beverage and entertainment experience in one in one setting,” he says. “That is a real value for people.”
“We’re creating a luxury concert experience where hospitality is really important,” he added. “We serve wine and cocktails in real glassware, not plastic cups. We’re just creating a better time for everybody.”
“We break a lot of glasses, disproportionate to our size of restaurants,” Dorf says while acknowledging the risks of mixing glassware and live music. “Unlike most places, we can measure the success musically based on how much broken glass we have.”
“You’re going to have the most beautiful shot of the old train station, which, to me, is maybe the single most iconic gesture or symbol of the rebirth of Detroit. I love the property we bought and love the opportunity there. I’m excited about the market. I think it’s going to be a fantastic fit for City Winery and what we offer.”
