Wine Bar Business Plan
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Executive Summary
Business Overview
A’Vin Garde is a newly established wine bar located in San Francisco. The company is founded by Abraham Stills, a local sommelier who has worked at some of the finest dining establishments in San Francisco. Abraham has worked in the fine dining industry for over 20 years and received his sommelier certification 10 years ago. Clients around the city seek Abraham as the friendly expert who can pair them with the perfect wine to complete their dish.
A’Vin Garde Wine Bar will be located in San Francisco’s Marina District in a quaint 2,500 square foot space. Aside from wine, A’Vin Garde will offer craft beer, cider, and small bite dishes that are expertly created by a local chef. Abraham plans to hold wine tasting events, specialty wine dinners, and have a wine club for customers to pay for a monthly membership.
Product Offering
The following are the services that A’Vin Gardet will provide:
- Red Wines – Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Merlot, Malbec, Garnacha, Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Lambrusco Dolce, Port, Tawny Port
- White Wines – Muscadet, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Torrontes, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Moscato, White Port
- Rose Wines
- Craft Beer
- Cider
- Small Bite Dishes
Customer Focus
A’Vin Garde Wine Bar will target the trendy and professional demographic of San Francisco that has mid to high income with plenty of disposable income. They are between the ages of 25 – 65, have a white collar lifestyle, and regularly spend money going out to eat, socializing, and have a moderate knowledge of wine culture.
Management Team
A’Vin Garde Wine Bar will be owned and operated by Sommelier Abraham Stills. He recruited another local sommelier that he worked and trained with at a high end restaurant, Leslie Fragas, to be his assistant manager.
Abraham Stills received his Sommelier designation from the Court of Master Sommeliers of the Americas ten years ago. Aside from his wine knowledge and expertise, Abraham has managed front of the house operations at multiple fine dining restaurants.
Leslie Fragas received her Sommelier designation from the Court of Master Sommeliers of the Americas two years ago and has assistant managed front of the house staff at the same high end restaurants Abraham most recently worked at. Both Abraham and Leslie’s knowledge of wine and leading a team of employees has equipped them with the ability to own and manage a successful wine bar.
Success Factors
A’Vin Garde Wine Bar will be able to achieve success by offering the following competitive advantages:
- Friendly and knowledgeable staff who will be able to recommend excellent wines for all types of palates.
- Wide selection of wines.
- Casual and comfortable environment.
- A’Vin Garde Wine Bar offers the best pricing in town.
Download the wine bar business plan template (including a customizable financial model) to your computer here <–
Financial Highlights
A’Vin Garde Wine Bar is seeking $300,000 in debt financing to launch its wine bar. The funding will be dedicated towards securing the retail space and purchasing furniture, decorations, opening inventory, and working capital. The breakout of the funding is below:
- Wine bar space build-out: $100,000
- Opening inventory, furniture decorations: $100,000
- Three months of overhead expenses (payroll, rent, utilities): $50,000
- Marketing costs: $25,000
- Working capital: $25,000
The following graph below outlines the pro forma financial projections for A’Vin Garde Wine Bar.
Company Overview
Who is A’Vin Garde Wine Bar?
A’Vin Garde is a newly established wine bar located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company is founded by Abraham Stills, a local sommelier who has worked at some of the finest dining establishments in San Francisco, California. Abraham has worked in the fine dining industry for over 20 years and received his sommelier certification ten years ago. Clients around the city seek Abraham as the friendly expert who can pair them with the perfect wine to complete their dish. They also consult him separately to create their wine list for a gala, party, or event. Abraham is limited to the types of wine and labels to recommend while working at the restaurants, and now wants to open a wine bar where he can recommend and offer a much wider selection of premium wine. While the city has multiple wine establishments, Abraham aims to be the premier wine establishment that is welcoming, price conscious, and has an impressive selection of wines to choose from.
A’Vin Garde Wine Bar will be located in San Francisco’s Marina District in a quaint 2,500 square foot space. The location includes a cozy patio and plenty of seating inside for visitors to relax and socialize. The bar is modern and adorned with contemporary furniture and decor. Aside from wine, A’Vin Garde will offer craft beer, cider, and small bite dishes that are expertly created by a local chef. Abraham plans to hold wine tasting events to feature certain wines and special wine dinners when a representative of an acclaimed winery visits San Francisco. He also plans to have a Wine Club for A’Vin Garde where members are able to receive discounted prices on featured wines and a monthly wine box. Members will also have the first opportunity to reserve seating at the featured events and tastings.
A’Vin Garde Wine Bar History
A’Vin Garde is owned and operated by Abraham Stills, a local sommelier who received his Sommelier designation from the Court of Master Sommeliers of the Americas ten years ago. Abraham has a large loyal following that he has gained in each restaurant he has worked at. They like to visit the establishment he is working at for his recommendations on wine pairings and wine menu selections. Aside from his wine knowledge and expertise, Abraham has managed front of the house operations at multiple fine dining restaurants.
Since incorporation, A’Vin Garde Wine Bar has achieved the following milestones:
- Registered A’Vin Garde Wine Bar, LLC to transact business in the state of California.
- Has obtained the necessary food and alcohol permits for the state of California.
- Has a lease contract in place for the 2,500 square foot wine bar.
- Has developed the wine list, beer menu, and small eats menu.
- Has developed the wine bar’s logo and branding image.
- Began recruiting a staff of servers and kitchen staff.
A’Vin Garde Wine Bar Products
The following will be the services A’Vin Garde Wine Bar will provide:
- Red Wines – Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Merlot, Malbec, Garnacha, Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Lambrusco Dolce, Port, Tawny Port
- White Wines – Muscadet, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Torrontes, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Moscato, White Port
- Rose Wines
- Craft Beer
- Cider
- Small Bite Dishes
- Wine Flights
- Beer Flights
Industry Analysis
The Wine Bar industry has experienced growth over the past five years. Growth is attributed to high disposable income levels, which led to consumers spending more on higher-priced discretionary products. Younger consumers are increasingly buying premium beverages, such as wine and craft beer, and opting for smaller venues.
Over the next five years, the industry is projected to continue to grow as disposable income levels continue to rise. The number of households earning $100,000 or more is expected to increase over the next five years; these consumers are the largest market for industry operators, and thus, a rise in this population is forecast to significantly benefit the industry. Further, establishments generally employ healthy markups on wine, leading to high profits for the industry.
Download the wine bar business plan template (including a customizable financial model) to your computer here <–
Customer Analysis
Demographic Profile of Target Market
A’Vin Garde Wine Bar will target the trendy and professional demographic of San Francisco that has mid to high income with plenty of disposable income. They are between the ages of 25 – 65, have a white collar lifestyle, and regularly spend money going out to eat, socializing, and have a moderate knowledge of wine culture. They prefer organic food, farmer’s markets, five course meals, and entertaining friends on weekends.
The precise demographics for San Francisco, California are:
| Total | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| Total population | 1,680,988 | 100% |
| Male | 838,675 | 49.9% |
| Female | 842,313 | 50.1% |
| 20 to 24 years | 114,872 | 6.8% |
| 25 to 34 years | 273,588 | 16.3% |
| 35 to 44 years | 235,946 | 14.0% |
| 45 to 54 years | 210,256 | 12.5% |
| 55 to 59 years | 105,057 | 6.2% |
| 60 to 64 years | 87,484 | 5.2% |
| 65 to 74 years | 116,878 | 7.0% |
| 75 to 84 years | 52,524 | 3.1% |
Customer Segmentation
A’Vin Garde Wine Bar will primarily target the following customer profiles:
- Young professionals
- Management level executives
- Married couples
- Foodies and wine snobs
Competitive Analysis
Direct and Indirect Competitors
A’Vin Garde Wine Bar will face competition from other companies with similar business profiles. A description of each competitor company is below.
Wine Society
Wine Society is an exclusive, ultra-expensive wine bar located in downtown San Francisco. It caters to those who don’t have a budget for spending on wine and entertainment. There is a dress code and patrons usually need a reservation for a table. The Wine Society is very exclusive to visit as it boasts one of the most impressive wine lists in North America. Led by one of the most renowned Sommeliers in the world, Wine Society is the ultimate wine bar to visit for lovers of wine who have a wine bucket list.
Wine Society serves a complete list of wine and a few select premium beers and ciders. For wine dinner events, there is a chef who comes to prepare all of the meals. Wine Society will also feature special wine tasting events for representatives who come from exclusive vineyards. The wine bar seeks only premium wine that is produced in small batches and features unusual grapes or is made during a special harvesting season.
The Brothers Wine Company
The Brothers Wine Company is a laid back, friendly wine bar establishment located in a small neighborhood of San Francisco. Owned by two brothers who both became sommeliers, they wanted to create something that they were never able to do at traditional wine bars and restaurants. The bar is known as the place where you can walk in wearing a hoodie, listen to punk rock, and order a high end bottle of wine. The owners are non-pretentious, do not have a dress code, and prefer to keep it young, fresh, and comfortable.
Aside from their selection of wines, The Brothers Wine Company serves craft beer, casual eats, and bottles to go. They do their wine tasting events paired with a local musical artist and invite customers to bring their favorite vinyl record to play on their system. The wine bar also has a wine club where members can pick up an assortment of wine bottles curated for that specific month.
Petit Blanc
Petit Blanc is a wine bar that features nightly live music and a spacious outdoor courtyard. As a place meant for socializing and entertaining, Petit Blanc has an expansive wine list that includes all budgets and types of wine. Younger people can enjoy learning about wine by tasting a wine flight or older female friends can get together to enjoy bottles of their favorite sherry’s or ports. Owned by a sommelier that used to work at a Napa Valley winery, Petit Blanc is about the volume of wines offered and people served, rather than having a particular niche.
In addition to nightly entertainment, Petit Blanc hosts monthly wine tasting events taught as classes for those who are new to wine and want to learn about wine culture, tasting, and types of wines. The wine bar has a large and loyal following where followers come for a night out, listen to a local band or musician, and enjoy different types of wine.
Download the wine bar business plan template (including a customizable financial model) to your computer here <–
Competitive Advantage
A’Vin Garde Wine Bar will be able to offer the following advantages over their competition:
- Friendly and knowledgeable staff who will be able to recommend excellent wines for all types of palates.
- Wide selection of wines. They will carry some of the most exclusive labels that are not regularly found at most wine establishments.
- Casual and comfortable environment. It will not be a stuffy wine bar where only the elite can visit; A’Vin Garde will welcome all types of people and lifestyles.
- A’Vin Garde Wine Bar offers the best pricing in town. Their pricing structure is the most cost effective compared to the competition.
Marketing Plan
Brand & Value Proposition
A’Vin Garde Wine Bar will offer the unique value proposition to its clientele:
- Exclusive list of wines that are not regularly found at other establishments
- Pricing is not affordable and moderate so customers perceive value when ordering their wine
Promotions Strategy
The promotions strategy for A’Vin Garde Wine Bar is as follows:
Website/SEO Marketing
A’Vin Garde Wine Bar has hired an advertising firm to develop their branding image and logo. They will also develop the wine bar’s website. The website will be attractive, informative, and their wine menu and wine club information. The advertising company will also manage Best Bet’s website presence with SEO marketing tactics so that anytime someone types in the Google or Bing search engine “San Francisco wine bar” or “wine bar near me”, A’Vin Garde Wine Bar will be listed at the top of the search results.
Word of Mouth/Referrals
Abraham Stills has built up a large list of contacts and clients whom he has created wine menus for or has paired them with an excellent bottle of wine. They have communicated to Abraham that they will definitely be patrons of his new wine bar. Because of the friendly environment and impressive wine bar, word of mouth will get out and soon patrons will start bring friends and family to enjoy a bottle of wine at A’Vin Garde.
Social Media
Once the branding and logo is finalized, Abraham will use social media to his advantage and create social media business pages on all of the popular social media platforms. He will commit to posting daily to increase his list of followers and use it to regularly engage with customers.
Print Advertising
A’Vin Garde Wine Bar will invest in professionally designed print ads to display in local magazines and tourist brochures.
Pricing
The pricing of A’Vin Garde Wine Bar will be moderate and on par with competitors so customers feel they receive value when purchasing their wines.
Operations Plan
The following will be the operations plan for A’Vin Garde Wine Bar.
Operation Functions:
- Abraham Stills will be the Owner and Manager of the wine bar. He will develop the monthly wine menu and hire and train staff.
- Leslie Fragas – Assistant Manager who will help oversee staff, make weekly employee schedules, and run the wine bar when Abraham is not there.
- Abraham has hired third party companies to manage the bookkeeping, accounting, tax payments, insurance, and legal requirements.
Download the wine bar business plan template (including a customizable financial model) to your computer here <–
Milestones:
A’Vin Garde Wine Bar will have the following milestones complete in the next six months.
8/1/202X – Finalize contract to lease wine bar space
8/15/202X – Begin build-out of wine bar with bar counter, restrooms, and patio
9/1/202X – Order opening inventory
9/15/202X – Begin marketing campaign
9/22/202X – Hire and train staff of servers
10/1/202X – A’Vin Garde Wine Bar Grand Opening Event
Management Team
A’Vin Garde Wine Bar will be owned and operated by Sommelier Abraham Stills. He recruited another local sommelier that he worked and trained with at a high end restaurant, Leslie Fragas, to be his assistant manager.
Abraham Stills received his Sommelier designation from the Court of Master Sommeliers of the Americas ten years ago. Aside from his wine knowledge and expertise, Abraham has managed front of the house operations at multiple fine dining restaurants. Through his twenty years of fine dining experience, wine training, and responsibility managing front of house employees, Abraham has developed the necessary skills and training to own and operate a successful wine bar.
Leslie Fragas received her Sommelier designation two years ago from the Court of Master Sommeliers of the Americas and has assistant managed front of the house staff at the same high end restaurants Abraham most recently worked at. Leslie’s specialty lies in training and mentoring staff in order to develop them. She believes that by them feeling comfortable enough to make wine recommendations on their own, the wine bar will ultimately succeed.
Abraham has engaged third party companies and advisors to handle all administrative and legal requirements of the business.
Financial Plan
Key Revenue & Costs
The revenue drivers for A’Vin Garde Wine Bar are the sales from wine, food, beer, and wine club memberships. Abraham will push to sell memberships as that is recurring revenue that will not take a lot of overhead to manage.
The cost drivers will be the overhead costs required to staff the wine bar. The expenses will be the payroll cost, rent, utilities, wine inventory, and marketing materials.
Funding Requirements and Use of Funds
A’Vin Garde Wine Bar is seeking $300,000 in debt financing to launch its wine bar. The funding will be dedicated towards securing the retail space and purchasing furniture, decorations, opening inventory, and working capital. Funding will also be dedicated towards three months of overhead costs to include payroll of the staff, rent, and marketing costs for the online ads and branding. The breakout of the funding is below:
- Wine bar space build-out: $100,000
- Opening inventory, furniture decorations: $100,000
- Three months of overhead expenses (payroll, rent, utilities): $50,000
- Marketing costs: $25,000
- Working capital: $25,000
Download the wine bar business plan template (including a customizable financial model) to your computer here <–
Key Assumptions
The following outlines the key assumptions required in order to achieve the revenue and cost numbers in the financials and in order to pay off the startup business loan.
- Number of Wine Bottles Sold Per Month: 1,000
- Number of Memberships Per Month: 10
- Average Revenue per Month: $50,000
- Wine Bar Lease per Year: $130,000
Financial Projections
Income Statement
| FY 1 | FY 2 | FY 3 | FY 4 | FY 5 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | ||||||
| Total Revenues | $360,000 | $793,728 | $875,006 | $964,606 | $1,063,382 | |
| Expenses & Costs | ||||||
| Cost of goods sold | $64,800 | $142,871 | $157,501 | $173,629 | $191,409 | |
| Lease | $50,000 | $51,250 | $52,531 | $53,845 | $55,191 | |
| Marketing | $10,000 | $8,000 | $8,000 | $8,000 | $8,000 | |
| Salaries | $157,015 | $214,030 | $235,968 | $247,766 | $260,155 | |
| Initial expenditure | $10,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| Total Expenses & Costs | $291,815 | $416,151 | $454,000 | $483,240 | $514,754 | |
| EBITDA | $68,185 | $377,577 | $421,005 | $481,366 | $548,628 | |
| Depreciation | $27,160 | $27,160 | $27,160 | $27,160 | $27,160 | |
| EBIT | $41,025 | $350,417 | $393,845 | $454,206 | $521,468 | |
| Interest | $23,462 | $20,529 | $17,596 | $14,664 | $11,731 | |
| PRETAX INCOME | $17,563 | $329,888 | $376,249 | $439,543 | $509,737 | |
| Net Operating Loss | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| Use of Net Operating Loss | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| Taxable Income | $17,563 | $329,888 | $376,249 | $439,543 | $509,737 | |
| Income Tax Expense | $6,147 | $115,461 | $131,687 | $153,840 | $178,408 | |
| NET INCOME | $11,416 | $214,427 | $244,562 | $285,703 | $331,329 |
Balance Sheet
| FY 1 | FY 2 | FY 3 | FY 4 | FY 5 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASSETS | ||||||
| Cash | $154,257 | $348,760 | $573,195 | $838,550 | $1,149,286 | |
| Accounts receivable | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| Inventory | $30,000 | $33,072 | $36,459 | $40,192 | $44,308 | |
| Total Current Assets | $184,257 | $381,832 | $609,654 | $878,742 | $1,193,594 | |
| Fixed assets | $180,950 | $180,950 | $180,950 | $180,950 | $180,950 | |
| Depreciation | $27,160 | $54,320 | $81,480 | $108,640 | $135,800 | |
| Net fixed assets | $153,790 | $126,630 | $99,470 | $72,310 | $45,150 | |
| TOTAL ASSETS | $338,047 | $508,462 | $709,124 | $951,052 | $1,238,744 | |
| LIABILITIES & EQUITY | ||||||
| Debt | $315,831 | $270,713 | $225,594 | $180,475 | $135,356 | |
| Accounts payable | $10,800 | $11,906 | $13,125 | $14,469 | $15,951 | |
| Total Liability | $326,631 | $282,618 | $238,719 | $194,944 | $151,307 | |
| Share Capital | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| Retained earnings | $11,416 | $225,843 | $470,405 | $756,108 | $1,087,437 | |
| Total Equity | $11,416 | $225,843 | $470,405 | $756,108 | $1,087,437 | |
| TOTAL LIABILITIES & EQUITY | $338,047 | $508,462 | $709,124 | $951,052 | $1,238,744 |
Cash Flow Statement
| FY 1 | FY 2 | FY 3 | FY 4 | FY 5 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CASH FLOW FROM OPERATIONS | ||||||
| Net Income (Loss) | $11,416 | $214,427 | $244,562 | $285,703 | $331,329 | |
| Change in working capital | ($19,200) | ($1,966) | ($2,167) | ($2,389) | ($2,634) | |
| Depreciation | $27,160 | $27,160 | $27,160 | $27,160 | $27,160 | |
| Net Cash Flow from Operations | $19,376 | $239,621 | $269,554 | $310,473 | $355,855 | |
| CASH FLOW FROM INVESTMENTS | ||||||
| Investment | ($180,950) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| Net Cash Flow from Investments | ($180,950) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| CASH FLOW FROM FINANCING | ||||||
| Cash from equity | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| Cash from debt | $315,831 | ($45,119) | ($45,119) | ($45,119) | ($45,119) | |
| Net Cash Flow from Financing | $315,831 | ($45,119) | ($45,119) | ($45,119) | ($45,119) | |
| Net Cash Flow | $154,257 | $194,502 | $224,436 | $265,355 | $310,736 | |
| Cash at Beginning of Period | $0 | $154,257 | $348,760 | $573,195 | $838,550 | |
| Cash at End of Period | $154,257 | $348,760 | $573,195 | $838,550 | $1,149,286 |
Wine Bar Business Plan FAQs
What Is a Wine Bar Business Plan?
A wine bar business plan is a plan to start and/or grow your wine bar business. Among other things, it outlines your business concept, identifies your target customers, presents your marketing plan and details your financial projections.
You can easily complete your wine bar business plan using our Wine Bar Business Plan Template here.
What are the Main Types of Wine Bars?
There are a number of different kinds of wine bars, some examples include: Trendy Wine Bar, Vineyard Wine Bar, Hotel Wine Bar, and Wine and Coffee Bar.
How Do You Get Funding for Your Wine Bar Business Plan?
Wine bars are often funded through small business loans. Personal savings, credit card financing and angel investors are also popular forms of funding. Having a wine bar business plan pdf or doc will help show investors that you are well prepared to start your own business.
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