Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Grant, Phd
Hi Michelle , can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I didn’t grow up drinking wine or having it on the dinner table at home. I starting taking more of a serious interest in wine around 2010, when I realized how it changed the food I ate and enhanced my sensory experience. I started doing more research and developed a food and wine blog exploring different recipes with wines from around the world. I knew then that wine would play more of a central role in my life–I just didn’t know how. I started studying a bit more seriously and became a certified sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers. It was through that process that I realized I wanted to have a small wine bar of my own one day. I started saving and thinking of ways I could pursue this passion while still keeping a roof over my head! Fast-forward a few years. I met my now husband who was super supportive and even found the location where Era Wine Bar is today. I didn’t leave my career in management consulting until Era was almost open. We’ve been open since 2021.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Smooth? Never. Struggles were many. The most serious were the worries about not having predictable income as I had for so many years before. The learning curve for us was huge because we had served or consulted in restaurants, but never ran them. While beautiful and full of potential, the space we found for Era was a dark shell–no HVAC, electricity, or plumbing. We invested our life savings to open Era, not to mention the blood, sweat, and tears of building many parts of the space out on our own. As if this weren’t enough, we completed the buildout and opened on the heels of COVID-19 in 2021! I can still remember our opening day and how worried I was that people were not going to be able to engage with customers in the ways we wanted when behind the masks. But we made it work. Since opening, I would say our most significant struggles have been adjusting to major changes in labor laws that increased the tipped minimum wage in Maryland, which we’ve since learned have not been as helpful for service staff as some legislators may have thought. We all want wages to increase. But the resources to make this happen have to come from somewhere! We’ve learned that increases in base wages require many establishments (like ours) to introduce service charges just to make up for the income needed to pay staff. Customers don’t like the charges and service staff don’t like having to describe it. What’s worse, we’ve found that customers tip less when service charges are introduced, thereby decreasing the overall take home pay that service staff can expect. This is just one example. But the cost of operating business in our state is high, and to do it right (and legally), you also have to pay a lot of money in taxes, licenses, and fees which can sometimes be prohibitive.
We’ve been impressed with Era Wine Bar and Kitchen, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Era includes a full-service restaurant serving Sunday brunch and dinner (dine-in and to-go), a private event
space, and a membership club. We offer visitors a journey through world cuisine
paired perfectly with affordable wines in a welcoming, neighborhood-friendly environment. We
usher in a “new era” where excellent yet affordable food and wine merge. We honor the spice routes and use
locally sourced, fresh ingredients in all of our cuisine.
Era offers a seasonal menu that includes both tapas-style appetizers (vegetable samosas,
cucumber salads, stuffed dates, crostini, etc.) and larger plates (Spanish chickpeas, homemade
pesto, lean fish and beef, etc.). We also offer a curated board program with locally sourced
cheeses, charcuterie, fresh and dried fruit, and vegetarian dips and spreads. Brunch includes
classic, world-inspired items (e.g., Belgian waffles, fresh garden omelets, from-scratch home fries,
brunch burgers with vegetarian options, etc.).
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Lesson 1: Take it one day at a time. There will always be something else to do, a new menu to work on, a new event to create. Take care of yourself. This goes for all small business owners who don’t have weekends and are constantly working and trying to balance multiple different responsibilities.
Lesson 2: Take your time hiring to find the right fits and respect and support the team you have. Your place is nothing without the right people to run it and put in front of customers.
Lesson 3: Find the real estate deal that works for you. Weigh the benefits and disadvantages of renting vs. owning commercial space. Enter into real estate deals with people you believe in and want to work with.
Pricing:
- $30-$50 pp
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.erawinebar.com
- Instagram: erawinebar
- Facebook: Era Wine Bar
