Q&A: Gregory Doody, CEO of Vineyard Brands

The president and CEO of Vineyard Brands, citing a survey of consumers in lockdown, tells Roger Morris that, “after seeing family members, the two things people missed most were interactions outside the home and going to restaurants and bars.”

(Photo: Vineyard Brands)

Next year, American importer Vineyard Brands will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its 1971 founding by the late Robert Haas. With offices in Birmingham, Alabama, and New York City, today Vineyard Brands wines are distributed in all 50 states, and it represents wine producers in 10 countries, with especially strong representation in Burgundy and the Rhone Valley.

As restaurants in the United States slowly began to open after weeks of lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we asked Vineyard Brands president and CEO Gregory Doody about what he expects to see happening next in this strange new world.

Now that restaurants are beginning to reopen – though not yet in most large cities – how do you think restaurants will handle the logistics of service?

We’ve heard a number of options being discussed, including taking the temperatures of guests and employees, installing glass or plastic barriers between tables, using disposable menus or QR codes and requiring servers to wear face coverings. At the very least, all restaurants offering dine-in options will have to decrease the density of guests in their dining rooms by either increasing the distance between tables or allowing fewer guests in the dining rooms.

Are the restaurant owners you’ve talked with anxious to restart?

As you might imagine, all of our restaurant partners, both large and small, are very eager to reopen, However, they all realise that until diners feel comfortable that a dining experience will not put their health or the health of others at risk, no one will take advantage of their reopening.

Do you think that some restaurants will be ready to go more quickly than others?

Large restaurant chains are probably best prepared to implement the necessary protocols in the immediate term to offer guests that sense of comfort. Independent restaurants may have more limited resources to implement these protocols. At this point, I haven’t heard of many restaurants not considering take away or curbside pick-up options at the very least, if they haven’t done so already.

Are customers ready to venture out to restaurants?

In a recent survey, the thing people missed the most was “seeing family members.” Just after that, the two things people missed the most were “interactions outside the home” and “going to restaurants and bars, and so forth.”

Beyond the logistics of starting up, have you had conversations about the financial aspects, especially the number of overdue invoices owed to vendors, including wine and spirits distributors?

Even though we have great relationships with our restaurant partners and are primarily responsible for many placements of our wines in them, our distributors throughout the country generally have the financial relationship with the restaurants. They take the orders, deliver the wine, invoice the restaurants and are responsible for the collection of amounts owed.

Are some restaurant accounts considering restocking already?

Yes, many of our restaurant partners are looking to restock their depleted stocks, particularly those that have been able to offer wine pickup and delivery along with meals. Those restaurants offering take-away have definitely depleted their wine stocks and have been re-ordering. Obviously, those restaurants that have been closed entirely haven’t depleted much.

Does the shutdown and restart make you rethink how you do wine by the glass sales?

At this early stage, none of us know what the new “normal” will be for dining in the United States once the isolation protocols are eased and/or lifted entirely. However, we know that in-person will return and wine by the glass will be a large of it.

How optimistic are you about the future of the restaurant business and wine service?

The food and beverage industry has been, and will continue to be, one of industries hardest hit by Covid-19. But people in the food and beverage are a resilient bunch. These strange times will be with us for a while, but we are confident that all of us will get through this and see better times on the other side.