Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Manfredonia.
Hi Alex, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
After 18 years away from the East Coast, I came home again. Chuck, my father and also an owner, has been in the hospitality industry his whole life. By 2012, I had spent 18 years refining my skills and knowledge in multiple fine dining restaurants in northern California. With Chuck’s background in casual yet upscale restaurants in Washington, DC and my experience at Michelin rated restaurants in San Francisco, Vin 909 Winecafé was born. In the restaurant business all our lives, mine and Chuck’s experience fuels our passion for creativity and hospitality. Vin 909 offers more than just the place to eat – We present a personal, distinctive dining experience to the Annapolis Eastport community.
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?
We opened in 2011 and saw success that we definitely did not anticipate to happen so early, pretty quickly. Some of our challenges were around just learning how to operate a business as a family and not let the business become all we were as a family. We had to establish some boundaries and just learn each other in a new way.
The biggest challenge we faced was COVID. Like everyone, and especially restaurants, we had to be nimble and pivot very quickly. We had to tighten up to stay afloat and protect our staff long enough to see if we could weather it. Our community, our regulars mostly in Eastport, are the reason we survived. While it took a couple of years, we were able to build back.
We are now in another challenging moment. Like many small businesses, the rising costs and uncertain environment have required us to consider ways to adjust with the times while staying true to who we are. In 2023, my sister, Megan, joined us full-time to help us get back to thriving and then to help us grow.
We’ve been impressed with Vin 909 Winecafé, 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?
Vin 909 Winecafé is built on family history, and a passion for food, wine, and beer. The name “Vin” means wine in French and also defines the vintage feel of our inviting setting in the neighborhood of Eastport. Our restaurant is approachable, local, and a reminder of the comfortable, inviting dining experiences we have loved. Whether you are enjoying the culinary artistry with a view into our exhibition kitchen, a glass of wine or craft beer, or sharing a hand-formed brick oven-fired pizza on the patio in the spring; 909 Bay Ridge Avenue is a place where you can come home again and again.
The ingredients found in our dishes are sourced from local, organic, and sustainable providers whenever possible. Our influences and roots include Mediterranean and Californian cuisines, combined to create the fresh, New American cuisine unique to VIN 909. We aspire to the European ideal of smaller more frequent meals, both simple and delicious; at VIN 909, meals are meant to be shared.
We use local farms and carry local products as much as possible. Through a partnership with Eastport community compost, we are a zero food waste restaurant.
We ask our vendors to trace and identify the sources of all our ingredients. Knowing how and where an item was produced is the first step to high quality wholesome food.
By cutting out middle men, talking directly to farms, and making food from scratch we create the freshest, highest quality products.
We are proud to be a locally owned and operated restaurant in a town that that is becoming increasingly rare. We aspire to be a pillar of the community we grew up in and love. We want to share our love of food and wine with all walks of life. We want to make elevated foods and wines approachable for everyone!
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Post-COVID the restaurant industry has seen major changes in the labor force and increases in all costs making the razor thin margins even more challenging to get. As a result, independently owned restaurants are closing or selling to larger restaurant groups at an alarming rate. Already, our small town of Annapolis has changed in this way. We believe that the changing market requires restaurants to be nimble and respond to the trends without over compensating and not staying true to the brand. I think we will see less and less independently owned restaurants which may mean we will see less diversity, quality and passionate hospitality.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://vin909wine.com
- Instagram: vin909wine
- Facebook: vin909
- Yelp: Vin 909
