Ben Torres on Creating a Whiskey And Cigar Bar In Charlotte, NC

In this interview, we sit down with Ben Torres, Vice President of Operations at The Vintage Whiskey and Cigar Bar, to explore the vision and passion behind this unique establishment in Charlotte. Ben shares insights into the creation of The Vintage, a space that blends luxury with accessibility, offering a premium selection of cigars and whiskey in an inviting atmosphere. From the challenges of establishing a private membership lounge to the strategies for curating their exclusive offerings, Ben provides a glimpse into the meticulous process that keeps The Vintage at the forefront of Charlotte’s social scene.

Inspiration Behind The Vintage Whiskey and Cigar Bar

What inspired you to start The Vintage Whiskey and Cigar Bar, and how did you identify a demand for such a niche market in Charlotte?

There was a shared vision amongst the leadership to create something that could truly be elevated yet approachable, enjoying the finer things in life without going out of one’s way to do so. The founding team had found similar concepts in other major U.S. markets in our past professional lives, and for some reason the Charlotte market’s timing was always playing catch-up in that regard. There had been some cigar-friendly concepts in the 90s and early 00s in the area, but nothing had stood the test of time – and didn’t appeal to every walk of life the way we hoped our business would.

Curating the Cigar and Whiskey Selection

Can you discuss the process of curating your cigar and whiskey selection? How do you choose which products to feature?

Our menu is constantly evolving to encompass the palate of our membership, introducing new trends in tobacco and beverage whenever we can to widen the scope of our guests’ enjoyment. While we always welcome feedback from those who partake, our internal team also works tirelessly to identify flavor profiles that will allow products to pair well together, even if it means developing some syrups / recipes in-house to strengthen the cocktail program even more.

Challenges of Establishing a Private Membership Lounge

What challenges did you face when establishing a private membership lounge, and how did you overcome them?

This market has never been fond of “paying dues” unless they see tremendous value in return for what they are being asked to spend. We see this environment as a hybrid country club, if you will, and the results speak for themselves – we have over 2,000 annual paying members who cherish every chance they get to come spend time with us.

Balancing Exclusivity with Customer Attraction

How do you balance the exclusivity of a membership model with the need to attract and retain customers?

We have enjoyed creating a variety of events and themed promotions to stay engaged in the community, continuing to interact with everyone in the area whether they choose to sign up as a member or not. From private buyouts to offsite events, we still remain flexible so that we can accommodate all kinds of inquiries.

Role of Atmosphere and Design in Customer Experience

What role does the atmosphere and design of The Vintage play in the overall customer experience, and how did you develop it?

From the design side, DesignBar is one of the finest firms in the area, and we enlisted their help from the beginning to help conceptualize what decor and assets would be needed to round out the aesthetic. The hope was to achieve a feeling of stepping into a moment of time (say, Havana in the 50’s with checkered flooring and classic lighting fixtures / wallpapers) while retaining a lot of the modern luxuries we all enjoy today (such as excellent audio / visuals, access to all kinds of technology, etc). This collaboration has since won multiple awards for the design element in the area, and continues to be a reason people seek the location out – even if just for photography / videography purposes!

In terms of the atmosphere, the design feeds this effort – but it all comes down to people. By building a team of professionals who cherish each other, those they serve, and pursuit of excellence in their fields of study – we are able to curate an experience for guests no matter the situation they find themselves in. From celebrating promotions to making friends when first moving to town, signing a deal with a client to catching up with family members visiting – we want to make sure our offering is able to accommodate these special events in your lives from start to finish (even if it may be just for a cup of coffee and a short stick while you await transportation elsewhere).

Importance of Hosting Whiskey Tastings and Cigar Pairings

Can you explain the importance of hosting events like whiskey tastings and cigar pairings for your business model?

Hosting events such as these allows us to establish credibility in both industries, as well as involve representatives from those companies to collaborate with us in crafting events that are on-brand for their products as well as our concept. This gives everyone something else to look forward to each week, and generates new conversation topics in moments where things may have a chance to go stagnant being open 7 days a week.

Ensuring Knowledgeable and Exceptional Service

How do you ensure your staff is knowledgeable and provides exceptional service in such a specialized environment?

There are continuing education offerings throughout the year in our industries, which we capitalize on as much as possible. At this moment, there are tobacconists taking their own form of a “Sommelier” exam, and bartenders just returned from a conference where they got to study showcases of new products and methods hitting the market. We frequently try to take time to train and study in hopes that the effort will trickle down into the guest experience the next time they’re in.

Staying Ahead of Trends in Whiskey and Cigars

How do you stay ahead of trends in the whiskey and cigar industries to keep your offerings fresh and exciting?

Collaborating with our partner brands aids us in this effort, as those reps will often be the first to introduce us to the next big thing – and depending on the ideal format to introduce it, we will come up with a unique event or theme to center around the product launch so that all sides see the value. By saying “YES!” to each opportunity manufacturers present to us, our team could end up halfway across the country (or even visiting factories in other countries) to help craft the next blends for our guests, which is something that most industries don’t have the flexibility or desire to do.

Strategies for Maintaining Customer Loyalty

What strategies do you use to maintain customer loyalty and encourage repeat visits?

Certain membership tiers have discounts built-in to their package to entice consistent use of their chosen level, and we often push incentives for people to shop in the humidor for all kinds of occasions (Father’s Day tends to be our Christmas). When events have a drastic change in format / theme, it tends to pay huge dividends for us – the last charity event, I’m pretty certain the staff spent more than the guests did when we brought out a dunk tank so they could send ownership and management flying into a vat of ice water. There have been floating candle hallways that are reminiscent of Hogwarts for Halloween, and Nerf gun target practices through saloon doors for a Western theme… just because.

Marketing a High-End Niche Establishment

How do you approach marketing a high-end, niche establishment like The Vintage to potential customers?

It can be painful at times, but this requires extra effort on our behalf given the unique product offering we have. We want to make sure people can recognize the value in their investment with us, so standards must be kept high – while also remembering that we’re all human. While we can enjoy the nicest of glassware, cutters and lighters, decor… we also have someone dress up as Michael Myers around Halloween to scare the living daylights out of guests sitting out on the patio. Some call it balance – we call it having fun at our workplace!

Creating a Community Among Members

What steps have you taken to create a community among your members, and why is this important?

This is entirely centered around building relationships one moment at a time. With this business having started in the midst of the COVID pandemic, we have been tasked from day one to find avenues for everyone to unify around – be it a donation of our time and talents to aid one another, helping others feel welcome and valued, anything that we can do to remind each other that we are all human and deserving of a place to go that is a home away from home. Identifying what motivates members is a critical element of our work, as it enables us to continue crafting recipes and offerings that entice them to try something new – and usually results in them helping spread the word about what we are promoting better than we ever could.

Managing Premium Inventory Logistics

How do you handle the logistics of maintaining a premium inventory of cigars and spirits?

Another arena that has evolved over time – we now incorporate several data collections from both to study how quickly product moves, how frequently we are able to purchase certain premium options, as well as the margin opportunities we can find along the way. This creates a unique situation of sometimes buying third-party (such as an antique spirit that is no longer being distributed), or making sure we hit a certain purchasing threshold with a distributor to qualify for the allocated products they set aside each year.