Vino Volo: It’s All About the Experience

In Thursday’s class with Doug, we talked about the wine list strategy, upsell opportunities, expansion plays, loyalty programs, and mobile app opportunities. However, I still found myself wondering what makes Vino Volo successful, and how can it replicate that outside of an airport? I decided to skim through Yelp reviews of a few locations – JFK (41 reviews), SFO (84 reviews), St. Louis (22 reviews), Milwaukee (12 reviews), and Tysons Corner (46 reviews; the closed mall location). My conclusion: Vino Volo offers a relaxed, elegant experience that cannot be found in competing/nearby restaurants. In order to successfully scale, it needs to find locations in which it can sell that differentiated experience, not just a good wine list.   

I realize that Yelp reviews offer an incomplete and potentially biased viewpoint, but there were some general themes worth noting:

• Vino Volo, an “oasis.” If you Google “Vino Volo + Yelp + Oasis,” you’ll get more than a few hits. Many people appreciate the escape that Vino Volo offers from crowded, hectic, and noisy terminals.
• Service is a differentiator. Folks noticed and appreciated the high level of service that the staff at Vino Volo provides. Perhaps this is due to the culture and management style that Doug has instilled, perhaps it is relative to the terrible service experience throughout the rest of an airline travel episode.
• Wine: please the palate. How does the average consumer evaluate the wine they drink at a Vino Volo? There are countless reviews that folks enjoyed their flight of reds or were happy that their server recommended a Rioja. However, I noticed very few people actually comment on the specific wines or the wine list as a whole (perhaps this is a Yelp sample issue). Among those that did were a woman from Napa, a woman who follows wine connoisseurs online, a self-described “wine snob,” and a woman who attributes her ability to remember the specific wine to the coaster (Vino Volo apparently provides a printout of the wine). While it’s probably necessary to appeal to the more knowledgeable consumer, I’d guess that the average consumer wants to simply enjoy a palate-pleasing wine at a reasonable price without having to decipher a wine list.
• Food matters. Vino Volo stands out in airports due to (perceived) low quality of most other options. The class discussion about improving menu options would likely help existing locations.

In order for Vino Volo to be successful in new locations, it needs to find places where it’s differentiated on the above criteria and then sell that consistent, high quality experience. Maybe the Tysons Corner mall location didn’t work because you don’t need an oasis from Tysons Galleria (Vino Volo was in the more upscale of the two Tysons Corner malls) and nearby restaurants also offer upscale food, wine, and service. New locations might work best in areas where you have some higher income consumers but limited high quality competition. For example, Natalie had a good idea to target cities with a lot of business travelers but very few decent dining options.