Being flexible and forward thinking have been crucial in how restaurant owners have been able to stay in business during Covid-19 as the story behind Top Cuvee shows.
The ‘Zone 1’ engine room of hospitality in London may have all but disappeared during the long months of Covid-19, but it has not halted the creativity and drive of the city’s best restaurateurs and bar owners, particularly in the more neighbourhood areas of the capital.
How quickly and effectively the management team behind north London restaurant, Top Cuvee, have been able to transform their business model since March 2020 is very much a classic case study that is being repeated right across the city. Situated on North London’s Blackstock Road, the bridge between Finsbury Park and Highbury, Top Cuvee, has been operating for a couple of years, serving a careful selection of natural wine alongside an ever changing seasonal food offer that has quickly become a popular local destination.
The doors on Top Cuvee’s restaurant will have to close this week for a month, but the business will be very much up and running online and its new retail store – Shop Cuvee
When the first lockdown came at the end of March the Top Cuvee team, headed up by co-owners Max Venning and Brodie Meah, took the quick decision to switch its business over to an e-commerce model. “We got in there early and realised this could be a good business [online] for us coming out of lockdown,” claims Venning.
It was a decision fuelled purely by wanting to stay in business. But off the back of a strong lockdown wine delivery service and some hilarious Instagram content, Top Cuvee has now opened a bottle shop sister-site just a stones throw from the eatery called appropriately enough Shop Cuvee.
“We weren’t sure what to expect, but it’s been a huge success for us,” says Venning.
Natural push
Venning and Meah have been on top of the natural wine movement since they opened up their Three Sheets and Top Cuvee bar and restaurant business and have been able to build up a strong range. “We want to be both affordable and relatable in our approach to buying,” explains Venning.
Organic viticulture is the minimum requirement if you want to get your wine onto the shelves in Shop Cuvee. “We buy what we want to drink, and we want a selection of wines that are fun and accessible with good farming practice behind them,” he says.
Getting ready for business. Shop Cuvee opened its doors in September
But the natural and organic criteria for their wines are also reflected in other areas of its supply chain through to the food producers they work with. For them it is about building relationships and putting “great faith” in the suppliers they work with. Which is good news for the wine suppliers that make up a large part of Shop Cuvee’s range, including flag bearers such as Les Cave De Peyrene, Newcomer Wines, Tutto and Wines Under the Bonnet.
“We are now able to shift good volumes, which allows us to buy in bulk (by natural wine production numbers) and commit to quantities with our suppliers,” explains Venning.
With 200 plus wines, Shop Cuvee is now processing upwards of 300 online orders a week, and has allowed Venning and Meah to squeeze their margins across the road in Top Cuvee. Up to this week’s second lockdown diners have been able to buy wine in the shop and then pay £15 corkage to drink them in the restaurant.
Ready for lockdown
The fact it has been able to set up its new retail business to run alongside the ecommerce platform established in the first national lockdown, means they are much better placed to go into the next four weeks of Covid-19 restrictions.
As Venning explains: “We can’t rely on bricks and mortar anymore and we need to make sure we can be sustainable in other revenue streams.”
They will also now be able to offer local customers a next hour delivery service within their catchment area, whilst also running a next day delivery service nationwide.
Speaking before the government announced the November 5 shut down of the on-trade, Venning said he was quite confident Christmas would take care of itself: “I’m not concerned about Christmas, actually. It’s January and February that could be tricky. The new normal won’t be new any more.”
But what the Top Cuvee team have shown already in 2020 is they have the business skills and nous to get themselves ahead of the curve and create a destination brand for lovers of natural wine – online and on site with Shop Cuvee. Plans are now in the pipeline to open more sites and Venning eventually wants a warehouse space to service what he hopes will be a constantly growing online offering.
“Our branding is friendly, we keep on top of our social media and stay on the ball with the natural wine movement,” he adds.
It’s an easy going, down to earth approach that is clearly working and attracting younger drinkers both to the store and its online site, with the added sustainable and organic credentials too.
Shop Cuvee’s offering is rounded off nicely with artisan meats, cheese and pre-batched cocktails that are also available online from the likes of Tayer & Elementray, Scout and Venning’s own successful bars the Three Sheets in Dalston and Little Mercies.
He also has a tip for this year’s festive season: “I think the rise of pet nat wines are worth keeping an eye out for this Christmas too, we have customers who ask us which pet nat’s we sell on a daily basis, and they are much more affordable than Champagne.”
You can find out for yourself by visiting Shop Cuvee at 189 Blackstock Road in London or online at www.shopcuvee.com.
