Flights Wine Bar: From Passion to Thriving Establishment
Challenge
Kelsey Daniels transitioned from a career in film production to pursue her passion for wine. She became a Certified Sommelier and Certified Specialist of Wine. When she and her husband decided to open Flights Wine Bar in Bend, Oregon, they faced the challenge of managing all aspects of a new restaurant business. Kelsey needed to handle accounting and payroll herself, despite having limited background in these areas beyond her experience in film production. Additionally, the business deals with complex tip income that needed to be properly managed.
I do all the accounting and payroll myself, and I don't have a lot of background aside from doing it for film production. So, I was looking for a more time-efficient way to do that, and it was actually my mum who recommended Patriot—she owns a business and uses you. Simple, easy, and user-friendly. It's intuitive and really doesn't take me long. I was worried about all the tip income we deal with and all we had to do with it, but it's very easy. — Kelsey Daniels, Co-owner, Flights Wine Bar
Solution
Patriot Software's Full Service Payroll provided an intuitive, easy-to-use solution. Kelsey was looking for a more time-efficient way to handle accounting and payroll, and Patriot was recommended by her mother, who also owns a business. The platform proved simple, easy, and user-friendly. Despite initial concerns about managing tip income, the software made the process very straightforward.
Results
Flights Wine Bar opened in November 2021 and quickly became a must-see destination for locals and travellers in Bend, Oregon. The wine bar offers four different wine flights that change weekly, wine by the glass, retail bottle sales, and a full-service kitchen for lunch and dinner. Kelsey personally tastes every wine before bringing it in and curates the wine selection. Chef Nick Ragazzo creates a food menu that pairs with the wines and rotates seasonally. The business has built a great community of regular customers in a short amount of time. The team has amazing, dedicated staff who are passionate about the business. The wine bar has successfully established itself as a destination where people come together and hang out, fulfilling the owners' original goal.