In the pandemic many states implemented lockdowns for some period of time. That devastated one of the unambiguously sociable things we do – eating and traveling (aka hospitality). The effect on the number of sommelier (specialist wine waiter) jobs was devastating with positions being abolished or downgraded to general server roles.
Even before the pandemic, the future of the sommelier was uncertain. Wine sales did something they had not done before in most people’s lifetimes – they stopped growing as fast, even plateauing, in the face of a consumer switch to cocktails and craft beer. Wine ceased, in many circles, to be cool.
One man who worked through this transition was Matt Montrose.
Montrose, who holds an Advanced Sommelier certification from the Court of Master Sommeliers, has more than a decade of management experience. During his tenure in hospitality, he worked as a wine director and sommelier alongside numerous celebrity chefs and acclaimed beverage programs, such as Atelier Crenn, Bar Crenn, Michael Mina, Manresa, and Chez TJ, all of which were awarded stars by the Michelin Guide.
In 2018 he pivoted. He joined OMvino, a full-suite marketing and PR company which serves food, wine and lifestyle clients...
In January 2022 he became acting CEO to enable OMvino’s founding partner and CEO Jennifer Estevez to focus on OMvino’s sister company Consciously Planted.
I spoke with Montrose in a Google Meets interview. I wanted to find out his thoughts on the future of the sommelier and wine in restaurants general...
What did running a wine program at Michelin-rated restaurants teach you about entrepreneurship?
Running a wine program can teach a person lots of useful skills applicable in other situations. As a sommelier, investing in your team to teach them effective beverage protocol is time well spent. Similarly, investing time in mentoring and teaching others is remarkably helpful in scaling a business. Sharing knowledge and really taking the time to nurture other people's skills can have a big payout.
I used to catch myself constantly doing tasks myself rather than investing time into teaching others who could help me with it, but once I started really focusing on sharing knowledge and skills, I found I could really scale up my workload by delegating work to a team.
Which tools and processes are applicable to both service and business?
Investing in technology has been crucial to business growth. Beverage professionals have lots of options for managing their program inventory, the purchasing process, etc., and implementing those technologies made my life easier.
In my current role as CEO, this means utilizing technology that prioritizes project management and business operations. My team works with cutting-edge solutions that have helped grow our business significantly. Project management software such as Monday.com has been crucial for organization of tasks, delegating work, managing deadlines, etc.
How have hospitality professionals survived the pandemic?
I think if anything, the pandemic really helped individuals in the hospitality business realize how resilient they are and that they have a lot of skills which are applicable in other industries. I heard from lots of friends that they have been able to switch careers...
Click HERE to read the full interview.