Name: Michael Dorf
Title: Founder, CEO
Company, city: City Winery; New York City, N.Y.
Number of employees: 750, with plans to have 1,000 by the end of 2017
Recent project: We’re opening City Winery locations in Boston and Washington, D.C., this year, with plans to announce three more openings in 2018.
First job: I’ve never worked for anyone else; I’ve always created my own money-making opportunities. I started a lawn mowing business, collected beer cans and took on many different jobs before opening the Knitting Factory in 1987 in New York City.
Little-known fact about you: I’m a golfer, which doesn’t necessarily fit with the avant-garde club world where I began.
Your Business
What innovations/initiatives do you foresee in the industry over the next years? The retail and hospitality sectors will continue to shift toward experiential programming. As life becomes more digital, people increasingly seek physical, memorable experiences—places that combine food, drink and culture in a welcoming, tangible way.
Best career advice you’ve received: From my father and grandfather: integrity matters above all—even more than making money. That principle has guided every decision I’ve made.
What advice would you give someone starting out in the field? Find a calling you truly believe in. When you are passionate, work and play blur together. Be willing to sacrifice and put in the long hours—early on I slept under my desk on a futon at the Knitting Factory for three years, living and breathing the business.
Michael Dorf as a Traveler
Favorite travel memory or story: As a teenager on a family trip to Mexico, our bus stopped on a mountain and caught fire. I helped the driver remove bags before the bus was destroyed, but I lost all my belongings and arrived at the U.S. Consulate with no ID. Fortunately, my mother had sewn my name into my underwear for summer camp, which allowed me to prove who I was.
One travel tip you cannot live without: Pack lightly. Carrying only what you need makes travel simpler and gives you the freedom to move easily with everything on your back.
Best advice for business travelers: Use frequent-flyer and hotel loyalty programs. With consistent effort you can earn a free vacation each year and gain priority treatment when disruptions occur.
About City Winery
Tell our readers more about the concept behind City Winery.
I built City Winery to be a place I would want to visit as a customer. The concept centers on a few essential elements: intimate cultural spaces, quality wine served in proper glassware, thoughtfully prepared food to complement the wine, comfortable seated dining, respect for patrons’ time, and the seamless combination of culture, food and beverage into a single experience. Each element is designed to elevate the visitor’s evening beyond what typical entertainment venues offer.
Where can travelers find City Winery locations, and what makes each location unique?
City Winery operates in New York, Chicago, Nashville, Atlanta and now Boston, with Washington, D.C. coming soon. While each location reflects its own aesthetic and local character, they all deliver the same core experience: live culture paired with great food and wine. In New York, City Vineyard offers another way to enjoy excellent wine alongside great city views. Across locations there is always an element of winemaking interaction and a focus on quality hospitality.
What can people look forward to from City Winery into 2018?
We plan to explore additional City Vineyard sites and continue expanding the City Winery brand. Cities under consideration for 2018 expansion include Toronto, Detroit, Denver and London, as we aim to bring the same blend of culture, dining and winemaking to new audiences.