The Vine Visits Grayslake Rotary Club

John Christian hosted Mike Pruitt from The Vine in Grayslake at the Jan 9th meeting.  Mike, head of operations and a partner in The Vine, gave a quick review of business at the restaurant, and detailed special events that they have sponsored, and the types of entertainment they have hosted.  The Vine has been heavily involved in sponsoring many community and charitable activities; in fact, the Grayslake Economic Development Commission named Mike the 2011 Volunteer of the Year.  Mike looks to only be more busy in the community in the future as the President-Elect of the Grayslake Exchange Club.

The Vine Martini & Wine Bar at 101 Center Street in downtown Grayslake. 

Mike took some time to discuss planning considerations for a successful wine-tasting fundraiser event.  He described a typical wine-tasting as drawing 75-100 people,with tickets costing $25-50 each, and netting $3-4K in proceeds.  Supplemental sources of revenue could be a 50-50 raffle, a wine raffle, a silent auction, and sponsorships.  Mike stressed the key importance of effective marketing to the success of the venture.  He also advised us to seek donations for food and stemware if possible to reduce overhead costs.  Lastly we discussed the need for temporary liquor licenses and certificates of insurance for liability.  

Mike offered much appreciated insider perspective to the issues involved in a successful wine-tasting, and offered much needed encouragement for our efforts.