In just over a year, a young Spokane company called Cuvee Inc. has made its mark on the restaurant scene here by opening three establishments, including two on the South Hill and one downtown.


Owned by entrepreneurs Jeff Jenkins, Tim Hartman, and Carrie Davis, the startup opened Vin Rouge on the South Hill in March 2006, the Meritage Bistro downtown last November, and another South Hill eatery, Hangar 57, this spring.


The company is not done growing, says Jenkins. Cuvee, named after a French word that means wine vat, could expand further, possibly adding ventures outside the restaurant industry in coming years, he says.


Vin Rouge, located at 3029 E. 29th, at the east end of the Lincoln Heights shopping district, is a fine-dining establishment featuring numerous wines and such entrees as halibut, flank steak, and duck. Meritage Bistro, located in the Parkade Plaza at 112 N. Howard downtown, serves breakfasts and lunches only, then rents the space out in the evenings for parties and meetings of up to 45 people, and caters food for the events, Jenkins says. Hangar 57, located in the former Pepperdine Sports Bar Inc. building at 2911 E. 57th, is a sports bar that also sells sandwiches, ribs, and other casual-dining foods.


We never meant to do this much this fast, but the opportunities came open, and we had to act on them, says Jenkins.


Adds Hartman, The stars aligned just at the right time, and with the support of friends and family, we were able to capitalize on it.


Jenkins and Hartman met at Luna, another South Hill restaurant, where Jenkins was manager for 10 years, and Hartman was a seafood chef. After several years of plotting to open their own restaurant, they joined forces with Davis, who now markets the three restaurants and provides catering services from Vin Rouge, and the three of them signed a lease for a former fast-food restaurant building on 29th Avenue. With the help of family and friends, they spent three months remodeling the structure to house Vin Rouge, a French term meaning red wine.


A few months later, the space occupied by Benjamins Caf downtown came on the market, and Cuvee took over the lease for that space. It opened Meritage Bistro there within about 30 days. The word Meritage refers to wines blended from varietals like those in the Bordeaux region of France.


Cuvee initially balked at an overture by the owner of the former Pepperdine restaurant at 57th Avenue and Regal Street to open a restaurant at that site because the lease price for the building was too high, Jenkins says.


When another party backed away at the last moment from an agreement to open a business there, however, the price to lease the space went down, and Cuvee saw an opportunity to expand, Jenkins says.


The Hangar 57 name was selected because the structure is shaped like an airplane hangar and is located along 57th Avenue, he says.


There arent many restaurant spots available on the South Hill, and when one comes open you have to seize it, says Jenkins.


Cuvee currently employs 85 people. Of those, 40 work at Vin Rouge, which occupies about 3,000 square feet of space; 35 are at the 4,000-square-foot Hangar 57; and 10 are at the smaller, 1,000-square-foot Meritage.


Cuvees owners decline to disclose revenue figures, but say the company is profitable, and that they kept their initial investments low by doing their own remodeling at the three locations with the help of friends and family, Hartman says.


Sitting at Vin Rouge, Hartman says, Everything in this place was built by us, our friends, and our families. And thats the same with the other two restaurants as well.


That, says Jenkins, is significant, given that it can cost anywhere from $100,000 to $300,000 to open a restaurant like any of Cuvees three establishments, and a lot more if a location previously wasnt occupied by a restaurant. He declines to say how much money Cuvee spent to open its eateries, but says the three owners mortgaged their homes to raise money for the ventures.


We basically put it all on the line for what we felt would be a winning concept, says Hartman.


Future plans


Jenkins and Hartman, who lease space at the three sites, say they hope to expand Cuvee further, possibly in areas other than in the restaurant business, but first need to explore what improvements they can make at the three eateries it currently owns.


There will be other ventures, but not for awhile, Hartman says.


Says Jenkins, When we do move into new ventures in another year or two, it would be nice to buy land as opposed to leasing.


They decline to elaborate on what ventures the company might consider.


So far, Hartman says Cuvees No. 1 priority in launching new eateries has been to hire tough and manage easy. He says a big part of the trios early success has come as a result of a rigid hiring process to ensure that employees fit their concept for the business, then treat employees like family members. He says one employee, Rhonda Rey, not only manages Meritage, but was given an equity stake in that establishment.


The companys second priority has been to define carefully the market that a restaurant will serve by placing the right concept in the right location. Youve got to cater to the neighborhood youre in, says Hartman.


Jenkins says the third priority is to be value conscious: not necessarily to heap large volumes of food on a customers plate, but instead to deliver the right amount of quality food that will leave customers satisfied they got their moneys worth.


Jenkins says he began his restaurant career as a dishwasher and worked his way up to management. He now serves as managing owner of Cuvee. Hartman is a graduate of Spokane Community Colleges Inland Northwest Culinary Academy and, though an owner, primarily works as a chefcooking for charity events, filling catering orders, and working on menu development for the three restaurants.


In addition to her duties for Cuvee, Davis is a consultant for Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics Inc., owned by Hanger Orthopedic Group Inc., of Bethesda, Md.


Hartman says running three restaurants is hard work, and that he and Jenkins often work long hours six or seven days a week.


Sometimes when the restaurants arent busy is when youre the busiest, he says.


Contact Rocky Wilson at (509) 344-1264 or via e-mail at rockyw@spokanejournal.com.