The Wine Project is now Theory

When we opened The Wine Project, our goal was to create a destination where people could learn about and experience great wines from all over the world paired with tasty yet accessible food. When we were first thinking of what would become The Wine Project, we conceived of a "wine bar" first... but food was always part of the equation. It was no accident that we found a location with a large kitchen, and our very first hire was our chef. From the beginning, we intended to create a place that was a bar AND a restaurant.

The name “The Wine Project” came about very naturally, and we thought it was a great way to communicate that wine was a big focus for our place. People immediately placed us in the “wine bar” category, which is what we wanted. What we did not realize at the time was that this categorization had some unintended limitations in how customers perceived us. When people think of a wine bar, they generally assume that IF the place has food, it’s likely to be simple small plates like olives and cheese boards. Of course, we had those things… but that wasn’t the extent of our food offering. Dishes like our buttermilk fried chicken, hangar steak, and potato fondue were there to provide robust options for hungrier guests, but despite their presence on our menu, assumptions about what a “wine bar” offered were hard to break.

The name had some other unintended effects as well. One was the perception that--being a bar--there wasn’t much for you if you weren’t going to be having a glass of wine. This made us unappealing to those looking for something like a satisfying business lunch. Another challenge was the idea that being a bar meant children were not welcome, and so many families looking for a nice casual dinner skipped over us because they weren’t sure their kids would be allowed in.

All of these challenges with how we were perceived led to our decision to update our name. Before settling on The Wine Project, we’d considered a number of other names. Theory was one of the final contenders at the end of our planning process. The name played into our overall concept for the restaurant; our “theory” was that more people would enjoy wine if it were presented in a way that allowed them to explore without feeling intimidated or uncomfortable and if paired with comfortable, familiar food that enhanced the experience.

So, as of today, we’re changing our name. If you’re a fan of The Wine Project, not to worry—wine still is and always will be a big part of our DNA, and we’ll continue to offer a unique wine list that presents some fantastic expressions of some of the most important varietals and styles in the world. And we’ll be keeping a number of your favorite items from our food menu, including buttermilk fried chicken, papas bravas, and of course our zeppole. But we’ll also be expanding our food offering including a great selection of new sandwiches, sliders, tartines, frittatas, and entrees.

Check out our new website and updated menus, and hope to see you at Theory soon... cheers!