A popular wine bar here in Kendal is celebrating after winning a coveted Travellers’ Choice Certificate of Excellence.
19 The Wine Bar at Lowther Street is delighted to receive the award, which honours establishments based on reviews and opinions collected from travellers and diners around the world on Tripadvisor over a 12-month period.
Travellers’ Choice recognises businesses that consistently earn great reviews and demonstrate a commitment to hospitality excellence. Award-winners are among the top ten per cent of listings on Tripadvisor.
“We are very proud to win the Certificate of Excellence,” said managing director Tina Dulson, who owns 19 The Wine Bar with her husband Colin.
“It came out of the blue – we did not need to apply for it. It is nice because it reflects what our customers have said about us.
“As a team we have supported each other throughout the tough times of Covid so this feels like a recognition of all the hard work we have put in.”
Tina and Colin took over the venue, formerly Burgundy’s, in 2018 and spent four months on a comprehensive refurbishment project.
19 The Wine Bar, housed in a grade 2 listed building, sells a wide range of wine, all bottled at source, as well as beers and cocktails. “We also do a mini gin tray, which comes with four gins, mixers, an ice bucket, glassware and a guide for customers about the gins they are drinking,” said Tina.
The wine bar, which also serves food, has 13 staff and includes a roof top terrace. It has an online shop selling wines, beers and cocktails.
Tina said she believed they had won the Travellers’ Choice Certificate of Excellence because of all the hard work which had been done to develop the culture of the business. “We are trying to create the atmosphere you saw on the television show Cheers. We want 19 The Wine Bar to be a place which is part of the community and where everybody knows your name.
“We make sure people feel comfortable, welcome and we provide consistently great service.”
She added: “Culture is about everything we say and do. It’s about how the place looks, how we care for it and how we talk to customers and to each other.
“I use skills from my other business Berrison Ltd, a leadership development company, to provide training for staff and one-to-one support and I work really hard to create a high-functioning team, whose members are supportive of each other. If your team is happy and motivated your customers will notice that.”
Tina is a director of Kendal BID, Kendal Futures and South Lakes Business Against Crime Partnership. “I am very passionate about Kendal,” she said. “We have lived here for 25 years and we love that it is a living town, not just a tourist town.
“We are keen to support and collaborate to improve business and businesses in Kendal and to see the town flourish.”