Cork & Vines

What Cork & Vines does

Cork & Vines Fund I, LP is a Delaware limited partnership hospitality investment fund structured to raise capital exclusively from accredited investors and deploy it into Cedar & Sage, a scalable premium wine bar concept. The fund builds on 30+ years of operating history from The Winery Restaurant Group, founded in 2007 in Tustin, California, with subsequent locations in Newport Beach (2014) and Palo Alto (2025). The fund targets a $20M capitalization with a $250,000 minimum investment, a 2% management fee, and 20%/40% carried interest, structured as an evergreen vehicle with 5-year redemption options. Cork & Vines has raised $15M+ in 11 months, including a $3.5M institutional commitment from Beneficient (NASDAQ: BENF), and is currently oversubscribed against its $20M cap.

The fund serves two distinct customer segments: accredited investors seeking institutional-grade exposure to premium hospitality as an alternative asset class, and affluent dining consumers served by Cedar & Sage locations. Go-to-market is exclusively direct-to-LP, using investor relations outreach, downloadable investor decks, scheduled calls, and LinkedIn presence, with a 40% meeting-to-commitment conversion rate. The fund has assembled institutional back-office infrastructure including NAV Fund Administration (fund admin), Moss Adams and Bentson Vuona & Westersten (audit), and Kroeshe Shindler (legal counsel). The operational team is led by JC Clow (Founding Partner, 30+ years), William Lewis (Managing Partner, Level II Sommelier), and Chef Yvon Goetz (Executive Chef, Michelin-trained, AAA Five-Diamond).

The core business model combines two revenue streams: management fees and carried interest from the fund structure, and operating income from Cedar & Sage locations projected at $3-4M annual revenue per site, with a target of $30M+ portfolio revenue by Year 5 across 8 new locations in the Southwest United States. The underlying $9B U.S. wine bar market is growing at 5% annually, driven by premiumization trends. The Winery Restaurant Group has won seven "Restaurant of the Year" awards and has demonstrated operational resilience through both the 2008 recession and COVID-19, providing the track record that underpins the fund's institutional credibility. There is no proprietary technology layer; the investment thesis is fundamentally a human-capital and brand-equity play in premium hospitality.

Name

Cork & Vines

Legal name

Cork & Vines Fund I, LP

Website

https://corknvines.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cork & Vines Fund I, LP is a Delaware limited partnership hospitality investment fund that raises capital from accredited investors to scale Cedar & Sage, a premium wine bar concept, across the Southwest United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Newport Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Operating Income from Cedar & Sage Locations: Each Cedar & Sage location generates steady operating income from elevated dining and lounge experiences. Each location is projected to generate $3-4M in annual revenue. The fund anticipates reaching $30M annual portfolio revenue by Year 5.
2. Long-term Portfolio Appreciation: Long-term appreciation as the Cedar & Sage portfolio expands across prime markets. Returns structured with 20%+ target IRR and 5% preferred return for investors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cork & Vines Fund I, LP is a $20 million hospitality investment fund that offers accredited investors exclusive access to the Cedar & Sage premium wine bar portfolio. The fund deploys capital into new Cedar & Sage locations, targeting 8 sites across the Southwest within five years, while charging a 2% management fee and pursuing 20%+ target IRR with a 5% preferred return. Operating execution is delivered by The Winery Restaurant Group's team, which runs the Tustin, Newport Beach, and Palo Alto dining venues.

Product overview

Cork & Vines Fund I, LP is a hospitality investment fund that offers accredited investors exclusive access to a $20 million fund targeting 20%+ IRR with 5% preferred return. The fund is structured to scale Cedar & Sage, a premium wine bar concept, from its flagship at Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto into multiple high-value markets nationwide. The portfolio strategy is anchored by The Winery Restaurant Group's proven operational model with 30+ years of hospitality expertise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cedar & Sage: A premium wine bar concept designed for systematic expansion across prime markets. Features culinary excellence, curated wine experiences, and sophisticated lounge atmosphere. The flagship location is at Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto.

Products and services

• Cork & Vines Fund I, LP A $20 million Delaware limited partnership investment fund offered exclusively to accredited investors with a $250,000 minimum. Targets 20%+ IRR with a 5% preferred return, charges a 2% management fee, and applies 20%/40% carried interest tiers. Capital is deployed into Cedar & Sage wine bar locations across the Southwest United States.
• Cedar & Sage

Quantifiable outcome

• 20%+ target IRR with 5% preferred return
• +4 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Brentwood Associates: Middle-market PE firm with a track record in restaurant and consumer brands. Comparable as a PE sponsor targeting scalable restaurant concepts with proven operators.
• Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants: Premium wine-centric restaurant concept combining dining, wine club, and retail. Closest operating comparable to Cedar & Sage given similar wine-culture-led premium positioning and multi-unit footprint.
• Roark Capital Group: PE firm specializing in restaurant and franchise investments (Inspire Brands, Subway, Buffalo Wild Wings). Most directly comparable PE vehicle deploying capital into scalable hospitality concepts for institutional returns.
• Sun Capital Partners: PE firm with a substantial restaurant portfolio (Boston Market, Friendly's, Captain D's). Comparable as a private equity sponsor backing multi-unit restaurant operators with operational improvement theses.
• TriArtisan Capital Advisors: PE advisory firm that has executed notable restaurant transactions (TGI Fridays, Hardee's). Comparable as a PE intermediary focused on hospitality and restaurant deal flow.

Broad incumbents

• Bloomin' Brands: Public restaurant holding company (Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's, Bonefish Grill). Comparable as a multi-concept casual dining operator with portfolio expansion strategy.
• Darden Restaurants: Large public multi-brand restaurant operator (Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Capital Grille). Comparable as a scaled casual/premium dining platform but at materially greater scale and public-market scope.
• Dine Brands Global: Public restaurant franchisor (Applebee's, IHOP, Fuzzy's Taco Shop). Comparable as a multi-brand dining operator pursuing unit growth and franchising economics in the casual dining category.

Emerging players

• CAZ Investments: Alternative investment platform offering accredited investors access to private market deals including hospitality. Comparable as an alternative-investment GP focused on real-asset and operating-business offerings for HNW investors.

Others

• Yieldstreet: Alternative investment marketplace offering fractional access to private deals. Comparable as a distribution/structuring platform enabling accredited investors to access hospitality and other private equity-style offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Cork-Vines-61575534403719
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cork-vines
• Instagraminstagram.com/corknvines
• Xx.com/Cork_and_Vines

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cork & Vines