December of 2025 will be the last of my time at The Vintage Whiskey and Cigar Bar and corresponding ventures.

For the last five years, I have poured my heart and soul into hospitality concepts in the Charlotte area under the umbrella of Menagerie Hospitality, as well as GW Hospitality once Dan retired. From Figo36 Modern Italian to The Wine Loft, The Vintage Whiskey and Cigar Bar to Elsewhere Cocktail Bar, creating memorable experiences for guests (and enjoyable workplaces for staff) has been an overwhelming highlight to my professional career.

When this all started, Chelsea and I were newly married in the midst of a pandemic simply trying to navigate the chaos of life around us. Dan and Sean took a chance in late Fall 2020 on a guy with a bit of a chip on his shoulder, and the rest is history. I cannot say enough about past and present staff, vendors, and guests of each establishment – whether those businesses are still in operation today or not, the memories created on each shift will be looked back on fondly for years to come.

The creativity poured into live music sets, menu creations, humidor presentations, brand assets, and so much more… serves as a reminder that when hospitality teams are set up for success, the opportunities are near limitless. At the core of it all, my goal has been to create a haven for industry folk who want to reinvent themselves, reminding them of the reasons why they are so passionate about this line of work. With that theme in mind, the end result also allowed us to start and support our little family that God has blessed us with – there are hardly any roles in hospitality groups that would have that same ability without sacrificing much more in the work/life balance. We have seen employees recover from tough financial situations to end up starting their own businesses, overcome trauma from past work experiences to thriving inside of a supportive structure (and get recognized regionally / nationally for it), heck we’ve even seen a bunch of folks fall in love thanks to our efforts.

Nevertheless, everyone reaches that moment where tougher decisions have to be made. When a precious child asks why I can’t tuck her in bed that night and have to say our prayers over FaceTime instead, it pulls my heartstrings in every possible direction. When life’s curveballs continue to force changes in plans to catch up with dear friends who help keep each other grounded (or even plan the occasional date night), it starts begging the question of whether the time has come to make an adjustment to better my own situation… even if it may mean stepping away from a group that I truly consider my second family, a concept that is my home away from home.

I am grateful that I have found an opportunity to continue developing several of these relationships in a different capacity, which I will share more about later. For now, I simply want to express the gratitude in my heart: to Dan and anyone who has put in time on our teams, to Sean and anyone who has contributed their artistic talents in our spaces, to every single person who saw value in becoming an annual member and frequenting our concepts, to every single vendor who helped bring our ideas to life through their portfolios and contributing visions. I hope each of us will help The Vintage and similar small businesses continue to grow in our own unique ways, and look forward to having some time to catch up with you all outside of the workplace soon.

I hope you all know how hard of a decision this is, that it is one being made in hopes of bettering my family / friendships / faith and so much more while continuing to play some part (though in admission, a much smaller one) in helping these places become the best at what they do. We have accomplished so much together as a community that formed at a moment in time when one was desperately needed, and I will cherish that aspect for the rest of my days. This is simply a change so that I can cherish the timing of seeing these little ones reach new milestones, to take my bride out on the town once more, to throw one back with some friends – which are all overdue.

Until we cut, light, and connect again…

– Ben