Rhodora Wine Bar

From the team behind the sustainable Brooklyn concepts Rucola, June and Purslane, Rhodora Wine Bar strives to be the first zero waste wine bar of its kind in the country. Sustainability and respect for humans and the environment are the core tenants of the program and guide both the food and beverage choices, as well as the operations of the restaurant as a whole. The Oberon Group has a long-standing commitment to sustainability and combating climate change. With the opening of Rhodora, owner Henry Rich and deputy director Halley Chambers have built a program that will send absolutely nothing to landfill. No single-use plastics will be utilized or accepted into the space, and the group will only source and utilize products across its food, beverage, and operations that can be recycled, up cycled, or composted. Decisions around food and beverage are guided by this foundational ethos - a commitment to minimizing waste wherever and however possible. Similarly, decisions around staffing and our business model are guided by sustainability and respect for the people who work in the space. The concept’s menu celebrates natural, low-intervention wine with accompanying conservas, or tinned fish, rounded out by cheese and vegetable offerings to snack on or to enjoy as a full meal. By featuring small-farm, natural winemakers, the Rhodora team partners with wine producers who share a similar respect for the land and environment, working against the often harmful impacts of large-scale wine manufacturing. In addition to the space’s commitment to the environment, Rhodora is reimagining the typical restaurant hierarchy, putting forward a new staffing model where team members are cross-trained to excel at each position in the space. In eliminating the traditional divide between front of house and back of house, Rhodora aims to cultivate a culture of respect and empathy for each position and role. In addition, the staff will receive ten percent of profits on a quarterly basis.