Before a host greets you at the New York City outpost of The Capital Grille off Wall Street, columns of walnut-colored wood lockers with crosshatched metal doors set the scene. Nameplates listing individuals and companies label each unit. Inside the lockers are shadowy bottles of wine. These are stash spots for the steakhouse chain’s most loyal patrons to keep their favorite vintages at the ready.
These caches aren’t exclusive to The Capital Grille location steps from the heart of the U.S. stock market. Wine lockers are common across the country in steakhouses and country clubs for the wealthiest to store their bottles of choice. The spaces are also prime real estate for the well-off to boast their names.
The Capital Grille launched its wine locker membership when it opened its first location in Providence, R.I., in 1991, according to Ron Adelman, vice president of brand operations for the brand. The program is now available at each of the highbrow chain’s 78 locations nationwide. Details of the amenity’s origins are unclear, but other steakhouse chains like Morton’s and country clubs around the nation have offered wine storage programs for years.
To rent a Capital Grille locker, guests can ask a staff member at their regular locations if there is any availability. From there, acquiring one requires an initial purchase of 12 bottles to fill the locker and forking over an annual fee of around $500. (The current price is a $150 hike from the program’s yearly dues in 2016, as reported in the The Boston Globe.) In most cases, hopefuls must add their names to a waitlist before snagging a locker, Adelman says. The program is wildly popular, and most of The Capital Grille’s lockers around the nation are already leased out.
Beyond the physical cubbyhole, the initial case purchase and annual fees also offer those who can afford it one-on-one consultations with wine directors who can help source bottles outside of The Capital Grille’s cellar, access rare wines and cult-favorite vintages, priority reservations, and invitations to exclusive events. But ease and enjoyment more than these perks are the main reasons why regulars rent out a cubbyhole, Adelman says.
“Many guests like having their personal collection ready when dining or hosting special occasions,” he explains. “This creates a smooth and elevated experience.”
According to The Capital Grille team, the wine locker membership is geared toward wine lovers who want to reserve preferred varieties, vintages, and limited releases for their own enjoyment. What the membership doesn’t offer, however, is wine storage in the most optimal environment: Most restaurant lockers are not temperature-controlled, meaning the wines don’t rest at the industry-standard preferred temperature of 55 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
The lockers at Capital Grille’s Wall Street location don a hodgepodge of names ranging from insurance top dogs to law firms. The metal cages covering the lockers mostly obscure the bottles behind them, but peering in reveals stashed expressions from producers like Caymus and Ridge Monte Bello. Yes, the lockers are a status symbol and the wines in them are those popular among bankers and other business execs, but they’re quality bottles nonetheless. All style, some substance.
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