by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
“In some ways, the last three years seems like a long time, but in other ways it doesn’t,” said Twisted Martini co-owner and Venture Quest management partner Victor Jones about the upscale bar and restaurant at the Landing’s recent anniversary.
Since then a second Twisted Martini location has opened in Ponte Vedra and is celebrating its first anniversary this week. Timing grand openings was part of the plan for all three of Venture Quest’s properties, the two Twisted Martinis and Mavericks Rock N’ Honky Tonk in the former Club Paris location at the Landing.
“We opened the original Twisted Martini at the Landing the week before Super Bowl. The Ponte Vedra location opened the week of The Players Championship last year and we opened Mavericks last fall just in time for Florida-Georgia weekend. We always launch just before a big event,” said Jones.
Jacksonville didn’t have anything like the Twisted Martini three years ago when the club opened. Jones and his partners brought the South Beach vibe to north Florida then kicked off an aggressive promotional campaign that led to the venture’s success as much as the concept.
Marketing Director Steve Anderson hit the streets of Downtown with a pocket full of “free drink” cards and walked into virtually every door to introduce the new club.
“We distributed more than 3,000 of the cards during our first year in operation and every one of them was worth it,” said Anderson. “We did the same thing when we opened in Ponte Vedra. Nothing is more effective than face-to-face marketing. I went to every business in the area and also made sure the concierges at every hotel knew we were in Ponte Vedra. We also joined civic organizations and got involved with the local charities.”
In addition to blanketing the market with the news there’s a new club open, Anderson said another of the keys to success has been tailoring the experience offered at each club to a specific demographic group.
“We customize the drink specials and even the music we play at each club to a target audience,” he said. “It takes a lot of creativity and planning to keep the kind of guests we want in our clubs happy and to keep them coming back. We schedule dozens of special promotions each month and we’re always open to trying new things.
“For instance, all three clubs are usually closed on Monday, but since Cinco de Mayo fell on that day this year, we decided to open the doors and have a party. It’s great when one concept can work for all three clubs and we have to take advantage of opportunities like that.”
Jones believes the idea that inspires a club has to be sound in order for the business to survive and prosper.
“The key is developing concepts that have a wide appeal and offering the market something it doesn’t yet have,” said Jones. “Twisted Martini worked because everything about it is the highest quality available from serving only premium spirits to the people we have working here.
“When the opportunity came up to get the Club Paris space, we felt Jacksonville was ready for an upscale country bar. We’ve gotten nothing but great feedback about Mavericks, especially from the country music acts who have played there. Those performers get to play all over the country and they’re telling us we have one of the best clubs in the country. We like hearing things like that and it’s creating a tremendous buzz.”
After going from an idea and a dream to three nightclubs in three years, what’s next for Venture Quest Management?
Possibly more Twisted Martinis, possibly a totally new concept that hasn’t even been developed yet, said Jones. Anderson thinks international expansion could be part of the plan.
“I’ve been to Istanbul, Turkey more than once. Every time I go there, it occurs to me it’s the same as Downtown Jacksonville. It could really use a place where an older, affluent crowd would like to go,” he said.