LOCAL BUSINESSES
San Marcos’ wine bar celebrates ten years
For ten years, Patio Dolcetto has been a community staple, offering quality wine, craft beer and cocktails without the hefty price tag.
Brittani Foret, general manager, said the business had its annual anniversary celebration on Oct. 4 — but with the greater extravagance that such a large milestone de- serves. The soiree had a band and a complimentary champagne toast. Patio Dolcetto also hit record sales that night by “a lot.”
Photos courtesy of Catalina Dumesnil, Carolina Garza, Corbin Hazel, Jason Lovejoy and Amanda Gutierrez
“It was really, really, really cool to see the community come out, [including] old regulars; people drove in that don’t live here anymore. The family, the Arredondos, that actually grew up in this house before it was bought commercially, came in with the grandkids and the great grandkids,” Foret said. “They celebrate their birthdays here and their holidays because that’s where they would spend them when they were growing up — grandma’s house.”
Patio Dolcetto is a locally run wine bar started by two Texas State University alumni — Jean Paul and Ryan — who were looking to provide a mature, relaxed space for anyone and everyone. And Foret joined the team six years ago with full reigns to take what she calls her “passion project” to the next level. She managed Kerby Lane Cafe in Austin for 12 years before joining the Dolcetto team.
“Here, I have more creative freedom. I run the food program as well, so I can change the menu, how and whatever I want within reason. So it’s been super cool with lots of trial and error. The best part about having these college students that come in — whether they’re going to school for graphic design or business or anything — I can utilize them, and they can utilize me. I’ll allow them to use … [their work here] as a paid internship.”
And Foret is open to suggestions as many of the special event nights or menu items have been sparked by community feedback.
“It truly is a collective and Patio Dolcetto would not be what it is without every person that stepped foot in the store,” she said.
Foret believes that Patio Dolcetto has thrived in a college town because it provides high quality wine at an affordable price for the working class.
“I try my hardest to bargain and haggle with my distributors for close out wines and things that would normally be a certain price point that are discounted because they want to move them, and then I can rotate those in and just constantly keep the menu fresh,” Foret said. “I remember the first month I worked here, when I closed people out, I just thought I was not ringing things in because the bills were so low. And I was like, ‘Oh no, these prices are just killer.’” Patio Dolcetto is now a part of the South Square Collective, which involves several businesses and serves as a way of “highlighting those more mature establishments that aren’t downtown.” The collective is mutually beneficial as the businesses can cross promote each other for special events as a way to show off San Marcos’ “hidden gems.”
“We just all share the love with each other and try to push people into our businesses,” Foret said.
Above the tasty and affordable wine collection, Patio Dolcetto also has plenty of special events for the community to enjoy. There is a local makers market that will be held leading up to the holidays every Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. There is often live music on the weekends. There have been singles “mingle” nights, and Foret is planning to add a ladies night. Dolcetto has hosted Sip and Paint nights in which local artists sold their work and did live paintings on site. They also do Trivia every Thursday night and Bingo on most Tuesdays.
Photo courtesy of Carolina Garza
