the cost of excellence

An interesting aspect of their business methods is Rob’s approach to food cost. Because Corks is not the primary source of Rob’s income, he can run the restaurant more liberally. Instead of working intently to scrounge every penny, they can focus on providing quality food and elevated service. “If my food cost runs 50-60%, then so be it,” Rob says. “People got an amazing meal, they’re talking about us and they love us to death.”

“We have the largest wine selection in Georgia and we offer the largest, by the glass, wine selection in the country,” Rob says proudly. They boast 250 different wines available by the glass on any given day. The variety of options includes products of local wineries, as well as imported wines from across the globe.

Within their first year of operation, Corks expanded to include a full dinner menu. Their ingredients are locally sourced, deliciously flavored and hand-picked with love. “Everything I source, I source locally for that week,” Rob explains. “We’ll go Friday and hand pick all the vegetables for the week and I’ll touch every one of them to make sure we’re getting a good quality product.”

With no freezer on sight, customers are guaranteed to receive the freshest product possible. In addition, Rob arranges for the seafood to be flown in from the coast the day he adds it to the menu. He mentions that Corks is the only restaurant in town with an in-house pastry chef. Every dessert is hand-crafted on site and served fresh. They are also the only restaurant that carries prime beef within 100 miles. To keep it even more interesting, Rob says, “We change our menu every week. I don’t know what I’m doing for the weekend until I know what I can get my hands on to know it’s going to be the best product.” atmosphere of elegance for their customers.

In addition to their deliciously fresh food, their dedication to quality service is second to none. “We’ve got about 12 people that we keep on staff,” he says.

Employees undergo extensive training that fully equips them to provide the best experience possible for each guest. The moment you walk through the door, a member of the team will greet you with a welcoming smile and the utmost attentiveness. Once seated, they will ask if you are new to the establishment and then provide you with valuable information about the evening’s menu and the origin of the ingredients.

Employees undergo extensive training that fully equips them to provide the best experience possible for each guest. The moment you walk through the door, a member of the team will greet you with a welcoming smile and the utmost attentiveness. Once seated, they will ask if you are new to the establishment and then provide you with valuable information about the evening’s menu and the origin of the ingredients.

“We bring live music in every Friday and

Within their first year of operation, Corks expanded to include a full dinner menu. Their ingredients are locally sourced, deliciously flavored and hand-picked with love.

“Everything I source, I source locally for that week,” Rob explains. “We’ll go Friday and hand pick all the vegetables for the week and I’ll touch every one of them to make sure we’re getting a good quality product.”

Saturday and then again when we do our Sunday brunch,” Rob says. Customers enjoy the ambience this live music creates for their special outing.

An interesting aspect of their business methods is Rob’s approach to food cost. Because Corks is not the primary source of Rob’s income, he can run the restaurant more liberally. Instead of working intently to scrounge every penny, they can focus on providing quality food and elevated service. “If my food cost runs 50-60%, then so be it,” Rob says. “People got an amazing meal, they’re talking about us and they love us to death.”

With hearts of service, Rob and Melissa are committed to using their business to support their local community. “Every year, we cook turkeys for people who can’t have a holiday,” Rob says. From cancer patients to single parents, they bless others with a warm, home-cooked meal. In 2021, they gave away 130 turkeys at Thanksgiving and 100 Boston butts at Christmas. “We’ve been very blessed and as much as we can give back, we do.”

Corks has received incredible recognition for nearly every possible aspect of the restaurant you can think of. From best steak to best place to take out-of-town guests, they surpass competitors by a landslide. “We won The Best of the Best for Southwest Georgia for Albany Heralds Readers’ Choice Awards,” Rob says proudly. They won a total of 25 categories, an outstanding achievement for any restaurant.

But for Rob and Melissa, providing a consistently incredible dining experience for the members and visitors of their community is reward enough. “That’s the best feeling in the world, to be able to walk out of the kitchen after creating the dish for the weekend and going out there and just look around.” When he is not in the kitchen preparing a dish, Rob is visiting with his guests, introducing himself and seeing what else he can do to make their evening even better.

Rob shares his dreams for Corks and the excitement of what is up ahead. “We’re hoping to move to a bigger location soon – the sky’s the limit.” He wants customers to know how genuinely happy he is to offer the community this incredible dining experience. “It’s not done by a corporate company. It’s done by a guy who just got done working a 10hour day somewhere else who came to his business to make sure your experience is amazing.” And he would not have it any other way.  ALM