I eat food. I drink beverages.
Therefore, I am qualified to oversee a Food and Beverage operation.
In assessing the operations of many clubs/resorts each month, I find that one of the most poorly operated, inconsistent areas of club/resort operations is Food and Beverage. Especially in member owned environments, which are often overseen by a club board, people seem to think that because they dine out, they somehow have some level of expertise that allows them to make business decisions about this important aspect of the club. The reality is that this is one of the most complex departments in a club to manage, control, and produce a consistent experience.
Let's ask a few questions!
Is your Food and Beverage experience appropriate for what your members/guests want to have in your club/resort? Are you priced properly, too high, or too low? How do you know? Are you tracking cover counts by day? By shift? By hour?
Are your food selections stuck in yesteryear, a nice balance of old favorites and new selections, or edgy? Is your menu designed for function or fashion? Do you change your menu quarterly, or at least semi-annually to keep it fresh? Or is it changed every year or two and become a club dinosaur? What are your product specifications and portion sizes? Is every item on your menu costed? What is your goal for a la carte food cost? Do you know the contribution margin on every item on your menu?
What about your special events. Are they really special? Do they create a buzz in the Club? Are they eagerly anticipated or the same thing that was done the last 10 years with nothing more than the year changed in the newsletter and promotional piece touting the event? Is your staff challenged every quarter to try new events? New price points?
Got Value?
What about value added programming? It's happening every day in the hospitality industry. Chili's, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, Flemings, Cody's Roadhouse, McDonalds, Quiznos, Subway, and many other national franchises are actively programming to keep people coming in. Any wonder the success rate of franchises is over 90% while the success rate of individually owned restaurants is about 10%?
What are you doing in your club to create a "WOW" for your members/guests in your Food and Beverage offerings? Are you standing pat on your $32 filet and $28 sea bass wondering why you are doing so few covers? Or, are you trying new concepts that may provide "meal replacement" dining instead of only "special occasion" dining?
Something as simple as Happy Hour can generate additional usage. Comfort food such as meatloaf, chicken pot pie, lasagna, or similar for" at $8 or $9 during the week are popular. Taco bars, pasta bars, burger night, half price on bottles of house wine, Fresh Fish Fridays or a Friday Fish Fry, a Chef's selection at a special price on slower evenings, sushi nights, appetizers at a special price, entertainment, and many other concepts and events drive usage, provide incremental revenue, and keep the staff working. Are you experimenting with new events in your club/resort? Give it a try. You'll be surprised at the buzz it creates.
The Experience
How is your dining room presented? With white tablecloths? No tablecloths? Placemats? Are you charging appropriately for the experience you are providing?
How are your buffets presented? Elegantly with skirting, floral displays, and shiny silver chafing dishes? Or rudimentary with little or no frills? Does it make sense?
Do you have standards of operation to ensure the food and beverage experience for your members/guests? Is every staff member wearing a clean and pressed designated uniform? Is there a specific manner to present menus, serve, food, cocktails, and wine? Are members called by name? Are specific steps of service in place?
Does the service staff know the composition of every item, sauce, and portion size from the menu? Is training provided at least monthly? Is your staff selling suggestively?
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