In today’s combination of political correctness and virtue signaling , clubs can easily make policy decisions based on one complaint that do more to appease the complainer than address the real problems. I live in a downtown Chicago condo six months of the year. It’s a big building with a doorman and pretty good security.…
Clubs in a Full-Employment Economy
First, the good news. The booming economy means that the demographic that would join a club will have more disposable income, and membership may actually grow. Every economic indicator says it will. Now, the challenges. First and foremost will be hiring and staffing. With an economy that has more jobs available than people to fill…
You Get What You Pay For
If you are paying a premium for seasonal help above the regional average, you become the place people want to work, as opposed to where people are willing to work. As the club season kicks into full gear, we are going to be faced with something we haven’t faced before: full employment. I cannot walk…
Moving to the Front
Any club can afford cash bonuses and other training incentives that can lead to better service, more professional and motivated staff, and higher-quality food.
My Last Editorial on F&B (Probably)
In the commercial foodservice arena, fear-based decisions rarely result in positive outcomes.
It’s Still a Tax on Mediocre Service
Clubs today recognize that they have to be the dining designation of choice, not a member responsibility or tax.
Gratuity Socialism
An automatic gratuity is nothing other than a forced entitlement that makes sure the revenue is there to support the staff. The true costs are masked and called something else.
A Slow Death
This was a golden opportunity to encourage young golfers and say to the older golfers, “There is a place for your game as you age.” This is the way the world ends Not with a bang but a whimper. — T.S. Eliot, ”The Hollow Men” In the August 2015 issue of C&RB, I shared what…
Hire the Right People and Get Out of the Way
Of course [the Board has] to monitor budgets and approve capital expenditures—but then they should get out of the way and enjoy the club.
Why I Hate Girl Scout Cookies
It is incumbent on boards and management to know what it costs to maintain members’ expectations of quality, and then to have the guts to have dues that are realistic to cover those costs.
No Budget, No Plan
If a club needs new members, it should be approached like any other business marketing plan. Figure out how many new members you want and where they are, and employ strategies to get them.
From Farm to Fork
The Chef to Chef Conference is the ideal venue for your chef to gather a season’s worth of ideas in one place, at one time.
How Clubs Die
In most cases, any reasonable dues increase is affordable by the members…but to the club itself, it is a huge liability if the dues increase doesn’t pass. Over time, it sets the stage for club failure.
Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy Are Wimps (So is Jason Day)
I doubt golf should even be an Olympic sport, but if men’s field hockey can be (courtesy of Pakistan), then I guess golf should be, too.
When a Raise Is Not a Raise
Political pressure will be on how workers get raises, not improvement in job performance. None of this will be good for our business or for the public weal.