| I eat food. I drink beverages. | | | | Is there a specific manner to present menus, |
| Therefore, I am qualified to oversee a Food and | | | | serve, food, cocktails, and wine? Are members |
| Beverage operation. | | | | called by name? Are specific steps of service in |
| In assessing the operations of many clubs/resorts | | | | place? |
| each month, I find that one of the most poorly | | | | Does the service staff know the composition of |
| operated, inconsistent areas of club/resort | | | | every item, sauce, and portion size from the |
| operations is Food and Beverage. Especially in | | | | menu? Is training provided at least monthly? Is |
| member owned environments, which are often | | | | your staff selling suggestively? |
| overseen by a club board, people seem to think | | | | The Technical Aspects |
| that because they dine out, they somehow have | | | | How often do you take a physical inventory? Is |
| some level of expertise that allows them to | | | | there "independence" in the inventory process to |
| make business decisions about this important | | | | ensure that the counts are accurate? Is inventory |
| aspect of the club. The reality is that this is one | | | | pricing adjusted regularly to reflect the most |
| of the most complex departments in a club to | | | | recent cost the club is paying for all inventoried |
| manage, control, and produce a consistent | | | | items or is the cost the club paid last year still |
| experience. | | | | being used to determine inventory value? |
| Let's ask a few questions! | | | | Do you follow this mantra when receiving and |
| Is your Food and Beverage experience | | | | inventorying products? |
| appropriate for what your members/guests want | | | | If you buy it by the pound, weigh it. If you buy it |
| to have in your club/resort? Are you priced | | | | by the piece, count it. If you buy it by ounce or |
| properly, too high, or too low? How do you | | | | length, measure it? Under no circumstances, |
| know? Are you tracking cover counts by day? | | | | accept it blindly. |
| By shift? By hour? | | | | I am amazed at how often deliveries are |
| Are your food selections stuck in yesteryear, a | | | | accepted and signed for without even physically |
| nice balance of old favorites and new selections, | | | | being in the same room as the products that |
| or edgy? Is your menu designed for function or | | | | were delivered let alone checking the packing slip |
| fashion? Do you change your menu quarterly, or | | | | or invoice against the goods received. Delivery |
| at least semi-annually to keep it fresh? Or is it | | | | people become savvy very quickly to those who |
| changed every year or two and become a club | | | | hold them accountable and those who don't. A |
| dinosaur? What are your product specifications | | | | few pounds of missing steak here or a few |
| and portion sizes? Is every item on your menu | | | | bottles of missing liquor there costs a lot of |
| costed? What is your goal for a la carte food | | | | money over an extended period of time. |
| cost? Do you know the contribution margin on | | | | How much unusable food is stashed away in the |
| every item on your menu? | | | | freezer, often a chef's best friend, and continues |
| What about your special events. Are they really | | | | to be counted every month during inventory yet |
| special? Do they create a buzz in the Club? Are | | | | is essentially worth little or nothing? |
| they eagerly anticipated or the same thing that | | | | What does the organizational structure look like in |
| was done the last 10 years with nothing more | | | | your club's F&B operation? How are your |
| than the year changed in the newsletter and | | | | supervisors compensated? Are they incented to |
| promotional piece touting the event? Is your staff | | | | produce a specific financial result, train the staff, |
| challenged every quarter to try new events? | | | | and maintain standards? Or are they paid simply |
| New price points? | | | | for showing up? |
| Got Value? | | | | How is your service staff paid? By hourly wage? |
| What about value added programming? It's | | | | Tip pool? Some combination of both? Does your |
| happening every day in the hospitality industry. | | | | pay structure promote tenure or turnover? What |
| Chili's, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, Flemings, Cody's | | | | about overtime? Are you paying overtime? |
| Roadhouse, McDonalds, Quiznos, Subway, and | | | | Legally? |
| many other national franchises are actively | | | | In addition to costing every item on every menu, |
| programming to keep people coming in. Any | | | | have you done the same for liquor, beer, and |
| wonder the success rate of franchises is over | | | | wine? Do you have specified pour sizes? Are they |
| 90% while the success rate of individually owned | | | | being adhered to? Do you have pourers which |
| restaurants is about 10%? | | | | allow only for the pour size for which you are |
| What are you doing in your club to create a | | | | charging? How much of your club's resort's cash is |
| "WOW" for your members/guests in your Food | | | | tied up in wine inventory? Have you established |
| and Beverage offerings? Are you standing pat on | | | | par stocks? |
| your $32 filet and $28 sea bass wondering why | | | | Do you have a Food and Beverage minimum? |
| you are doing so few covers? Or, are you trying | | | | Does it make sense for your club? Do you have |
| new concepts that may provide "meal | | | | a minimum monthly service charge? Should you? |
| replacement" dining instead of only "special | | | | Do you provide an employee meal? How is it |
| occasion" dining? | | | | accounted for? Is it accounted for at all? Do you |
| Something as simple as Happy Hour can generate | | | | allow employees to remove food/beverage from |
| additional usage. Comfort food such as meatloaf, | | | | the club? (A bad idea!). Do you allow your |
| chicken pot pie, lasagna, or similar for" at $8 or $9 | | | | employees to consume alcoholic beverages at the |
| during the week are popular. Taco bars, pasta | | | | end of a shift? (An even worse idea!!). |
| bars, burger night, half price on bottles of house | | | | Private Events |
| wine, Fresh Fish Fridays or a Friday Fish Fry, a | | | | What about your Private Events? Is your catering |
| Chef's selection at a special price on slower | | | | menu priced right? What does priced right mean? |
| evenings, sushi nights, appetizers at a special price, | | | | Have you assessed the competitive environment? |
| entertainment, and many other concepts and | | | | What are you doing to bring weddings and |
| events drive usage, provide incremental revenue, | | | | meetings to the club/resort? Are you covering |
| and keep the staff working. Are you | | | | the costs of setting up and breaking down every |
| experimenting with new events in your club | | | | room based on the differing needs of each |
| resort? Give it a try. You'll be surprised at the | | | | event? |
| buzz it creates. | | | | Do your private event policies make sense? |
| The Experience | | | | When is the "guarantee' due? When is payment in |
| How is your dining room presented? With white | | | | full required? Do you require a signed contract? |
| tablecloths? No tablecloths? Placemats? Are you | | | | Do you even have a contract that you require be |
| charging appropriately for the experience you are | | | | signed? |
| providing? | | | | A Solution |
| How are your buffets presented? Elegantly with | | | | Lots of questions! Get a management company |
| skirting, floral displays, and shiny silver chafing | | | | that will work collaboratively with you to answer |
| dishes? Or rudimentary with little or no frills? Does | | | | all of these and any others and create a |
| it make sense? | | | | customized food and beverage experience that |
| Do you have standards of operation to ensure | | | | reflects your unique situation and provides what |
| the food and beverage experience for your | | | | your members/guests want and are willing to pay |
| members/guests? Is every staff member | | | | for. |
| wearing a clean and pressed designated uniform? | | | | |