General Manager’s Corner
ALOHA OCC ‘OHANA, It’s hard to believe that summer has come and gone! But after looking at the member counts in Food and Beverage (F & B) and the Logo Shop over the last few months, it looks like most of you had a chance to spend time around the Club— thank you!
Since then, the Club has worked hard to make sure that F&B is a true amenity for members to enjoy. When the annual budget is approved by the Budget Committee, the Finance Committee and the Board of Directors, it assumes a loss in F&B, or at best, a break-even budget. This allows the F&B team to add value through pricing, menu engineering and oer- ings. The goal is to oer premium items at prices that can’t be found at other restaurants. That value paired with service you would expect from a world- class private club is our recipe for success! In addition to day-to-day dining operations, the Club hosts a variety of events. From the Club Lū‘au to the 4th of July BBQ, from wine dinners with some of the best wineries in the country to Stew and Rice Events brought to you by the Historical Committee, the F&B team looks to create an exceptional experience at a price that’s accessible to our membership. In addition, each month the Club hosts an average of 80 private events ranging from a quick dinner with friends in a private room to a 200-person wedding— each with a unique menu just for that occasion. No matter how big or small, we always want members to feel like the value and experience of hosting (and attending) a private event at the Outrigger Canoe Club exceeded their expectations. Whether its dining on the Hau Terrace or Koa Lanai, the convenience of grab-and-go options from the Snack Shop or hosting a special event, our goal is to provide you with excellent hospitality at your home away from home. I look forward to seeing you around the Club.
The Board of Directors con- tinues to host the “Drinks with Directors” series each month. During these casual open forums, members are encouraged to share concerns and ask questions of the Board Members and Man- agement in attendance. We’ve seen 10-15 members each month and hope to see more of you as time goes on. All members are encouraged to sign up and attend (insider tip: pupu and drinks are
provided). A couple of topics that have been raised in past sessions include the Elks Lease, parking and how the Club views Food and Beverage operations. The productive in-person conversations were fol- lowed up with member communications about the Elks Lease in July, and ramped up parking enforce- ment has helped improve the parking situation espe- cially as compliance continues to improve. With regards to the questions around F&B, I would like to share the following: In 2018, in one of my first Board Meetings, the Board invited Ray Cronin, the CEO of Club Benchmarking, to give a presen- tation. Club Benchmarking is an industry leader in providing analytics and key performance indicators (KPI’s) comparing similar clubs to one another. One of the key takeaways for the Board and I was under- standing that the Food and Beverage operations at a private club should be treated as an amenity. Mr. Cronin shared that clubs that use F&B as a revenue source are not adding value to the members’ experi- ence. Private clubs that focus on adding value to the membership through the F&B operations tend to have higher member satisfaction compared to other clubs.
Tyler Roukema, General Manager
6 AMA | SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2022
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