Roger, Mr. Solow,
Can you speak more on the 'loading up of social members (fallacy)' in hopes of raising revenue? My club is unique in that it actually does turn a profit on F & B. We have a casual restaurant that has your basic sandwich/app menu, and a food bar (downstairs as you are coming off the course). It is open for lunch/dinner 7 days per week. We have a small bar upstairs that is open w-sunday, limited hours that serves a very limited menu. And believe it or not, we also have a 'formal' dining area that has over the last few years, relaxed its dress code. It is open 6 days per week, only dinner and special events, and serves a more 'upscale' menu. We DO have a lot of social members that are limited (I believe) to 4 rounds per year. The key to these areas is they are refreshed every 4-5 years...literally. All of the restaurants look as good as any fast casual/fine dining in town, and people use them. I think our food is above average, but not amazing.
On a separate note, my wife and I got a rare night out last night (we have three kids). After calling 4-5 restaurants that were fine dining/farm to table types, we settled on one where we knew for certain the meal would be exceptional...and it was. My only complaint was how loud it was, but my club couldn't have matched the quality of our meal. I said to my wife, 'its sad that 40 years ago, without question we would have made it (the club) our first choice' but today, the only reason I would go for a nice meal is for the quiet (all of these new restaurants seem to love stained concrete floors/no sound absorbers). I am in the minority of our club both in age (41) and preference for food quality. From the surveys I have read, I think the price point per item is more important than the quality of the food...but if I am going to spend $26 for a selection anyway, I would just as well spend $32 and it be amazing. For that reason, I generally eat my hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, brunch and a few club sandwiches a month over using what I am perfectly willing to spend money on, but is hardly ever in my top 15 places to eat. Obviously the majority rules. And I understand...having a restaurant where only 600 people can dine is crazy in a town of 150,000 +. I guess I'm wondering how other clubs think about the F and B? I know it is a neccessary evil for the most part when you consider the 30 other restaurants most members pass on the way to the club, but some are breaking even and in rare cases making money. The f and b is medium on my list of importance, but for the sake of the topic, I am curious how/what other clubs are doing?