Page 34 - GBC ENGLISH spring 2024

This winter is a great time to rethink your F&B strategy. This should include revisiting your mission and vision statements, your core values, and doing a comprehensive SWOT analysis. In this process, you also want to clarify your USP (Unique Selling Propositions) or what sets your F&B services apart from your competitors. Is it a signature dish, your exclusive events, or your exceptional service? Or maybe all three. Maybe it is the fact that you offer ‘Bring Your Own Wine Wednesday’ with a $10 corkage fee. Whatever your USPs are, they need to be part of your compelling story that should resonate with customers on a personal level (which is also part of your ‘Why’).
Speaking of customers, how well do you know who they are and what they want? Identifying your customer base is a strategic endeavour that requires a combination of data-driven analysis and intuitive understanding. There is technology out there to help you achieve this and understanding your customer demographics helps you create better menus and better target your marketing efforts. A simple Survey Monkey QR code on your menus can gather valuable feedback from your guests on their preferences, wishes, kudos and complaints.
Remember to define the customer experience in terms of ambiance as well. This is also in your control and it should be a mindful decision with a clear result. No one wants to watch a pay per view MMA fight while they are having their anniversary dinner. The flavour of your golf club’s F&B facilities, not just the food, significantly influences the overall customer experience. Things such as cleanliness standards, the music you choose, what is on TV, the menu look and feel, what the staff wear, all these factors contribute to defining your F&B brand.
You cannot be everything to everybody and every restaurant caters to a certain clientele. Just be clear about who your clientele is, and what they want, and you will be able to ensure your staff are also clear about what type of experience they are expected to deliver.
PEOPLE: IT’S ALWAYS ABOUT THE PEOPLE
The success of your business (any business) is dependent upon the quality of your people. The awesome keynote speaker from the 2022 Golf Business Canada Conference & Trade Show, Scott Stratten, had a great line. He said, “It’s not that people don’t want to work, it’s that they don’t want to work for you!”
Sound harsh? Of course, it is. However, it is so hard these days to get applicants that we need to carefully make the most of the ones we do get. When you are struggling just to get applicants, Jay Aston asks you to
consider your reputation, your engagement and draw power. Work social media, work your team culture and improve your reputation as an employer. In order to choose quality staff, you need a deep candidate pool.
Then, if your facility, and in particular, your F&B department, can’t seem to find or retain quality employees, then we MUST consider the possibility that we are not being great managers and/or that we are not creating a great place to work. Here are some good questions to ask our management team and ourselves:
• Are we clear in the hiring process about who we are looking for and what skills they have?
• Are we clear in defining what is expected to each employee and how they can be successful in their role?
• Are we providing them with effective and on-going training, and the right tools, to be successful in their job?
•Are we using great people management and efficiency software like Dyne, 7shifts and Kitchen Display Systems?
•Are we using new technology like turbo chefs, super-fast pizza ovens, even robots, to improve and streamline efficiencies and increase speed of service?
Most importantly, are we creating an environment of empowerment AND accountability that motivates each individual to help us achieve team success? One key way to achieve this includes regular in-person communication strategies such as ‘Daily Huddles’ to discuss the day’s key guests, sales goals and sales contests, product or menu changes, and any other challenges. Not only do they foster team cohesion, but they also keep the team informed, motivated, and creates a sense of shared purpose.
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