Stay True To Your Concept

I was at a CMAA Business Management Institute Conference in Houston, and the theme was Food & Beverage.  We had sessions on Effective Plate Presentations, Kitchen Layout & Renovations, and Pairings Concepts and Events.  We went to River Oaks Country Club and had the opportunity to tour their facilities.  They do upwards of 6 million dollars in F&B alone!  Charles Carroll is the Executive Chef, and they have seven kitchens on their existing property and are adding another building within the next year.

During the plate presentation session he asked an interesting question.  “What are you pretending to be?”  The context was around staying true to your concept.  If you’re fine dining, present a fine dining experience.  If you’re comfortable/casual, present a comfortable, traditional menu.  Etc.  While the discussion was around plate presentation, it’s a fair question club-wide.

We often ask, “what are we?”  What do we want to be known for as a club?  This is a fundamental question that I’m not sure we’ve answered yet.  The point is that we have to have clarity on what we are and what we want to be to help guide our decisions and our direction.  We must shape our choices around closing the gap between what we are and what we want to become.  Without these points of reference, we are wandering.

So, as a club, what is our “concept” and what are we pretending to be?  Are we a community club pretending to be a “golf club” or are we a “golf club” pretending to be a community club?  Are we a Bistro pretending to be a club restaurant or are we a club restaurant pretending to be a bistro?  Are we an innovative, cutting edge club pretending to be traditional, or a traditional club pretending to be innovative.  In the end, it’s about being comfortable with what you are.  Being good at what you are.  Owning your identity…in all areas of the club.

I steal the line from Karate Kid, where Mr. Meggie (sorry for the butchered spelling) says, “Walk right side of road, okay.  Walk left side of road, okay,.  Walk middle of road, squash like bug.”  If we can’t define what we are, where we’re going, and what we want to be we’ll find ourselves trying to navigate down the middle of the road, and get “squashed like bug.”