CHEF TO CHEF
Balancing Reality Versus
Expectations
Communication and member education are more important than ever as club chefs and managers balance their ambition with the realities of the industry. By Scott Craig, CEC, CCA, WCMC, Executive Chef, Cullasaja Club
THE RULES FOR COVID were relatively straightforward and usually spelled out by our state and local governments, but clubs are finding that the path back to “normal” is far more nebulous. During the lockdown, masking and occupancy restriction phases, clubs were able to quickly rethink their food and beverage business models to remain relevant. They offered curbside takeout, grocery pickups, virtual wine dinners and cooking classes. Members were gracious and understanding. They were were grateful for our efforts. “Our members were effusive with their praise and appreciation in our ability to still offer memorable and remarkable experiences during the 2020 and 2021 seasons,” says Chris Conner, CCM, CCE, General Manager and Chief Operating Officer of Cullasaja Club in Highlands, N.C. “There was a 14
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sense of safety congregating with members they knew, rather than dining in restaurants in town. They were kind to one another and to the staff, too. They worked with us through mask policies and spaced-out seating arrangements.” But 12 months of masking, shifting restrictions and everchanging rules took its toll. Mark Bado, MCM, CCE, General Manager/COO of Houston (Texas) Country Club and former chairman of the Club Management Association of America, was in Charlotte, N.C. at Myers Park Country Club during the early days of COVID. “Many members who stayed home for most of COVID are frustrated now—they’re ready for the world to fully return to normal,” he says. But club operators and quarantined club members experienced the COVID era differently.
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