Outsourcing Club Food Operations

Many clubs find it difficult to run profitable food operations and this can be for a variety of reasons. Lack of experience in marketing and delivering what is essentially a very competitive product takes expertise and the right tools.

There is no single best solution – it’s a case of making the best arrangements possible for each particular circumstance. If the cost of running your own bistro is too high, or if you are not making any profit, or if you are spending a lot of time effort and worry over something that is not really advancing the club’s cause, it may be time to think seriously about leasing out the kitchen.

The following points may assist your decision making process;

• Do we know what type of food offering our members would be prepared to support and is there a-cost effective way of delivering to that standard?
• Do we have a good handle on who our food competition is and what advantages they have over your club?
• Does the club appropriately performance manage the chef with a clear position description and regular performance reviews?
• Does the chef appropriately manage the kitchen and foodservice costs?
• Is the chef remunerated at market rates?
• Does the club benchmark their food costs and profits against similar operations?
• Should the club consider renovating the dining area to make it more appealing to members?
• Is there adequate marketing of the clubs food services?

Over time it is common to become blind to the real issues, think about organising some ‘mystery customers’ to get a fresh perspective.

Making money out of food is not easy and is very competitive. Look at other clubs within CCV who are doing food well and if they are not your immediate competition, contact the manager and see if they would be willing to provide some tips on how they manage operations successfully.

Generic Head Chef Position Description