Burger Nights

How has this idea enhanced your club's operation, etc.?

This summer, BHYC extended their dining schedule to be open for dinner seven nights a week. Due to BHYC being such a seasonal club, the members wanted to be able to spend more nights at their home away from home. Because of the extra night of dining, the Club management needed to find a way to simplify the menu, the service and the support help, in order maintain their annual budget.

In the past, BHYC had attempted to stay open on Monday nights with regular menu offerings. The reservations would max out around 60 members and with all the extra labor costs we found it not financially viable. Burger nights this year averaged 125 dinners, showing the popularity in the menu and making Monday nights worth it! They took great advantage of the Club being opened on Mondays and reservations increased more and more each week.

How was this idea implemented, and what have been the club members' reactions?

Burger nights have always worked well in the past as a “fill in” dining night during short holiday weeks where the chef is not required to offer a full menu or staff a full kitchen. The burger menu featured not only specialty burgers, but included fun seafood sandwiches like lobster rolls, crab cakes and fresh rare tuna. There was also a self-service salad bar and soft serve ice cream with toppings! These extra features helped to keep the special requests low and the costs down. With the lack of steward help this summer, a decision was made to use all biodegradable green products such as salad/dinner plates, straws and ice cream cups. The members were excited to see their club trying to help the environment by using green products and the stewarding
team were able to run fewer racks in the dish machine.