Cocktail Madness

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

Our Food & Beverage (F&B) Team wanted to incorporate beverage specials to celebrate March Madness in late March/early April. One of our Lead Bartenders suggested a cocktail bracket contest with member submissions, but our Director of F&B modified the idea to instead include staff members to drive staff engagement and new ideas titled Cocktail Madness. The contest aimed to feature the winner’s cocktail on our upcoming spring beverage menu.

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

In March 2024, our Director of F&B emailed the Leadership Team about the Cocktail Madness contest, detailing that cocktails must feature ingredients and alcohol stocked at BCC, specify the glass type, and include a creative name. Managers shared this message with their teams, and staff members submitted their recipes to the Director of F&B ahead of the March Madness tournament. Our Director of F&B collaborated with our Assistant Director of F&B to decide the matchups. They were influenced by the day of the week, with Friday and Saturday featuring less labor-intensive cocktails for smooth service and avoiding pairing similar cocktails in the first round. The contest included 16 participants in total, and nightly bar specials aligned with the stages of the March Madness tournament. Winners were determined by cocktail sales.