An all-in team effort, in sync with a steady pace of facilities upgrades, has built an impressive F&B offer at White Manor Country Club.
“Code Ones” are pretty much a thing of the past now at White Manor Country Club in Malvern, Pa., west of Philadelphia. “I can’t remember the last time we had a ‘1’,” says White Manor General Manager, Jonathan Clay, CCM.
But Clay’s not referring to his good fortune in avoiding emergency situations on the property. White Manor uses codes on a sliding scale, from 1 (most formal) to 5 (most casual), to easily and clearly communicate to the club’s members about the dress standards for various events.
“Most of the time our events are a ‘DC [Dress Code] 4’ now, which is smart casual, collared shirt and jeans permitted,” says Clay. “We try to have them be casually elegant, but not stuffy.”
White Manor Country Club
Location: Malvern, Pa. |
For everyday dining, things are even more relaxed, as a reflection of how the membership mix, and member use, has changed at the 65-year-old club, which was previously a dairy farm (hence the “milk can” logo) and traces the heritage of its land to rolling acreage originally parceled out in the early 1700s by none other than William Penn.
“Our average member age has dropped from the high 50s to where it’s now 49,” says Clay, who’s been in his position at White Manor for eight years. “And the membership lives within a much tighter circle now; most are within 10 miles.”
“That’s really changed the way the club is used,” he notes. “Where back in the day [members] would make one decision to come to the club and then make a day of it, now they may drop in as many as four different times in a day.
“So we have to shape our club policies around that,” says Clay. “We want to make it easier to do business with us, and not make people decide not to come because they have to go home and get changed.”
Venue and Menu Choices
As the membership’s makeup and their usage patterns have changed at White Manor, so, too, have the dining options made available to them. Through a steady series of cost-effective upgrades to various rooms and areas within, and adjacent to, the 42,000-sq. ft. clubhouse, a full complement of semi-formal/casual and indoor/semi-outdoor (screened-in) venues has evolved, for both a la carte and banquet/event purposes (which each account for half of the club’s overall F&B revenues).
The range of F&B offerings was rounded out at the beginning of this season, when White Manor unveiled The Pub, for the final stage of a 20-year transformation of the same footprint of what was first an old slate-floor, enclosed patio.
“Members were really hankering for [The Pub] to open,” says Clay, “and as soon as it did, covers have been off the chart, up 30%.” Adds Clubhouse Manager Grove Smith: “The new bar breathed life and energy not just into the membership, but the staff as well.”
Award-Winning Fare
As White Manor’s options for where to eat have been upgraded and expanded, so have the choices from the culinary side. Things have indeed come far, says Executive Chef Drew Smalbach, from when he applied for the position seven years ago.
“Menus changed here once a year then,” says Smalbach, who has a total of 20 years of experience with both city and country clubs. “Now we change them five times a year, and twice in the summer.” Each menu version is also split to offer both traditional favorites and health-conscious options.
Smalbach and his staff have two overriding directives: “No is not an answer,” and “Everything should be done to make members happy.” That has led to a special focus, he says, on “upscale club cuisine like steaks and burgers and family fare” that are restaurant-quality and designed to make White Manor a destination.
At the same time, Smalbach and his team are constantly pushing the envelope, especially with inventively crafted and presented hors d’oeuvres like tuna tartare, sesame chicken skewers, Greek hummus cups and Asian wonton beef spoons.
Much of the inspiration for these creations is drawn from the involvement of Smalbach, Sous Chef Norris Waters and others on the White Manor team with American Culinary Federation (ACF) events and activities. White Manor earned recognition last year as one of only 11 establishments nationwide to have the 2012 Achievement of Excellence Award conferred on it by the ACF, in recognition of the club’s commitment to culinary excellence.
Smalbach, who was named the 2012 Delaware Valley Chefs Association Chef of the Year, has also hosted several ACF chapter meetings at White Manor, which he says have been a great source of ideas and motivation for new approaches to high-end plates and buffet stations.
Less is More
At the front of the house, White Manor benefits from the experience of Clubhouse Manager Grove Smith and Assistant Manager Cecil Hylton, both of whom brought years of high-volume expertise with them from their previous positions at the much-larger Philadelphia Country Club.
“With 1,300 members, things never slow down,” says Smith. “With 300, there’s a better opportunity to concentrate on guiding principles and deliver outstanding customer service on a consistent basis.”
Smith and his team have also been working with White Manor’s golf and grounds departments to take full advantage of the scenic and peaceful vistas to be found throughout the course, which is nestled into the southeastern Pennsylvania horse country.
“We put Adirondack chairs at the 9th and 18th holes, and people can call into the bar to have us bring drinks out to them there,” says Smith. “We’ve also upscaled the food and service for the Ladies’ Nine Wine & Dine and other on-course events, setting up stations for cheesesteaks, sausage and peppers, and smoothies.”
Making an Impact
The payoff from all of these efforts has been evident to Clay both in terms of how the existing membership has responded and in new membership interest that has been generated. “We already have 25 new members this year, which is the same as what we had for all of last year,” he said in June. “I’m confident we’ll get to 30 before the year is over.”
Among existing members, Clay adds, overall member satisfaction has climbed over 96%. And on the foodservice side, he now thinks it’s realistic that White Manor can ride the momentum created by its new Pub, along with the cumulative effect of other improvements made in recent years, to reach the $2 million revenue threshold for F&B within two years.
“It would be organic growth, and I think we’d pick up enough on the catering side to get to a 60-40 ratio, which is where we can become steadily profitable for F&B,” he says. “We’re already very close to breaking even right now, and are budgeting to have a small surplus this year.”
Judging from some of the effusive testimonials posted by catering customers and guests on the White Manor website, continuing to ramp up on the banquet side wouldn’t appear to be too much of a problem. The comments that White Manor has received go well beyond the usual perfunctory thank-yous. Collectively, they attest that the club’s F&B team is succeeding with its three-pronged strategy of enhanced venues, innovative food, and extra service efforts.
They also serve as an instructive primer on the kind of special service and event touches that make a real impact with members and guests, and that all clubs’ service teams should strive for. Some examples:
• “Normally when I want to compliment someone, I do the letter routine, but here I do not want to wait. We were guests at the wedding reception at your country club [and] I can find fault with anything; sometimes I think it’s my job. But the food and excellence of service put on by your individuals was just unreal.”
• “It would be our pleasure to share our very positive experience with others considering White Manor for their special event; you deserve the praise, and we would be doing your prospective guests a real service, too.”
• “While we have never considered joining a country club before, Lori and I both said we would consider joining White Manor, if we only lived closer!”
• “You and the members should be very proud of both the recent renovations and the absolute highest level of service we received, from our first call to White Manor nearly three years ago, through our event on Saturday night.”
• “Thanks to Drew, the food was absolutely delicious and served with such elegance! Loved the appetizers on the big spoons! How clever!”
• “Kim, Grove and Cecil all made it very easy for our outside vendors to do their jobs perfectly, and I don’t think I heard the word “no” once when asking if White Manor would do one thing or another.”
• “Thank you to all the staff, especially John, Kenny and Leigh, for their professionalism and friendly manner throughout the evening. Leigh even darned a pair of trousers for my brother-in-law, who split his seam!”
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