An innovative new refreshment and merchandise car has helped Raven Golf Club-Phoenix increase revenues by bringing clubhouse, grill and pro shop services directly to golfers without slowing their rounds.
Businesses are always looking for new ways to increase profits, and golf course properties are no exception. Raven Golf Club-Phoenix (formerly Raven at South Mountain) has found a way to boost revenues with its new food-and-beverage vehicle, the Cushman® Refresher® FS2™, which brings clubhouse, grill, and pro shop services onto the golf course. In addition to offering food and beverages, the Refresher includes space to sell merchandise ranging from golf balls and lip balm to rain jackets and hats.
“We can put whatever we want on there; with what they have created, the sky’s the limit,” says Derek Crawford, General Manager of the Arizona property. “It’s a mobile golf shop.”
Sell and Serve
Raven GC-Phoenix plans to have two of the vehicles, which are designed and manufactured by E-Z-GO, on site by the end of the year, as replacements for its previous beverage carts.
The Refresher FS2s were introduced at the club during the summer, when play at the high-end daily-fee property is concentrated among local residents. Crawford is now anxious to see the full revenue-producing potential of the vehicle when resort play gets into full swing at the property during its busy winter season. “What caught my eye is the retail part,” he says. “I’ve been in the golf business a long time, but our previous [beverage carts] never had any space for retail. Now, when golfers are running out of golf balls, they won’t have to wait until they make the turn to get more.”
The Cushman Refresher features a modular design that allows clubs to customize the vehicle’s merchandising options for on-course sales, according to the types of customers who are playing, or for special events such as socials or outdoor receptions. Each unit contains three modules that total 24 inches of display space. A 6-inch snack module includes a pull-out pegboard that can drive impulse purchases, and a 6-inch storage module contains five racks for storing assorted beverage cups. Each side of the unit contains a 12-inch merchandise display cabinet with adjustable shelves.
The Refresher FS2 offers different ways to display the products as well. A 10-sq. ft., wraparound counter offers ample space to prepare drinks and food, and stage and exchange merchandise. The Refresher also includes an end cap with a reversible insert, for serving coffee in the morning and mixed drinks in the afternoon.
“The Refresher is different from what people are used to seeing,” Crawford notes. “The servers can get out of the car and direct guests to what we have.”
Invaluable Input
Customer feedback, including that of Crawford, Food & Beverage Director Mark Goerner, and other staff members at Raven GC-Phoenix, was key to the development of the Cushman Refresher FS2. “It was vital to include their insights,” says Marissa Swart, Utility Product Manager for E-Z-GO. “The customer knows best where the opportunities for innovation and improvement are.”
The Refresher FS2’s unique modular design, FlexServe™ Technology, came courtesy of E-Z-GO’s partnership with 19th Hole Cart in Chandler, Ariz. The design allows courses to swap merchandising modules into and out of the Refresher FS2 in minutes, revamping the vehicle’s inventory based on factors such as the weather, time of day, and the specific needs and requests of the golfers on the course.
“The benefit of FlexServe Technology is that courses can customize the vehicle based on the needs of their members and include impulse purchase opportunities,” says John Sido, 19th Hole Cart’s VP of Marketing and Sales. The technology provides 100-percent accessible storage, 40 percent more merchandising capacity, and 14 cu. ft. of dry storage space.
Peter Restino, an E-Z-GO Senior Sales Representative in Phoenix, says the insights gained from Raven GC-Phoenix proved to be especially helpful. “Derek has always been someone who’s been interested in learning about new products,” he adds. “He’s open to new ideas and new things.”
Goerner’s input, Crawford says, focused on making sure attendants could use the car as efficiently as possible—and in addition to a roving unit, the F&B Director wanted to have one that could stay in a stationary spot in crossover areas that reach more than one hole. In addition, Raven GC-Phoenix can set up the Refresher FS2 as a bar for special events.
“Later in the day when most of the golfers are off the course, we can set it up where people are sitting outside,” Crawford notes.
Goerner also offered input about the Refresher FS2’s retail aspect, pushing for larger bins that could hold more products. “They want it to be organized and professional, and to be able to find things quickly,” explains Sido.
The Refresher FS2 allows attendants to open drawers, slide out merchandise and put it on the countertop, so wares can be displayed rather than described. With the ability to carry so many different types of products, the setup also makes it possible for cart attendants to sell items with suggestions such as: “You look like you could use more sunblock, sir.”
Input from personnel in various departments has “allowed Derek to get different parts of the organization all working together to get the most out of the vehicle,” Restino notes.
Innovative Features
Other innovative features designed to help cart attendants make sales quickly and efficiently include two full-extension sliding cooler drawers that offer easy access for both loading and unloading products. Each drawer has a built-in locking mechanism to transport products safely, and is fully insulated to keep beverages cold. The drawers can also be fitted with optional National Sanitation Foundation-certified inserts, to store and serve consumable ice.
The Refresher FS2 also features 3 cu. ft. of storage capacity for trash and recyclables, with two removable plastic bins. The end cap has storage space for cleaning supplies, kept out of customers’ sight, and a removable canopy allows for easy cleaning and changing for special events. Other options and accessories include a humidor, shelf wedges for displaying merchandise, and sandwich trays.
To ring up sales, the cart attendant swipes a credit card on a Square reader that is attached to an iPad. And Crawford has high expectations that the readers on his new Refresher FS2s will see plenty of action. “There’s so much we can do with it,” he says. “We’re going to see sales go up that we definitely would not have seen before.”
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