After being in operation for 60 years, the members-only dining club has closed its doors, citing membership numbers that dwindled to 100 in recent years. Formerly known as The Dutch Club, the property was created as a place for furniture industry representatives to entertain clients during biannual furniture markets, and the club lost its main supporter when the industry left the area.
The City Club of Lexington (N.C.), formerly known as The Dutch Club, closed on July 20 after being in operation for 60 years, the Lexington (N.C.) Dispatch reported.
Former club president Steve Hodges said the membership had dropped off so drastically that they can no longer afford the operating expenses, the Dispatch reported.
“It’s no secret that we have been struggling for years,” Hodges said. “Membership has been steadily declining. We have tried to bring in new members, but we haven’t had enough members to replace members who have left or have passed away.”
The City Club was founded in 1953 by C.H. “Ham” Hargrave and other local business leaders. The members-only private dining club was created as a place for furniture industry representatives to entertain clients during the biannual furniture markets. The group decided on the name because of the common practice of “going Dutch,” or having everyone pick up his or her own checks, the Dispatch reported.
The board changed the name to the City Club of Lexington in 1999 to more effectively market the private dining club and attract new members. Former club president and long time member Joe Sink said that once the furniture industry left Lexington, the City Club lost its main supporter, the Dispatch reported.
“Membership dropped down to almost nothing after the furniture industry tanked,” Sink said. “It just got to the point that we couldn’t afford the cost.”
In its heyday, the club had over 250 members, but in the past few months it has dwindled to less than 100, the Dispatch reported.
“My family and I went to eat there last week and we were the only ones there,” Hodges said.
The interest in a private dining club may just be a generational shift, Hodges said, and young people want something different, the Dispatch reported.
“We tried to increase membership,” Hodges said, “Maybe it is a symptom of the times, but the younger people just weren’t interested.”
The City Club was the last “white tablecloth” dining establishment in the city, Hodges said, and that may have been a little intimidating to some prospective members, the Dispatch reported.
“Maybe they want something a little more casual,” Hodges said. “I personally enjoy having something more than just the ordinary fare.”
Although the club was losing members, Sink said it was still profitable up until 2010. Rising food costs and the economic downturn finally pushed the club over the edge, the Dispatch reported.
“It is a beautiful place,” Sink said. “You can still go to other restaurants in the area but they don’t have the same atmosphere.”
For now, the building is locked and they are discussing what will happen to the building, the Dispatch reported.
“If you look at the area around the club, hardly anyone were members,” Sink said. “It’s such a shame. It was a great go to spot with excellent food.
“I will miss socializing with my friends. We had a group who would meet every Wednesday night. I don’t know where we are going to go now.”
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