Cleveland Country Club in Shelby, N.C. increased its bar’s occupancy from 10 to 24, with overflow seating provided by built-in high tops, community tables and deep-seated sofas.
It only seems natural that member-owned Cleveland Country Club would orchestrate a renovated bar that would soon become a community destination. After the Shelby, N.C., facility was purchased in 2019 and a member survey indicated that a casual dining space and bar was on the top of their wish lists, construction got underway and was completed by September 2020.
To make the bar more accessible from its former tucked-away location, management opted for a restructured floor plan. “The old layout required the member or guest to wind through multiple rooms and then eventually come into the bar area,” says General Manager Allyson Kahl Darling. “We decided that it was important to open our walls, create an open floor plan and make the bar the centerpiece of the dining space.”
The new design also increased the bar’s occupancy from 10 to 24, with overflow seating provided by built-in high tops, community tables and deep-seated sofas. Large swivel bar stools sporting a rich walnut finish sit at a concrete quartz countertop, with back bar glass shelving that houses an extensive bourbon collection and built-in wine racks. Generously sized windows looking out to the golf course fill the room with natural light, helping to enhance the luster of the blue painted walls, pressed tin ceiling, leather and tweed fabrics and warm stained woods.
“The big picture windows have made a huge difference, as our members and guests are now treated to sweeping views of hole No. 18, the practice putting green, No. 10 tee and perhaps our greatest asset—the beautiful sunsets that are visible from almost every angle of the new clubhouse,” says Club President David R. Teddy.
Since the bar opened while the pandemic was still in full swing, the updated design lent itself well to social distancing. “In North Carolina, we were required to sit at 50 percent capacity,” says Darling, noting the benefits of the expanded layout and ample table space. “We also have a covered outdoor terrace adjacent to our bar area,” she adds. “Members were able to enjoy drinks and meals outdoors around the new firepits.”
The club has since broadened its wine offerings, bar specials and specialty bourbon collection in the revised digs. And with the addition of other social programs, F&B revenues have increased by 34 percent due in large part to the new bar.
With member usage on the rise and a direct uptick in private event programming, feedback about the new bar continues to propel the club forward. Member enthusiasm is so infectious, notes Teddy, it has carried over to the staff.
“I believe the new space has inspired a sense of pride in many of our long-time employees who have been with us through thick and thin,” he says. “I believe our hospitality team enjoys coming to work in the new space where a new heartbeat for our club is evident from the time we open, to the time we close.”
And as Cleveland Country Club gears up for its centennial celebration in 2027, members can rightfully raise a glass in their renovated digs—a place that Darling deems as “more than just a fixture; it is a place of community.”
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