Keep It Casual

White tablecloths, fancy chandeliers and fine china might look nice, but today’s club members are craving laid-back concepts.

With that in mind, Maryland’s Chevy Chase Club recently unveiled a cost-conscious, casual concept that not only appealed to members’ wallets, but also made smart use of unused space within the club’s more formal clubhouse.

“We have a taproom that neighbors a card room,” says Clubhouse Manager Greg Sheara, CCM. “Even though it’s a bar, no one was ever in the taproom, and the cardroom was empty as well. Moreover, on Sunday nights we saw at most 15 covers in the formal dining room. ”

On those same Sundays, dozens of members could be found waiting to be seated in a neighboring building that houses the Winter Center, Chevy Chase’s casual dining outlet.

“We needed to bridge the gap between formal dining and casual dining,” says Sheara.

Furniture was purchased and arranged, the formal dining room was closed, and a Sunday night bistro space was born.

“We had instant support from the Board and the house committee,” says Sheara. “We were so slow on Sunday evenings in formal dining, closing that room didn’t prompt a negative response. Plus, members were thrilled at the prospect of having two casual dining spaces to choose between.”

While the card room and taproom still have those functions on Monday through Saturday, the spaces are now combined on Sunday, and the result has become a hot ticket among Chevy Chase’s members.

“Bistro Night sells out at 50 covers every week,” says Sheara. “It provides the club with an additional $30,000 in annual food and beverage revenue.”

With a relaxed dress code and a menu featuring dishes like Parma Ham Bruschetta, Chicken Sliders, a Cuban Sandwich, and the CCC Bistro Salad, Bistro Night has been so popular at Chevy Chase, in fact, that the club is planning to expand the concept by converting the taproom into a more permanent bistro-style dining space later this summer.