No one got hurt, and in fact everyone thoroughly enjoyed the experience, when “Restaurant Wars” broke out at Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Created by Executive Chef Perry Kenney (“On the Leading Edge,” C&RB, June 2010) and Food & Beverage Director Jennifer Jolly, the concept called for three of Kenney’s chefs to be paired with  front-of-the-house supervisors to create teams for three “restaurant” concepts that would then be staffed with cooks, bartenders, waitpersons, runners, busboys and hostesses drafted from the club’s F&B team.

Given a $1,000 budget to buy whatever they wanted, and a $7 food cost, each team had one month to plan and shop for an event that would let Sawgrass members make reservations to dine in groups at each of the “restaurants” for approximately 30 to 40 minutes. The participating members then served as judges to help choose the winning team.

Each restaurant team was directed to serve a small appetizer to the member groups, as well as a small entrée of approximately 3 to 4 ozs. of protein.

“I have seen other reports on “Chef’s Challenges” but never one that includes the creativity of all of the staff, not just key players,” says Kenney in explaining the goals of the “Restaurant Wars” concept. “We thought this would be a great tool in training and teamwork. Our goal was to find hidden talents and let the teams really think about what goes into a memorable dining experience, from the warm welcome to the fond farewell. We also wanted the front- and back-of-the-house teams to really focus on working together as one.

“The effect on the staff has been tremendous, as they learned how important each staff member is in contributing to the dining experience,” Kenney adds. “And the membership was excited to see how involved each team was, and had an incredible time being the judges in the event and helping to choose the winning team.”