Golf Inc. - October 2008 - (Page 20)

Trimming the F&B fat Paul Hadreas, vice president for food & beverage operations for Troon Golf, offered the following tips for reducing F&B expenditures: ■ Take a close look at hours of operation – if business is slow at the beginning or end of the restaurant schedule, consider opening an hour later or closing an hour early. ■ Consider using value cuts of beef like ﬂatiron shoulder cut when possible instead of higher priced cuts; instead of three types of shellﬁsh, go to the most popular one. ■ Use cooking oils that don’t break down as quickly and can be re-used. ■ Monitor inventory closely – work with vendors for deliveries as needed. ■ Use quality generic brands instead of higher-cost brand names. ■ Look at waste – use leftovers whenever possible in soups, appetizers, etc. ■ Consider having chefs make more dishes in-house rather than buying pre-prepared foodstuffs. ■ Offer more specials to move out inventory – instead of one, offer two or three daily. ■ If you are reluctant to let people go or lay people off, you might reduce them from 40 hours to 36 so they can keep their beneﬁts. ■ To reduce energy costs, turn off lights and equipment not in use. ■ Look at your linen needs: Do you need to be a tablecloth restaurant during lunch time? out of it already. There’s not much we can do about fuel, concrete, things like that,” Kubly said. He recommended that owners bring contractors and architects into a new construction or renovation project as early as possible, in order to value engineer various aspects of the job to see which corners can be cut without hurting the final product. Golf Convergence principal Jim Keegan is a consultant for private, daily fee and municipal course owners on a wide range of issues. He said he has seen cost-cutting measures implemented across the board. Properties are slashing marketing budgets, extending staff hours and asking salaried personnel to assume additional duties, Keegan said. He said one superintendent he knows was asked to come in after his morning duties and work in the pro shop after ownership let several staffers go. He objected, and reportedly put his job at risk by doing so. “With heavy pressure on fees, the ame20 Golf Inc. October 2008 n nities are being eliminated,” Keegan said. “ “Tees, divot repair tools, complimentary b bottles of water, towels, bag tags are being e eliminated on the better daily fee courses. Y used to be able to count on those on You c courses over $100 [greens fees]. That’s no l longer the case.” On the course maintenance side, K Keegan said many courses are limiting r regular maintenance to tees, fairways and g greens and letting the rough areas go fall low. He said he supports that practice, c citing the “natural” look of courses in the U and Ireland, and additionally recomU.K. m mended that new course developers keep c clubhouses to manageable sizes in the 15,000- to 23,000-square-foot range. Both Keegan and Silverstein said the c cost crunch may be bad news for PGA p professionals. Keegan said some owne have replaced more highly salaried ers P PGA professionals with non-PGA certif assistants at a lower wage. Silverstein, fied a PGA professional himself for nearly 30 y years, thinks the problem runs deeper t than salary levels. “My opinion is that the smarter operat will take a very hard look at whether tors t they hire members of the GCSAA (Golf C Course Superintendents of Association) o the PGA, or whether they look for or e either young, aggressive individuals or r retired military to help run their course ” Silverstein said. “As a long-time PGA es, p professional, it’s difficult for me to say t this, but in my opinion the PGA is not p preparing PGA pros to run golf courses l a business.” like Tom Powers, division president for B Bluegreen Golf, the golf community arm o Bluegreen Communities, said his comof p pany also is taking steps to fight the inevi itable cost increases. “We’re negotiating hard on any and all c contracts — cart fleet rollouts that have come due this year, turf care product costs must be renegotiated and we have cut or reduced any unnecessary work on clubhouses,” Powers said. He said course owners should contest their local property taxes, based on declining values and revenues. “Most local governments will give you a fair break, but you’ve got to ask for it,” he said.” Reduced trash pickups and credit card processing fees are only two examples of

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Golf Inc. - October 2008

Golf Inc. - October 2008 Contents From the Editors: Smaller is Less Costly Survey Reveal Golf's Economic Impact in EMA Private Club Managers Earn Bigger Salaries Dyes Mourn Loss of Family Member Changing Demographics Impact European Golf Scene RDC Golf Group Finds Affordable Golf Niche Links at Summerly Offers Unique Twist Cost Crunch Most Powerful People in Golf Contractors Focus on Renovations, International�Projects Troon, IMG Reach Into Booming Middle East Market Americas Recap: New Player Design in Mexico Europe-Africa Recap: Moroccan Lakeside Development Asia-Australia Recap: 3 Billion Dollar Resort in Vietnam The Last Word: There's No Substitute for Good Friends on a Golf Course

Golf Inc. - October 2008

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