Name:  Mitchell Platt, CCM

Club:  Woodholme Country Club

Description:  To celebrate the 30 year Anniversary of a Sous Chef, a retro special week featuring menu items from his 30 year tenure at retro pricing was offered.  The Specials ran the week between the Jewish holidays, normally a slow period for the club.  We will consider retro specials for other noteworthy club/employee milestones.

Implementation:  Members came out in record numbers 200-300% increase in member traffic from similar time prior years.  Our members loved the nostalgic menu items and enjoyed honoring a long term employee.

Name:  Casey Thomas

Club:  Farmington Country Club

Description:  Farmington’s Terrace Dining Room celebrated the holidays during its traditional Sunday brunch with classic Christmas carolers.  The caroler’s brunch was received so enthusiastically that to accommodate reservations, the Terrace Room had to expand from one dining room seating 30 to three rooms seating 150.  In addition, a waiting list held 100 members.

Implementation:  Carolers from the Virginia Consort, a local choral organization, dressed in Victorian attire and sang classic Christmas songs to the diners.  Coupled with the holiday decorations, the event was festive and brought holiday cheer.  Members and guests had a joyous time singing along and applauding after every song.  Next holiday season, the Terrace Room plans to add a second caroler’s brunch so more can join the celebration.

Name:  Chris Marcusson

Club:  The Country Club of Virginia

Description:  Email Promotion – We sent out mass emails promoting our new dining room menu.  The members were able to preview the new menu items and were offered an additional incentive to join us for the first night.  Members were offered a complimentary appetizer for mentioning the email.

Name:  Casey Thomas

Club:  Farmington Country Club

Description:  The Farmington Grill hosts kid-friendly events to provide entertainment for families and to promote sales on Sunday evenings.  Events include Magic Nights, Puppet Shows, Story Telling, and Patio Parties.  A kids buffet is available during the event.  Hosting the kid-friendly events on a typically quiet Sunday evening prevents the disturbance of other members and increases sales in the Grill.

Implementation:  Entertainment is hired outside the Club.  The Grill staff arrange the buffet, decorations, toys and prizes.  Many members of Farmington Country Club have families with kids age 11 and under and re very pleased with the addition of kid-friendly events.  Their children are entertained and parents have time to socialize with each other.  Families are more interactive and often plan ahead and come to the events together.

Name:  Mary Elizabeth Sullivan

Club:  Granite Club

Description:  The idea of a loyalty letter is to recognize and thank the members that have supported the Fine Dining Room in the previous season.  The objective was to attract more patrons during traditionally slow periods and to establish loyalty through recognition.

Implementation:  A letter was sent to all members identified as consistent users of the Fine Dining Room and also included the new Fine Dining Room menu.  The letter, which was signed by the Executive Chef and the Food & Beverage Manager, thanked members for their continued support in using the Fine Dining Room.  A complimentary bottle of champagne or wine was offered at their visit during the first six weeks of opening for the season.