Restaurant Takeovers

How has this idea enhanced your club's operation, etc.?

The Grill Room hosted three consecutive month-long “restaurant takeovers” to drive excitement about the Grill Room and stimulate members with new offerings. Each month we offered a new theme – including menus, décor, uniforms, and more. By utilizing club-wide marketing opportunities, such as a full membership mailer, business cards and postcards, social media, and word-of-mouth, we were able to reach many levels of membership. The takeovers were well received by members and employees who were appreciative of the opportunity to experience something “out of the box”. It gave members a reason to visit the Grill Room multiple times over the summer months, which is typically our slow period. Each new takeover gave us the opportunity to present new items to members and gauge member feedback on items that would not be typically offered in the Grill Room. These included lobster night dinners, 32oz tomahawk steaks for 2 people, chef tasting dinners at a private table, personalized wine flights and high-end wine by the glass offerings utilizing a Coravin. We ended the summer with stellar results including: incremental covers increased by 1189 over the previous year, revenues increase of $115,000 over the same period the previous year, and growth of the dinner guest average of $9.00 per cover.

How was this idea implemented, and what have been the club members' reactions?

For each takeover, the team rolled out a “new restaurant” – new menu offerings, décor, staff uniforms, tableside presentation, live action stations, and beverage pairings. This was a team effort that included participation from personnel in many departments from the Front of House (FOH), culinary, purchasing, stewarding, engineering, and communication/marketing departments. We had many hourly staff persons come forward excited to contribute to the process and offer their experience or talents. Employees were able to utilize their expertise in such areas as costume-making for designing staff uniforms, décor and staging for creating/building tabletop and restaurant décor, previous employment for training staff on new service techniques.

Each month kicked off with a full team –FOH & culinary– meeting to discuss the theme, talking points, special offerings, décor/uniforms, and a detailed run through of the menu with the Chef. Talking points were provided to all departments so they may be able to answer questions and assist members.

Brief description of each month
Claw
Claw will highlight the availability of fresh seafood selections we are fortunate to have here in Detroit, with offerings such as soft-shell crab, cold shellfish towers, broiled lobster tails, east and west coast oysters, and rotating weekly specials of the season’s best offerings. All the fresh and delicious flavors you might expect from a quaint seaside shack, served in the refined elegance of the Detroit Athletic Club, claw is a restaurant takeover that will be housed in the Grill Room for the month of July.
Join us and dig in… to claw.

Char
In our second Grill Room takeover, we celebrate the height of summer grilling season and the bounty of gardens. Char reminds us how simple ingredients can lend themselves to unexpected flavor combinations when introduced to one of the most important tools in any kitchen: fire. Join us for Char as we capture the essence of summer.

Crush
In our third takeover, we explore the end of summer harvest, blending the rich resources of the field as expressed through bold, yet healthy, foods woven together by the loving interplay of wine focused on the unique vintages produced in the world’s best wine regions.
Crush. Vine & Dine