by Robert A. Sereci, GM/COO Medinah Country Club Guest Author and Club Benchmarking Subscriber

As most club managers do, I try to spend our capital dollars in the most prudent way possible. When the idea struck me to obtain a food truck and brand it with our logo, I kind of figured that I was going to get some raised eyebrows along with some direct questioning. Once the interrogation was over, the end result was surprising and very gratifying.

Medinah Country Club has three golf courses and two halfway houses. The membership has been clamoring for a new on-course facility for years. The problem was that the best location for this new amenity was in an area far away from the needed utility infrastructure, and the cost for such a small structure was going to be astronomical for the project scope.

One day, I was traveling around the club neighborhood and I spotted a food truck parked and in full operation; the light bulb immediately illuminated. Considering that our golf season is only about six to seven months long, coupled with the fact that we have a very busy shooting lodge in the off-season with limited food and beverage (F&B) facilities, and we are currently building racquet facilities and a golf performance center with no F&B facilities, the idea of utilizing a food truck seemed very practical.

As luck would have it, I have a good friend who is a F&B manager for a major league baseball team, and when I surveyed the idea with him he told me that it was my lucky day; they had a relatively new food truck that they weren’t using as much as they thought they would and they were eager to sell for a very reasonable price.

Game on; now all I had to do is sell the idea to our board of directors. As expected, I was met with resistance, specifically, a sort of knee-jerk reaction along the lines of “Are you sure that is appropriate for our club?” And I get it, this is Medinah Country Club we are talking about, after all! Home of seven national golf tournaments and seven major golf championships; eight, if you count the upcoming BMW Championship in 2019. “Isn't that something for smaller clubs of less renown?” they asked.

Well, if truth be told, you don’t find food trucks at other country clubs; in fact, I only know of two other clubs in the country that have one. Knowing that this was not going to be a slam dunk, I came prepared with all the benefits and reasons why we should own such an asset:

Halfway House – With a food truck, we benefit by having a seasonal F&B outlet that is used all year round to serve our members for about 8% of the cost of what new “bricks and mortar” would cost.

A Unique Wedding Offering – We are very fortunate to have a breathtaking clubhouse (recently we are ranked the sixth in “The 18 Most Iconic Clubhouse in Golf” by golf.com). But today’s brides are looking for that trendy new thing, that special offering that other venues don’t have that makes their wedding unique. Food truck are just that! The “awesome” thing they can share with their guests.

Tournaments and Club Events – Our property consists of over 600 acres of land, on which we host events and tournaments that require F&B service. A Food Truck allows us to access almost any location and set them up in a more efficient way. A little extra help from a Food Truck on Labor Day, Memorial Day and Independence Day is a massive help in alleviating the pressure of the small snack bar not built or equipped to handle the massive influx of business.

F&B Offerings on Demo Days: Our Demo Days on the Practice Facility benefit from a more festive mood once we pull a Food Truck and the party begins.

Brand Ambassador: Limited advertising for private, member owned clubs? No problem, when we do job fairs and park the truck at our recruitment site and display this very visible backdrop.

Public Relations & Community Support: Unfortunately, every community is exposed to natural disasters (tornado, fire, etc.) and when these moments do occur here, we’ll take our truck to the area in need to provide goodwill assistance and charitable support of food and water.

When the board heard my rationale, they were immediately able to appreciate the benefits. Once we began, the most challenging aspect of bringing it to fruition was obtaining the proper health permits. But we are ready to roll now, and even though our first event is still two weeks away, our members are already bragging to their friends outside the club about our new state-of-the-art Food Truck at Medinah Country Club. We haven’t sold one “street taco yet and it’s already yielding benefits. As this enterprise develops, I will keep you posted.  

The real take-away from this story is not that food trucks are great and every club should obtain one. The moral is that as club managers, our tendency to play it safe causes us to avoid reaching for what is unique, even if there is a strong benefit in doing so. So many times, clubs are interested in “keeping up with the Joneses,” or not taking a chance of doing something different because of how it may be perceived by others, both inside and outside your club community. Your club is what your members want it to be. Yes, we have a food truck… it’s the best darn food truck in the city. If you feel that you have a great idea, then work the plan, present it well, and see what sticks. Don’t be afraid to show your board and your members that your wheels are turning.

By the way… did I mention that we have a chicken coop?