October 2014

Rare is the board member who makes it all the way through a term of service without asking: "Why don't we make money in F&B?" If you're a veteran manager or controller, it's a conversation you've had countless times and a debate you are likely tired of hearing in the boardroom. We believe it's possible to reduce the amount of time you spend in those circular discussions—over time and with the right resources—and we've put together a toolkit of F&B basics to help you get started.

  If you have questions about any of the materials or need help running your own reports, email Member Support

Labor expenses consume a major portion of a club's budget. Total payroll as a percentage of operating revenue is 55% at the median and at the upper end (at or above the 75th percentile) clubs spend more than 60% of their total operating revenue on payroll. The Club Benchmarking Labor Report is an important tool for understanding the breakdown and impact of labor expense at your club. CB Members are invited to join us for a free 30-minute session on using the Labor Report —Thursday, October 16th at 2:00 PM Eastern. 

PLAN AHEAD: SCHEDULE YOUR 2015 ACCOUNT UPDATE

The majority of our subscribers have a December fiscal year end. That means very soon it will be time for those clubs to update the financial and operational information in their CB accounts. Whatever your FYE, it may be helpful to identify an individual from your management team to champion the project and serve as a primary contact for our member services team. If you do that, please send us an email and let us know who's been tapped to spearhead your 2015 update. 

IN THE NEWS: CLUB BENCHMARKING FEATURED IN GOLF INC. MAGAZINE

Check out the Fall 2014 issue of Golf Inc. Magazine for an excellent article about the realities of food and beverage revenue in the club industry. The story includes CB data and interviews with Club Benchmarking member Ken Butler and our own COO, Russ Conde.

ALL ABOARD: TIPS FOR NEW SUBSCRIBERS

Setting up your new Club Benchmarking account is easy, and our member services team has a reputation for being very helpful. We even handle the input of the bulk of your financial data for you! If you joined recently but have not started the setup process, we are looking forward to working with you. Check out this instruction page and send us an email if you have any questions or need assistance. 

GROWING STRONG! WELCOMING 13 NEW CLUBS

We want to thank those of you who are contributing to the expansion of the Club Benchmarking community through your enthusiastic word-of-mouth endorsements! Since September, we've added another 13 clubs and 57 users.
See the CB MEMBER LIST 

Hardscrabble Country Club - AR
Lakeside Golf Club - CA
The Reserve - CA
Toscana Country Club - CA
Country Club of Terre Haute - IN
Tippecanoe Lake Country Club - IN
Blue Hill Country Club - MA
Longmeadow Country Club - MA
Nashawtuc Country Club - MA
Hidden Valley Country Club - NV
Michelbook Country Club - OR
Bentwater Yacht Club - TX
Willow Brook Country Club - TX