Opening Day was not exactly as we’d hoped, with the weather not playing along with our plans. That said, there was a real buzz amongst those who attended the ceremony, with many friendships renewed for the season ahead. Congratulations again to our new Commodore, Cath Hurley on her appointment.
As many members are now aware, our hospitality offering is changing. Last Friday ahead of the member’s draw, our new team led by Marco and Paul, along with our new executive Chef, Geoff Lindsay, outlined some of the planned changes , including some decorative updates and new furniture (more seating), an outside bar and a new and evolving menu. We have a “soft launch” of the new menu on 21 October – bookings essential – and we expect to have the Olympic Room restaurant and outside deck looking brand new prior to the Oaks Day celebration. Along the way, you’ll see changes to our beverage list and new takeaway items. We do expect there will be some minor disruptions as we make these changes.
These changes are funded by a tightly planned change in our financial model, which we expect will deliver a return quite quickly. To achieve this, we will be investing in a new Point-of-Sale (POS) platform. Simply, the current technology and the way it interacts with member accounts is cumbersome and slow. So slow that during busy periods, we won’t be able to take payments quickly enough. I’ll report on these changes as we get closer to deploying the system, but we expect it will be deployed during October. Member discounts will continue however, the process at POS will be different. More to come on that.
Once these changes are made downstairs, phase 2 of our program are changes to the Bayview Room. We need to improve the way we sell and manage our bookings, the way we present the room, and of course, deliver some much-needed updates to furniture and equipment. This phase will happen progressively over the next six months as we navigate current bookings.
Finally, the members’ bar will get some much-needed love and attention, with changes to accommodate more seating and a few decorative changes. This will be completed by the end of the season, all going to plan.
As always, drop me an email with any feedback.
Grant Dow
Vice Commodore