The reason F&B feels harder than it should...

I see this all the time in golf clubs.

Well-meaning, prominent members offering strong opinions on F&B operations. And look, I get it. They're invested. They care. They want to help.

But here's the thing.

Having eaten in nice restaurants doesn't make you qualified to run one. Just like I enjoy shopping… doesn't mean I could run a retail operation.

When I say it like that, most people nod along. "Yeah, that's obvious."

Yet it happens constantly.

This isn't a criticism. These members genuinely want the club to succeed. That's brilliant. But good intentions without a framework? That's just noise. And noise creates confusion. Confusion erodes your offering.

The solution is strategy.

A sound strategy takes the emotion out of every decision. It stops debates before they start. It gives everyone, from the board to the kitchen, a clear picture of what you're trying to build.

What does good strategy actually look like?

First, you have to answer the fundamental question: is your F&B a service to members, or is it expected to contribute commercially? Most clubs try to be both and end up doing neither well. The answer to this question shapes everything; your pricing, your investment, your acceptable margins, even the language you use with members.

Then you need to design your operation across three strategic pillars. I call them the Three Es:

Environment. Does your clubhouse reflect your standing? Does the space invite people in, or is it slowly declining while nobody notices?

Experience. Have you deliberately designed how it feels to dine at your club? Or has it just accumulated over time; a thousand unconsidered decisions that don't add up to anything intentional?

Empowerment. Have you built a genuine culture of hospitality in your team? Or are you just hoping the right things happen when leadership isn't watching?

Most clubs tinker with Experience; changing menus, adjusting prices, switching suppliers. But if your Environment is tired and your Energy is flat, no menu redesign will save you.

And here's what too many clubs get wrong: you can't grow by cutting. You grow by doing a brilliant job and having very clear financial metrics to support that plan.

That means having 6-8 key metrics that actually tell you something useful. Lagging indicators like sales, GP%, and labour cost tell the board what happened. But your operation needs leading indicators; the measures that predict performance and warn you before problems become crises. Things like covers per member, staff turnover, visit frequency, training hours, and consistency scores.

Get this right and your GM isn't guessing. Your board isn't debating opinions. Everyone knows what "great" looks like.

Christmas is nearly here. But so is 2026.

January is the perfect moment to step back and ask the big questions. What do we actually want from F&B? Are we a service or a business? What does that mean for club finances, for the team delivering it, for the member experience? Where do we need to reinvest in facilities and training? What are our labour costs really looking like post-budget? Do we have a procurement and pricing review policy that protects our margins?

Building a sound strategy for 2026 isn't a nice-to-have. It's absolutely essential.

If you'd like to have a conversation about what that could look like for your club, drop me an email. No pressure, no hard sell; just a chat about where you are and where you want to be.

Have a great weekend.

Tony

If you'd like dedicated time to work through your club's F&B challenges, book a Power Hour Strategy Call. One hour, focused on your situation, with benchmarking, guidance, and a clear action plan to take away. £245 + VAT.