COVID-19 has made Lawrence McFadden, CMC, GM/COO, of the Union Club of Cleveland, a better leader who believes hospitality must resurface itself in a thoughtful way.
The process of reopening has caused me to be very introspective about how we approach our business.
I’m thankful I have had the time to consider all the components to make it both safe and successful.
We are being very careful to keep the “soul” of the Union Club intact by maintaining our traditions while still giving our members plenty of options. As hospitality professionals, we know that our customers want choices, but we are also now tasked with offering choices in a safe way that is still aligned with our brand.
Here’s an example: At the Union Club, we’ve kept our beautiful organic butter, but next to it we are providing packaged Land O’ Lakes butter so that members can decide which he or she prefers with bread.
During this time, I’ve seen plenty of operations jump into “to-go” service. It’s almost becoming a requirement. But to-go packaging doesn’t fit many of the textures, temperatures, or tastes of our membership. Even so, plenty of places are shouting that to-go is profitable. I wonder if they are being honest about ancillary spending, impulse buys, and the power of suggestive selling from service staff during a dine-in experience.
We thrive on the energy of others which is why we are wiling to wait in line for a great restaurant that is packed. Could we dine in off-house to avoid the wait? Sure. But what’s fun about dining alone or with a scattering of people? Energy is built through noise, pace, and atmosphere. Add alcohol, and you have the making of a Broadway play. People want experiences.
Humans are not used to being solitary individuals. We need engagement. Only fifteen percent of communication is verbal. To-go doesn’t offer same experience of dine-in. And that experience is a big part of what differentiates us.
Great waitstaff uniquely shepherd the member through the menu, offering details around how or where the product was sourced and prepared. Then we layer in the talents of the chef and his team, the smell of food cooking, and the ambiance of the clubhouse. These are elements we can’t recreate via Zoom or Google Meet, no matter how hard we try.
Yet, this is what we now have to navigate. What parts of the “old” normal fit into the “new” normal? How do we give our members a unique experience?
The Union Club will reopen following all the restrictions from the CDC, state and city authorities, and while the act of dining will return, we have much to consider about the road ahead. Here’s what won’t go away: fresh, clean-cut flowers, crisp linen changed after each diner, shined silver, polished glasses, and perfectly printed menus. We could have certainly removed the risk on all of these but then the club is no different than the diner across the road—just more expensive.
This is one of the biggest reasons COVID-19 has been so daunting to classical dining establishments. It is the fine-tuning of service, the detail and touch-points that might be, or could be valued out for safety. If they go away and that becomes the norm, what separates the club from the food truck?
The silver lining in all of this is that at the end of the day the reason to be a part of a club is to be with others, and I’m confident we will gather in the future. We will work to bring back some normalcy. But until then, we must give the members what they want, how they want it, and be extra careful to share with them how health and wellness are front and center.