Why Empathy and Resilience Are Critical Right Now

Edward Leonard, CMC, Director of Culinary Operations and Executive Chef at The Polo Club of Boca Raton (Fla.), believes the road ahead will be turbulent, but that chefs are resilient and will innovate in the face of uncertainty.

The coronavirus challenge demands pragmatic thinking from all businesses and leaders.

The only consistency is change and a call to action or a call for stillness. None of us know what the future holds. We all have ideas, opinions and perspectives and, in most cases, sharing these thoughts can be helpful. It will give all of us food for thought as we navigate these uncharted waters.

Many of us think and act based on the demographics of the club where we work. Resident clubs and resorts have different obligations than freestanding clubs and resorts or public clubs or city clubs. My experience at The Polo Club of Boca Raton (Fla.) will be significantly different than that for a small, private club in the midwest or a busy golf-only resort on the west coast.

It is wonderful to see what other clubs are doing and how they are each rising to the challenges they face with clever programs and innovative service styles. Many chefs have thought well beyond the typical scope to get things done and to continue to serve their members.

Here at Polo, we have 1,704 houses and over 3,000 members. The option to close was no option at all. We had to continue to provide culinary services. This forced us to figure out how to continue doing what we do, minimizing the risk and serving our members the quality they expect.

We jumped into full action. We started providing to-go dinners from two of the club’s restaurants. We made the entire menu available, even sushi. We created a marketplace that did over $26,000 on its first day. We’ve been doing 300-400 to-go dinners each night, too.

Then we (or me, because I wasn’t thinking sanely) decided to offer specials. We hosted a Tuesday bucket night with fried chicken (and we got crushed). We started offering a pizza night, then Italian family nights in addition to the regular menus. Our Sunday brunch went from a buffet to a la carte to packed to-go.

The culinary and F&B teams here at Polo hav supported each of these initiatives with vigor. They have worked tireless to bring ideas and initiatives to life. We are still is going strong, even after doing over 900+ Passover dinners on the eighth of April, with packed to-go sedar plates.

I am trying to approach this situation as a new strategic initiative. We are facing huge execution challenges. This forces us to innovate, execute and ensure teamwork prevails. This is our call to duty.

The industry as a whole will not be the same for a long time after this crisis subsides. Yes, we are club and resort centric, and we are impacted differently than other segments of foodservice. But what happens outside the gates drives and influences what we all do inside our clubhouses.

As a chef who has worked in many sectors of hospitality, I feel for the restaurants, hotels, small bakeries and cafés who have had to lay off their teams and close their doors. Even corporate chef jobs will take a hit, even after things reopen.

Many clubs will not be the same on the other side of this. So many of our colleagues have had to release staff with no pay and are not in a position to provide services to members. For many, this time has been devastating and filled with uncertainty.

I’m humbled and blessed to be at a property where we can continue to innovate and serve our members. I am thankful that my team and I work for a club that needs and counts on us to provide access to food, and is still generating income, which helps ensure everyone gets paid.

On April 8th, I lost a friend and longtime colleague to complications from the coronavirus. His name was Jerry Reveron and he was a chef from Connecticut. I was the fortunate to give Jerry his first culinary start. He was a great person and a passionate chef. He will be deeply missed by many, myself included.

Every day this continues, I will continue to plan and move forward. The only constant is that things are evolving rapidly and changing daily. And that unexpected news can have deeply emotional impacts, like Jerry’s passing.

I believe more changes will play out for us in the all sectors of hospitality, but especially in clubs and resorts.

As leaders, we must use the lessons we’ve learned during the disruption caused by this virus to improve our standard operating practices, revisit staffing levels, and examine how we operate. Consider if there is a place for to-go as a viable business move. Evaluate whether we captured member locality by providing service at a challenging time and delivering. Learning drives innovation. It makes us better prepared to deal with and mitigate crises. It will help us in the days, weeks and months ahead.

Perhaps the safety net of a membership-based operation will drive even more business for us when the threat starts to subside. I think clubs in-season and even those not in-season will see members flock to our doors. Travel overseas will be less likely and dining out will be done so with great caution. The club can be a safe haven for members and opportunity for us to take care of them.

Members may appreciate their club more because they have missed what they took for granted. With every negative, there are positives and challenges. The commercial sector will fight to rebound. Deals and packages will try to lure the public back into their venues. We will have to compete and meet the challenges presented to us.

There will be more innovation and new standards set from all the lessons learned during this time, which will help us grow and create a better member experience. But being financially attentive and responsible will be more important than ever before. No one will be the same after this.

I wish everyone safety and good health. Be proud of what you are able to do. Have empathy for those in foodservice segments who are not as fortunate to have the resources or foundation to share some success in the times we are now facing. Mentor and assist colleagues on how to open again when that time comes. Share your thoughts, concepts and menus for the greater good of the industry.

In the end, we will rebound. Chefs and those in foodservice are resilient and have tenacity. Members and guest always need to eat. They will eventually go back to celebrating events and I am hopeful a new appreciation and kindness will emerge for all we do. This will make the club and resort industry even more special than it is now—and was before.