Adam Minicucci, Executive Chef of The Country Club of North Carolina, shares how he and the club carefully navigated a major renovation in the midst of a pandemic.
Any kind of large-scale interior refurbishment at a club is a high-priority and ‘all-hands-on-deck’ project.
So, as part of The Country Club of North Carolina’s overall master plan, a major dining room renovation occurred during the challenge of working during a global pandemic and the F&B staff was a critical component in making sure the re-opening happened seamlessly.
This endeavor had been targeted for quite some time and in addition to the new dining room, the project includes a new casual bar area, an updated member lounge, enlarged and enhanced outdoor dining terraces, and upgraded locker rooms. As the project neared completion in late 2020, we looked at the calendar and determined early December would be a fantastic time to re-open to the membership.
While the COVID-19 pandemic certainly slowed the construction work, we were able to work successfully with our contractors to complete the work within the calendar year. After completion, we implemented a nearly week-long “boot camp” for our staff, which was conducted after Thanksgiving. The culmination of the work was a socially distanced launch party for the new space on December 9, followed by regular a la carte service the next day.
The COVID-19 pandemic, as has impacted all clubs and has forced us to be more creative and nimbler with our day-to-day operations. Along with takeout and delivery meals, we offered grocery items, held numerous drive-thru BBQ days, and created meal kits with instructions for members to make at home. We quickly transitioned from a primarily sit-down service restaurant into a convenience/grocery store, fast food drive-thru, and UberEATS-like delivery service all in one.
It was much the same with the renovation as we knew we would always have to be planning several steps ahead. With supply chains in doubt, we could not take little items for granted. I’m a real ‘details’ guy, so I requested that each reporting department supply a list of needs as well as a specific detailed breakdown of weekly and daily preparations and it had to include everything they could think of. We have approximately seven departments and 65-70 staff involved directly in the re-opening, so this was quite an undertaking.
To emphasize my attention to details, we made sure we took tons of photos of the ‘build’ as it was happening — before the sheetrock went up (a tip I got from my home building upgrades). We know what is behind the walls and where the studs are so if we need to make any future adjustments, we are accurate, and it is easy to follow any remodeling that might occur.
The two-segment boot camp – three days of one-on-one training and three days of soft openings – was a success and was the keystone building block for the re-opening.
This was truly a team effort and in addition to the planning and operational focus I put on the project, I realized there was a good way to contribute individually. One of the new programs I oversee and am excited to launch is the addition of a ‘Wine Society’ and our brand-new wine lockers. I am lucky to have a good network of former colleagues who operate wine programs at their clubs and have picked their brains for some of the do’s and don’ts.
As for the menu, we are locked into our club demographics and we will need to balance the ‘wow’ factor with the ‘tried and trues.’ In our new bar in the dining room, for example, we will need to have more pub-type suggestions based on the clientele, which is more of the 30s-40s crowd.
The beauty of the new space is highlighted by an assortment of work from local artists and is a wonderful enhancement to a club that is already steeped in a North Carolina legacy of feeling at home away from home.
