Michael Matarazzo, CEC, Executive Chef of Farmington CC, offers a behind-the-scenes look at FCC’s coronavirus response. He also shares insights into how the industry will become stronger as a result of current challenges.
It is no secret that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has done—and continues to do—irreparable damage to the hospitality industry. Chefs and foodservice staffs everywhere are taking a big hit financially and so it has become more important than ever before for us to find new and different ways to reach our members and guests.
Fortunately, we chefs tend to be fairly versatile. To put it into Liam Neeson’s terms, “We have a particular set of skills.”
Those skills stretch well beyond cooking. Two of the more prominent skills that club chefs have are the ability to handle adversity and the ability to create and innovate new experiences for our members and guests. I feel very fortunate to be at Farmington Country Club (Charlottesville, Va.) where our membership and senior management team are both ultra-focused on making sure the staff is taken care of and remains employed during this difficult time. In return for that support and trust, it is our obligation to come up with new and creative ways to keep the membership engaged and continue to provide meaningful experiences that are relevant to this “new normal.”
Our culinary team has been working very hard over the last few weeks, developing menus and concepts that will allow us to serve our membership and staff under a new set of rules. The first move we made was converting our employee meal program, which usually includes a full spread of hot and cold selections served two times per day at two different locations, to a bagged lunch program with a vegan option. We also added an additional non-meat option on Fridays during Lent.
We have started serving grab & go breakfast from our food truck in the mornings and curbside pickup from one of our restaurants for lunch and dinner. In order to make it easier for members to place take out orders, our IT department has launched a mobile ap from our website that enables the member to order their food with just a few clicks on their smart phone. Once the order is complete, the expeditor sends a push notification to the member simply by pressing the ticket displayed on a touch screen in the kitchen.
We have also started a group on Facebook called “Everything Food with The Farmington Chefs.” This platform has created an open forum in which we post videos, recipes, cooking tips, and even broadcast live cooking demonstrations.
In the coming weeks, we will be starting a Family Meal takeout program that will enable members to order complete meals that are ready to heat. We realize that eating “restaurant food” on a daily basis may not fit into people’s desire to eat simple and healthy food so the takeout program will focus more on basic comfort food with plenty of healthy options.
Equally as important as servicing our members, is making sure that we are taking care of our team. Although we are still partially operating and we have not been forced to lay off any employees, there has been a significant reduction in the hours that we are able to provide. Knowing that this could prove to be a financial burden on a large population of staff, the culinary team pulled together a number of different meals and various grocery items and invited the entire staff to pick up items for home, free of charge.
Despite all of the negatives associated with our current situation, it is important that we focus on what we have today and the positives that are sure to result in the end. The level of communication within our operation is higher than it has ever been. Department heads are meeting once or twice a week to discuss new ideas and keep each other informed on what is happening in our respective areas. We are working together and more closely than ever, sharing ideas, learning new methods of digital communication and marketing, and building new systems that will likely live on for many years to come.
Over the last few weeks, I have seen many clubs around the country coming together in similar ways and implementing their own creative and exciting ideas which I believe leads to a bigger message.
It is amazing what we can accomplish when we are forced to think outside the box and work together. It makes you realize how complacent we sometimes get with the day-to-day when things are always going as planned. Perhaps “crisis mode” holds some hidden secrets that lead to progress and education. Perhaps this is some sort of forced evolution that helps us realize our full potential. As healthcare professionals around the world are working tirelessly to develop cures and vaccines for the Coronavirus, we too should be working hard to create our own. Cures for our procedures and systems and vaccines in the form of new habits that will undoubtedly make us immune to complacency and contentment in the future.
The rebirth is possible, nice article Mike and many good points.
It will take a long time for a rebirth and not so much for everyone.
We are fortunate but the top clubs live in a bubble somewhat.
The community clubs with many houses and members on site that need to be fed
gives us opportunity in this challenging time to rise to the occasion and keeps our people working which is awesome.
The profession and our industry, restaurants, hotels, resorts are in big trouble.
Over 1.2 million have lost jobs so far. The majority of clubs and those without communities are suffering and many chefs, cooks; FOH staff are out of work and many not being paid. There are so many clubs in the country and some as we know far different from the majority from membership numbers, financials and status. I know three club chefs up North who have laid off their staff and the club cannot pay anything. The road ahead will be long and tough.
The rebirth for us is that are fortunate to still work serve, show our members our character and teamwork in this time of uncertainty. Yes, we are here and make things happen and pleasing people through our food and hospitality in a time of need.
Clubs that have the resources to pay, to have staff working, providing food and stepping up to the plate is great and is to be commended.
That said so many do not have that opportunity, had to close doors and will not the financials to recover as some of us will be able to.
Let us be grateful, still do as Mike says share those skill sets, but let us not forget our colleagues and all parts of the industry who are not as fortunate. The culinary and hospitality family is all of us.