Matthew Hagnauer, Assistant General Manager of the Dormie Network’s Victoria National Golf Club, uses this important data point to identify opportunities for improvement.
Data is everywhere. Sometimes its like a junk drawer: you might find a useful tool in there, but you’ll likely find it next to a lot of useless items.
What if I told you every aspect of your club has one single data point that can reveal opportunities to not only improve sales but also—and more importantly—improve member satisfaction?
It’s called the ratio index and we find that it is essential to success here at Victoria National Golf Club (Newburgh, Ind.).
One of the most important ratios is the all-mighty dessert-to-guest ratio. By comparing these two numbers, we can come to multiple conclusions that can better position us for growth.
First, this ratio helps us identify the quality of our dessert offerings. For some clubs, desserts are nothing more than an afterthought, but here, they are our last impression on our member. (For argument’s sake, desserts will includes coffee, tea, sweets and dessert cocktails.)
Based on that ratio, we are be able to see if our servers are closing out tables correctly and present for every step of service. We can see if our servers are delivering entrees then clearing and dropping the check or if are they circling back to present desserts and other after-dinner options.
Every operation will have a different baseline when comparing these two numbers, but its is a starting point that can help to address service standards, dessert quality and opportunity and/or sales left on the table. This would not be the only area you could use the ratio index. A pro-shop would benefit from a similar analysis same for cottage stays and the like.
I believe that by using ratios, we can find true growth opportunities in our clubs and specifically in our F&B operations. When we better understand that analyzing data doesn’t just help sales, but improves service, we all come out ahead. We must focus on hospitality and use the tools in our toolbox to improve in every way possible.
