The Manager's Desk
April 23, 2013: Thank you to all those who attended the recent EYC Town Hall Membership Meeting. The lively conversation was both candid and informative and helped lay the foundation for the upcoming presentations and the club’s way forward.
Much of the conversation was centered around the club’s finances as well as discussion about menu preferences. As you might imagine these items are closely related and the guiding decisions can often seem subjective. The reality is that while there is a fair amount of subjectivity involved in these type of decisions, the objectivity cannot be denied. At the end of the day a solid bottom line and member satisfaction is reality. This is the goal and how we get there can certainly be argued … and was!
One of the more difficult challenges in all clubs is meeting the wants and desires of a diverse membership. How one member views his or her club can often be the polar opposite of how another member may feel. This is particularly challenging when a club such as ours undergoes a significant change such as a renovation or expansion. Some will see the change as an opportunity to expand the services of the club while others may want to do whatever they can to maintain the history and culture of the club that brought them to this point. Striking a balance between these two is where the rubber hits the road.
Club services such as dining may be approached in a variety of different ways. When the initial planning commenced for the opening of the new clubhouse the Board challenged the management team to improve the dining services of the club and be prepared to provide for record member usage.
What this means can be interpreted in a variety of different ways. We understood it to mean the food would be fresher and prepared in a fashion that would highlight the ingredients while taking advantage of local merchants to support of our local economy. It also meant that we should be staffed in such a manner to ensure that a lack of personnel would not affect expected levels of service.
At this juncture both of these items are a reality. The club is experiencing record sales and the membership seems to be voting “with their feet.” Our food and beverage numbers are exceeding expectations and what we believed to be very optimistic income projections all while expenses and labor are tracking very close to preliminary projections.
I burned my socks a couple days ago but boy I could still use them today! OK, so it doesn’t quite feel like spring yet but perhaps by the time you are reading this article Maryland weather will have been true to form and changed dramatically. Should that be the case, that means that we will have the pleasure of enjoying one of our most anticipated parts of our new clubhouse, the exterior deck.
Internally our staff is preparing for what we are calling the “second grand opening” since we expect a significant increase in the level of member usage. As we brace for what we hope will be record levels of member clubhouse usage we are doing our best to anticipate the volume of business and prepare our staffing and internal systems accordingly.
February 1, 2013: Looking out the window I can’t help but enjoy the picturesque white blanket of snow on our new clubhouse. Unfortunately this is tempered by the fact that some of that snow resides upon construction equipment still working on the final stages of our renovation project. The weather now dictates what can and can’t be done in our parking lot but the warm weather that appears to be approaching will enable the contractors to apply concrete where the current gravel resides.
Despite the slow progress on the exterior we are thrilled to be finalizing the punch list on the interior items. Dining room light fixtures to enable dimming and sound deadening in the bar are among the larger items that are still on the list but we should see resolution in the not-too-distant future. We welcome your comments and feedback as we go forward and hope the choices that are being made reflect the desires of our diverse membership.
Menu Update
I am very proud and happy to say that out kitchen staff is doing a terrific job developing the new skill sets required to produce our new local farm fresh menu. As I have noted we have been changing our menus frequently to accommodate the learning curve as well as “break in” our new kitchen. We are coming to the conclusion of this transition and we now look forward to a new mode of menu design.
Simply put, our menu will regularly be taking advantage of the freshest ingredients available. This dictates more regular modifications to the menu. We will continue to identify member favorites and have a portion of the menu that appeals to those who are creatures of habit and love that one item that they can’t get anywhere else. We also have heard your requests for some of the old standards and they will be making an appearance as well.
March 1, 2013: By the time this goes to print we should have a fully paved parking lot…finally normal parking at EYC will be restored! We are excited and proud to have a fully permeable surface that is environmentally friendly. Water will flow right through the surface into the soil below thus keeping the water out of the Bay and therefore protecting our indigenous wildlife.
You will notice this theme throughout our new clubhouse and beyond. Our menu focuses on fresh local ingredients source from farmers and watermen in and around the Chesapeake Bar, our marina oyster reef helps sustain and perpetuate our little filter systems and of course our clubhouse will be recycling and addresses environmental savings in a wide variety of ways. Think globally, eat locally … at the most unique yacht club on the bay!
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
January 1, 2013: 2013 is here and we ring in the new year with the next step in the evolution of our little club that could. As we all grow more comfortable in our new clubhouse we are reminded of the rich and colorful history of EYC and what brought us to this point.
Yes, the beautiful new building is certainly an obvious indicator of how far we have come but I would say the character of our membership is what should be celebrated as we look back on 2012 and beyond into the future. I challenge our membership to maintain the clear sense of identity and camaraderie that has been the trademark of EYC since is inception.
More Articles...
EYC Master Calendar
| Full Moon Sat May 25 |
| Wye River Cruise (w/ MRSA & CBC) Sat May 25 @ 8:00AM - 05:00PM |
| Family Fun Day Sun May 26 @ 8:00AM - 08:00PM |
| Memorial Day Mon May 27 |
| Tuesday Sunset Paddleboarding Tue May 28 @ 5:30PM - 08:00PM |
| Special Events Committee Tue May 28 @ 7:00PM - 08:00PM |
| Windy Wednesday Happy Hour Wed May 29 @ 4:30PM - 06:00PM |
| EYC Foundation Wed May 29 @ 6:30PM - 08:00PM |
| Outside Event (Waterfront Lawn) Fri May 31 @12:30PM - 03:00PM |
| Beer Can Series 1, Race 4 Fri May 31 @ 6:30PM - 08:00PM |