Where Have All The Chefs Gone?

Quite apart from all the trials and travails that golf clubs are currently facing with news of yet more course closures, another problem has arisen.

Food and beverage operations are suffering from a shortage of chefs.

COVID, with its restrictions of trading led to a huge downturn in the need for the services of chefs and whilst some come back into the fold, a large number of them found solace in stocking shelves at Aldi’s or driving delivery vehicles both of which enabled them to have a less stressful and frantic lifestyle – and weekends off!

Does the industry expect too much from our culinary conniseurs? Do we pay them enough? Do we provide them with opportunities for expansion and creativity?

All good questions and certainly the main causes of the issues golf clubs are facing today regarding their food offering.

I recently had a client who called me to say that his executive chef, who was  earning 85K a year, had suggested that, unless the salary was raised to 100K he would be leaving! It was tempting to tell the client to call his bluff, but the truth of the matter is I have no doubt whatsoever that this exec chef would be able to find a new position elsewhere for the truth of the matter, as my experience tells me is that, in the area of salaries, chefs are increasingly holding the whip hand leaving clubs to face an increase in the amount they have budgeted for for wage payments.

Your club may have fallen foul of this scenario, and you may have parted company with your chef, which is fine if you can find someone to replace them and their skill sets,[possibly from within the existing ranks] without disrupting the standards expected by your members.

I am interested to note that a number of clubs are now offering stress management sessions to their staff and very often, chefs are at the very top of the “food chain” [excuse the pun]. Cheffing can be stressful we all know that be it famine or feast due to the intense pressure of summertime trading [manic] and the quieter months of winter [some courses closing for two to three months]. We must be careful to manage that, and close attention needs to be given to providing suitable cover to chef during these busy periods.

Will any pay rises play havoc with the years planned budget? Quite possibly, but when you weigh up the cost of losing the chef and subsequent recruiting costs and possibly loss of trade, it may be a price worth paying.

 If you think I’m being soft on chefs you underestimate me. Those of you that know me know that, over the years I have had some titanic battles with chefs who make unreasonable demands, particularly in the area of “we  need an extra pair of hands in the kitchen”. No you don’t – you need to pull your weight, stop sitting in your office playing on the laptop and sort out your rotas so that you are not absent for functions and weekends!

The vast majority of golf clubs’ chefs are hardworking and worthy of their corn, but does your club need a chef in the first place?

 I’ve seen many examples of golf clubs that provide the staple diet of golf clubs being a full English breakfast and a bacon bap, who felt the need to employ an expensive chef at say come up 40K plus a year when, with the menu as described above, all that was needed was a very competent cook at 30K!

The menu will decide which route you need to take.

If your menu is more extensive and complex than the basic offering then of course use the services of a chef with imagination and flair but appreciate that this comes at a pemium.

Two years ago I was looking at a wage percentage for the archetypical golf club of up to 40% [e.g. no exotic menu or event activity]. Now I am expecting to see that figure coming in at 45% or 50%, and those with an event offering topping out at 60%.

 Naturally the high outlays can be recovered by properly priced menus and room charges, but you have to remain competitive in your marketplace, so that even that can be a challenge.

The crux is this – what do you want your food and beverage operation model to look like?

In this day and age, your member’s needs are changing. Their expectations are becoming ever more demanding. As usual members want a five-star food and beverage offering at one-star prices [and with ever increasing members discount levels – see my next article on that].

The strength of your golf club is primarily in the quality of the golf course but you ignore your clubhouse offer at your peril!

The chef has a major role to play in that they can literally make or break the reputation of the clubhouse. Your food and beverage offer must match the quality and reputation of the golf course, so select your chefs carefully and involve them in creating your three-year food and beverage plan whilst ensuring that your club undertakes an in depth food and beverage survey of what it is that your members [especially the 70% of car park golfers you have who do not pay patronise the golf house] want and need.

Tough times ahead – yes but not impossible as I tell my clients and there is always a way to combat each and every cheffing concern you may have about your food and beverage service.