Industry-Wide Club Dining Survey: Learning From Members How to Drive Dining Success
Of all club offerings today, dining is most important and most challenging in getting right. While dining may not be the most important reason members join, it is the most important reason for member retention. Dining at clubs today has the most positive impact in driving overall club satisfaction. It pays to get it right.
McMahon has surveyed over two thousand clubs in our 39 years of club service, and we have found club dining in need of a special membership survey on how to drive dining success.
- Over 70% of clubs we survey have dining deficiencies.
- Over 90% of club members want their club to be one of their 4 or 5 favorite everyday places to dine, but only 46% of members say it actually is.
Thus the need for getting serious about having good, consistent food (not gourmet) at a person’s club.
McMahon Group with other well respected culinary and financial consultants are offering club managers a targeted dining survey for their members to provide input on their own club’s dining program so managers can compare their club’s results with McMahon’s National Club Database on Dining.
We Need Your Help
In delivering this type of club dining survey, McMahon is asking managers for help in determining what information they and their culinary teams need to help each club improve its own dining program.
The proposed dining survey would be sent electronically to each adult member, would have a standard questionnaire design with one write-in question specifically targeted for just that club, would have results for each club compared to the national database, would have all clubs’ specific results kept private and would be done annually. The survey cost per club would be under $2900. Anyone interested in participating in such a dining survey should please contact McMahon today by clicking here or emailing info@mcmahongroup.com.
About Christian W. Coulter, CCM, ECM
Chris joined The McMahon Group after 35 years in private club management, spanning 2 continents and 2 islands. Chris provides consulting services for strategic planning, membership surveys, facility improvement programs, and general consulting expertise on club needs. In addition, Chris also provides specialty consulting in operations, buyouts, capital fundraising, facility conditions and membership.
Prior to joining The McMahon Group, Chris served as the CEO of The Westmoor Club, Nantucket – a Platinum club. Prior, Chris served 20 seasons as the General Manager of Bald Peak Colony Club, a seasonal private club on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee in the lakes region of New Hampshire. Prior to that, he held senior management positions with St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco – the largest yacht club in the world, Boodles of London – one of the oldest and most established city clubs, and the Harvard Club of Boston – a Platinum alumni club.
Chris earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, earned his CCM designation in 1999, was awarded the ECM designation in 2001. He is an active contributor and prominent leader in the industry having served on the CMAA New England Chapter Board and multiple CMAA National Committees.
Chris is married to his college sweetheart and best friend, Jennifer, and together they have 3 daughters, Sarah, Hannah and Abby. When not working, Chris enjoys the outdoors in New Hampshire and producing boutique maple syrup, as well as rooting on his beloved Red Sox and Patriots.
