CHAPTER 15

MATTEO DAFINA

The first thing Tuesday morning, at the golf club, John started to do research.  He needed a better understand of the golf course’s market and how to approach it.  

First, he Googled all the competing golf courses within a hundred miles.  On a spread sheet, he recorded their fees, what they offered golfers and what the golfers had to say in their reviews about the courses.  It was important that he understand his competitors.  On another spread sheet, he recorded all the hotels, with over a hundred rooms, within an hour drive of his golf course. He wanted them to refer their guests to his course. In a third spread sheet, he recorded all large businesses, associations, and government departments within a two-hour drive of the golf course. The next step would be to contact each and determine whether they held annual golf tournaments for their employees.

At noon, he stopped his research.  It was time to meet with the managers. The greatest potential for increased revenues and effective cost cutting, was in the restaurants.  John started with the food and beverage manager.  He phoned and asked him to come to his office.

The manager’s name was Matteo Dafina. John heard his gentle knock on the apartment door.  When he opened it, Matteo gave him a big smile.  He was short and corpulent, in his early forties. They made their way to john’s office. When they sat facing each other across his desk, John asked him, “If you owned those restaurants downstairs, what changes would you make?” He then stared at Matteo.

Matteo started off enthusiastically, “Mister Powell.”  

John held up his hand to stop him and interjected, “Mister Powell was my father. Please call me Raymond or Ray.  We will be working together as a team.”

“OK Ray. I thought about it over the weekend.   To cut down the number of employees, I propose that we close the snack bar.  It hasn’t made money in years.  On each of its two shifts, we employ a fast order cook, a helper, a cashier, two waitresses and a busboy.  Not being in the same building, it has always been hard for me to supervise them.”

“How will the members react? 

“The women are all health conscious and don’t eat the greasy French fries and hamburgers being offered there.  They also give their husbands a hard time about eating such unhealthy food.”

“Where will the golfers now go for lunch?”  

“Into the main club house.  What I propose doing, is creating three restaurants, inside the main building, all served by one kitchen.  Where the bar is now, I now propose we add in steam tables and refrigerator tables.  We will serve the food cafeteria style.”

“That seems a bit basic?”

“Not the way I want to do it.  My speciality is fine Italian cooking.  Each day the hot table will offer three types of pasta, a risotto, grilled fish, chicken, pork, veal and vegetables.  The cold table will offer salads to which we can add a choice of sliced chicken breasts, tuna and mixed seafood.  My objective is to provide healthy delicious meals for less than ten dollars. Beverages and deserts would be extra. With a little advertising, we will attract more than golfers.  Oh, yes, I almost forgot, we will also need a pizza oven.  Everyone loves pizza.”

“Pizza’s aren’t very healthy.”

“True, but I can make them so delicious that they will forget that they aren’t good for them.”  

“The golf course now advertises itself as being restricted to members.  How do you get more customers in your three restaurants?”

“Yes, the membership restriction turns off any potential customers who might want to come here just to eat.  While this Italian eatery would be open to the public, I propose that we also have an exclusive, up scale, dining room - just for those willing to commit to the annual membership. That would keep our existing members from cancelling.”

“Would that be one of the three dining rooms you propose?”

“Yes, while the Italian restaurant would be nice, it would not be special.  The member’s dining room would be special, with its steak, lobster, white linen table clothes, crystal, fine silverware, flowers on the table, candles in the evening, tasteful paintings on the walls and thick carpets. Only a member’s key card would allow access to it.  The snobs will love that you must be a member to get in.  It will increase golf membership.  Some will join, just to gain access to this restaurant and never set foot on the golf course.”

“What about the third room?”

“This would be the large room where we now hold the golf banquets, large meetings and weddings.  I also propose building a large patio, just outside the banquet room that can be entered through the French doors at the back of room or from the banquet room. It wouldn’t cost much to build.”

“Wouldn’t the two new restaurants you propose cut into this banquet’s floor space? Don’t we need the banquet room to be as large a possible to get the  big golf tournaments?

“We do but we might have to sacrifice having large tournaments.”

“Maybe not. I’ve got an idea that will open more space for you. Let me get back to you later this afternoon. Oh, yes, that sign in the hallway, seems like something left over from the dark ages. It is almost insulting.  Can you get someone to take it down?  We want to attract new members not chase them away.”

“Some of the long-time members many do not renew their membership if we take it down.”

“How many elderly members have died in the last year?

 “A dozen.” 

“How many members in their twenties have joined in that year?”

“Two or three?”

“Why is that?”

“Well, taking out a membership is expensive for a young person. The initiation fee, the annual fee and the monthly minimum food charges, are significant. Younger players raised on video games find golf too slow.  It isn’t much fun with all its rules and its chauvinistic atmosphere. I read somewhere, that for these younger players, it is the wife who makes the final major purchase decisions. You would wonder what selfish incentives; she would need to have before she would approve a golf membership for her husband.  The old fogies have their clique. They aren’t very accepting of new members.  I understand that few new members, renew for a second year.”

“Now, do you see why that sign must come down and why we need to make changes that will make this club attractive to young couples?  Your ideas on the restaurant changes are great.  I can see the wives, of the younger new members, enjoying lunch in the Italian restaurant and dinner in the exclusive dining room.  Can you put it all in writing and give me some preliminary costing?  Could you also let me know when we could start and how long it would take to make the changes?  How much time do you need to write it up?”

“I’ll work on it for the rest of the day and finish it tonight when I get home.”

John stood.  This was Matteo’s signal that their meeting was over. John phoned the golf pro and asked Andrew Brown to join him.