maybe you guys can help?

had this on the catering forum as I am a caterer and only belong to this club I use to be gm's of many companies so here it is:This is off topic but it's driving me nuts. I belong to a private club and our steward who is responsible for all F/b is running terrible numbers everytime I bring it up at a board meeting which we had last night again I get shot down. They put their head in the sand. we are running 38% for Bev consitently and 48% for food we serve grill food 6 days a week and friday fish which is mostly deep fried perch, haddock and grouper. This is not gorumet by any means They are priced high average ticket is 15.00pp and we are not getting too much food as I see i compared to other fish frys in the area and they are charging less. My feeling is it is going out the back door of course our board would NEVER believe that. Our ave. bottle of wine our cost is 7.00 we sell it for 5.00 a glass so as you can see we should make money? You have all been there what would you say?? I would start with weekly inventories with a bord member present . Oh also no POS system just a cash register. Thanks I would love to hear what you think? last month food was 77% excuse was a bill came in late from month before?

No I am not on the board my husband is the Commodore of the board and asks me frequently yet I feel it goes on deaf ears. You are right the Club Steward who in this case is the GM is dating a board member, And has been for many years, the excuses are always lame and I try and give my husband amo back like for instance a late invoice to put food cost at 77% well in todays world who is sending out a late invoice in that kind of dollar to make food costs jump that high? also; well we had 5 pay periods this month? well then we had an extra week of sale? I asked this qustion so I could copy and paste responses to my husband so he doesn't think I am just "picking" on our steward but that these ARE not acceptable numbers in the industry. So thanks for all your replies. I do know as a GM and would have fired her a year ago but they just allow it to continue, If you ask what a perch plate cost you get the deer in the headlight look and then a well... and a number she has no idea how to food cost I have offered many times to teach her but she would rather not. I remember one night a member did a spagehtthi dinner they wanted me to write something up in a mass email I called to ask what the price should be? she said well....6.00? I said for a salad, entree bread and glass of wine? she says yea sure? now where the heck did that come from? the hip? there is no accounatbility. And as for being Just a member we have to be concerned our club is not making money and yet is busy all the time? last month bar sales alone were 14,100.00 and food was 6000 bottom line was 1000.with no big hit in R&M 300.00 Our membership is roughly 300 so as a member I would like to know where my dollar is going if not in improvements or capital improvements then where? out the back door or trips all over the us and Mexico? anyways Thanks again.

Thanks you finally people who understand me it's strictly social and we are suppose to do quartley audit per our by laws they have NOT been done in years and when they where done something was found that made a member who's wife did them quit she said she would NOT sign her name to it and risk losing her accounting liscense. It's scarey and I think our board could get in trouble if our membership would attend more meetings the problem is no one understands food and bev, cost but a handful of us in fact our board for the longest time thought the higher the better??? so the saga continues.

Wish I could another stupid bylaw one vote for each boat so in reality my husband is the member unless I by a boat:) I am the spouse so I am a nobody:mad:

To be honest if I could I would close it down for a week fire the entire staff re-hire under new terms and TRAINNING and see what happens but boy that would shake up our little world too much! In this economy there are too many good people available and we have a lot of garbage that could get thrown out. Our staff thinks they run the joint and we should feel privliged to be served by them:) I hang out there as little as possible cause it's just not enjoyable.

Your right Ed the night I was writing I was so frustrated and it eats at me every meeting and the saga just continues I have taken this advice though and showed it to some older members as it is NOT just coming from me but other professionals. So maybe at the annual meeting in Jan. the board will answer to the ?'s at hand Thanks