The RCS Hospitality Group Blog for Private Club Consulting

Food Fright

"Food allergies are a potentially fatal medical condition that results in more than 200,000 emergency room visits a year." -Centers for Disease Control Given that statistic it might be surprising to learn that there is no national standardized approach or training requirements for kitchens in dealing with food allergies. Teaching cooks and servers about food preferences or dietary imperatives is a training component mostly left up to individual food and beverage leadership.

Comfort Food

Everyone knows it’s there--somewhere. In the walk in. On the top-left shelf, or right, maybe midway above the milk and cheese, it’s always there: THE TRAY. Either a full or half-sized sheet pan, maybe even a couple of two-inch hotel pans, THE TRAY is where the dribs and drabs of old, once or sometimes even potentially necessary foodstuffs gather to get older. Comingling substances in various vessels from no longer legible or documented dates of origin, they gather in anticipa

Top 10 Ways to Make 2019 the Year You Invest in Your Employees

There’s been a lot of talk around the proverbial “RCS Watercooler” about up and coming trends, and how we can help our customers make 2019 their best year yet. One thing that we keep coming back to is the fact that the best investment a business can make is in their human capital – the employees. Whether that be through morale-boosting opportunities, or simply taking time to ensure their needs are taken care of while on the clock, your employees are the backbone of your club

Provisions: The Perfect Fit

The term “bespoke” is rooted in the verb “discuss”. The word refers to the practice of discussing, arranging or commissioning beforehand in ordering goods or services. Bespoke is primarily known for its centuries-old British tradition of custom made shoes, suits and dresses. The word "bespoke" as applied to fine tailoring, is understood to have originated in the vibrant London district of Mayfair and came to mean a suit measured, cut and made by hand. Customers and patrons wo

Omotenashi: The Spirit of Japanese Hospitality

O-mo-te-na-shi. Some words in foreign languages don't have a simple translation into English, and omotenashi is one of them. The most widely accepted definition is "Japanese hospitality" or "Japanese service". The term gained widespread attention during the bid process to the International Olympic Committee in 2013, and is becoming even more frequently heard in advance of the 2020 Olympics--to be held in Tokyo. The Michelin guide defines omotenashi as: '“Omote” means public f

No Time to Train? Here’s What to Focus On

If you’ve been a regular reader of this blog, by now you know how important we at RCS think training is. We believe that training is a process of continuous learning and development—not just a week at orientation, or a day every quarter. However as many of us are also former club managers, we also know that managers these days are often being asked to do more with less, which sometimes may result in less time to dedicate to training your staff. If you ever find yourself short

Provisions: Cultivating Opportunities with a Wine by the Glass Program

A Service “Blueprint” Helps Build a Great Member Experience

Here’s a familiar sight at every golf club: Long-time members arrive, eager for a relaxing day on the course. Their tee time comes up, and after stopping in the golf shop for their cart reservation, they go out to the first tee to begin their round. They’re cheerfully greeted (by name!) by the staff, led to their cart, which is clean and charged and ready to go, and a great day of golfing begins. It’s precisely this seamless scenario that led them to join this club in the fir

Provisions: How to Handle Special Orders

A well-known bit of fact in Club food and beverage service is that special order requests occur every day, multiple times a day. Special requests often create friction and stress between service staff and back of house, and can bring unintentional discomfort to members and guests who may feel that their request is seen as an inconvenience. Since special requests occur with such frequency, preparing for the inevitable would be a good course in managing them. Chefs never want t

Five Steps to Reaping Rewards of a Strong Service Culture

“If you don’t get culture right, nothing else matters.” John Taft, CEO, RBC Wealth Management The word “culture” has many meanings. For most people, it refers to a community’s shared tastes and values, including things like social norms, music choices, food and fashion preferences, sports loyalties, religious beliefs, and many other mores and customs. Sometimes communities with a shared culture are specific to one particular location; sometimes they exist in many places at on

Whitney Reid Pennell

Founder & President

Whitney Reid Pennell is the founder and president of the award-winning RCS Hospitality Group. She is a published author and widely praised seminar leader, with over 20 years of club operations management and consulting experience.

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Leadership Lounge

RCS Hospitality Group : preparing you for the next generation

Food Fright

Comfort Food

Top 10 Ways to Make 2019 the Year You Invest in Your Employees

Provisions: The Perfect Fit

Omotenashi: The Spirit of Japanese Hospitality

No Time to Train? Here’s What to Focus On

Provisions: Cultivating Opportunities with a Wine by the Glass Program

A Service “Blueprint” Helps Build a Great Member Experience

Provisions: How to Handle Special Orders

Five Steps to Reaping Rewards of a Strong Service Culture

Whitney Reid Pennell

Founder & President

Hospitality Training Online

AFFORDABLE.

CONVENIENT.

INTERACTIVE.

CONSISTENT.

"In this age of virtual worlds, RCSU is ahead of the game."

Michael Fay, CCM, CCE

FREE MONTHLY WEBINARS

quick

informative

valuable

no strings attached

no product pushing

“The RCSU webinars are exceptional sources for actionable and helpful information! I refer to them as “power hours” because they are jam-packed with great content and full of energy and passion for the industry."

Jackie Carpenter, CCM

Private Club Advisor

www.consultingRCS.com // 623.322.0773 // info@consultingRCS.com

Whitney Reid Pennell

Founder & President

​

​

​

Hospitality Training Online

​

AFFORDABLE.

CONVENIENT.

INTERACTIVE.

CONSISTENT.

​

​

"In this age of virtual worlds, RCSU is ahead of the game."

Michael Fay, CCM, CCE

FREE MONTHLY WEBINARS

​

​

quick

informative

valuable

no strings attached

no product pushing

​

​

“The RCSU webinars are exceptional sources for actionable and helpful information! I refer to them as “power hours” because they are jam-packed with great content and full of energy and passion for the industry."

Jackie Carpenter, CCM

Private Club Advisor