Lynbrook Golf Club has always contracted the management of their restaurant to an outside company, but this year the board of directors decided the club should give-it-a-go themselves.
Ray Wareham, general manager at the Lynbrook, said that the learning curve for the restaurant was steep, but things are going well.
“I’ve had pretty much zero experience in doing it; but we’ve had a lot of support and help,” Wareham said. “It’s been pretty good here to start the season off, so we’re happy.”
Deniel Erskine has been hired to manage the restaurant. She’s been working since mid-April to iron out the wrinkles and establish a smooth routine.
Her priority, she said, has been to keep the regulars happy and avoid disruptions. Management challenges have included finding an acceptable Point of Sale (POS) vendor to manage payments, streamlining inventory ordering, and training new staff such as cooks and servers.
Now that the season is underway and things are going well, Erskine said that she and Wareham are interested in planning more events and innovating to improve the restaurant and the atmosphere of the club.
“We’re working on some of those things,” Erskine said. “New ideas, like I wanted to bring the beer cart out again and … we’re going to do a Father’s Day brunch. We did a Mother’s Day brunch and it went over wonderful, so, you know, things like that.”
The beer cart is out consistently now on Wednesdays and Saturdays and, of course, for tournaments. Erskine noted that they also offer on-course catering for their membership.
“We’re cash-only out there, but … if someone wants a snack, or a drink, or sandwich, we’re absolutely available to take that out to them.”
An especially lucky break for the restaurant was retaining John Soika as head chef. Soika has been cooking for the Lynbrook for nearly 10 years and has established a beloved menu that Erskine said they wouldn’t dream of messing with.
“People know it off by heart,” she laughed. “We actually have a Bobwich, which is named after one of our regulars because he ordered it so often.”
“We’ve been polling members to get some ideas from them on what they would like to see,” Wareham said. “I like to interact and get their opinions on things.
Some of the regulars have been here for a very long time, so I appreciate their input.
“Deniel and John have been a huge help over in the kitchen for me. And my pro shop staff on the other side of things, they’ve been fantastic. So, we’re just trying to keep everybody out golfing and happy.”
