An "Exclusively For The Private Club Field" quarterly survey held in July 1997 revealed that 38% of the clubs have started a breakfast menu or otherwise promoted activities during this particular meal period. The majority involved new or radically modified breakfast services/products. Most indicated they were doing so to meet the competition . . . both from other clubs and from commercial establishments. However, most were "pushed" into the market. Breakfasts can be a high profit items if sufficient volume is reached, but most clubs are not dealing with a large enough market to attain the necessary sales. Yet many accepted the challenge because as one executive stated, "If you have to provide the service, you might just as well push it as much as possible. Higher volume will at least reduce the size of your losses." Successful areas/products of promotion are as follows.

• Breakfast business meetings can be a great source. Being a business expense, the member will more likely accept a minimum sale price, particularly when it includes the cost of the meeting room.
• Capitalizing on the demand for more and different early morning foods, many clubs are encouraging buffets. This allows them to provide quick service with reduced labor costs.
• Many are encouraging informal service/foods and low sale prices for Saturday and Sunday with the theory being that the members are going to be at the club sometime during the weekend, why not encourage attendance for one more function that will produce revenue?
• Having the member walk into the kitchen to place an order on an informal order line drastically reduces labor costs and gives the chef an opportunity to show off his clean kitchen and efficient help.

All of the above have resulted in new menu items, just a few of which are as follows.

• Low priced kiddies menus with miniature pancakes, sausage on a stick, and breakfast French fries get the kids out and Mom and Dad are sure to follow.
• Upgrading menus allows a higher entree price while providing something different. Switch from scrambled eggs to Southwestern eggs . . . . from pancakes to Sicilian Fruit Fritters . . . . replace fried donuts with Sapodillas.
• Part of a breakfast promotion in one club involved serving complimentary Orange Julius drinks in the locker room, at the pool and on the first tee. Just a touch of the unusual that didn’t cost all that much, but encouraged the member to bring his/her guest out to the club for breakfast prior to a day at the pool or on the golf course.
• Soup for breakfast? Certainly was unusual and an eye opener (excuse the pun) item stolen from a resort hotel by one manager. Recipe: use a blender on bananas, cream and cinnamon. Serve in chilled crystal glass and top with croutons and a single large ripe strawberry.
• Cottage cheese hot cakes provide a light, but different, type of egg dish. Separate the yokes and whites of an egg. Beat egg whites until stiff and the yolks until thick. Stir cottage cheese into the yolk mixture along with a bit of flour. Fold in the whipped whites and drop on a hot griddle. Turn when brown and serve with a dab of sour cream and raspberry preserve.