Landscapes Golf Management first partnered with Butler’s Golf Course in 2016. The 36-hole facility is nestled outside Pittsburgh on the land where its namesake, John Butler, found oil more than 100 years ago. His descendants still own the facility and searched for a new management partner after years of lackluster results with another management company.
Landscapes quickly identified that, despite previous operators struggling to generate consistent profits, there was an opportunity in food & beverage. The year before partnering with LGM, Butler’s food & beverage department was $44,000 in the red.
One of the first steps for Landscapes was to diagnose the issue. There were reasons to believe that Butler’s had strong food & beverage potential:
- Butler’s is a high-volume, 36-hole facility with tons of traffic
- The local competitive environment was favorable
- Butler’s had dedicated event facilities
- Butler’s had a strong relationship with the community
- Butler’s did not have access to LGM’s focused purchasing program
After a thorough review of historical results, evaluation of staffing, and operating procedures, Landscapes uncovered several areas of opportunity. Food & labor cost controls and inventory management were virtually nonexistent. The organization of the department’s staff was inefficient. The menu had become stale, no longer appealed to local customers, and was poorly priced. Lastly, there were no purchasing controls in place, and no national purchasing power to leverage invoice pricing lower.
The first step was to focus on the team. Landscapes began by identifying a single leader to own the Food & Beverage department. Then, the remaining team members were slotted into roles that maximized their unique skills and strengths. Once the departmental realignment was complete, Landscapes conducted a months-long orientation and training program.
With the team in place and oriented to the Landscapes framework, it was time to focus on running an efficient operation. LGM has thorough standard operating procedures for all departments. Food & beverage SOPs dictate safe operating practices, weekly inventories, hourly payroll analysis, operating profit analysis, and more. These SOPs ensure a safe, compliant workplace and maximize financial success with a data-first mindset.
The final piece was the menu. The culinary team built the new menu based on feedback generated from weekly specials and creative events. Each menu item was priced based on its cost – down to the number of pickles served with a burger. In addition, monthly creative events like “Cheap Date Night” were added to embrace the community spirit. The new food, service, and atmosphere received rave reviews.
Ultimately, the turnaround at Butler’s Golf Course & Rock Run Inn is a testament to Landscapes’ food & beverage philosophy. The previous operators believed it was an impossible case.
In Landscapes’ first full year of management, the team generated a $23,000 operating profit – a $67,000 turnaround. Five years later, in 2021, the success continued, with operating profit surpassing $108,000 and contributing 13% of revenue to the bottom line.
