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Before you start selling bucket and burger combos, consider this: Golfers don’t come to the range to eat. Sure, they might grab a bag of chips or a candy bar to tide them over, but food is a secondary purchase to their main purpose: hitting balls.
Yet, some range owners assume they have to serve customers something more substantial than grab-and-go options. The resulting heartburn is often more than their stomach can take.
Profits are tight in the restaurant industry, and running a full-service food operation—even a snack bar—with cooks and dedicated staff can quickly drain resources from your core business. According to the National Restaurant Association’s 2003 Restaurant Industry Operations Report, only 8 percent of every dollar spent by diners at a quick-service venue can be logged as income before taxes. Going beyond self-serve snacks is where range owners can quickly lose money because of high labor costs and hidden expenses associated with waste and theft.
That’s not to say you should abandon food service altogether. Certainly there’s an opportunity for every range to make money from food and beverage sales.
Know your customers. Consider what customers will consume. Golfers aren’t apt to sit down solo for a meal after hitting a bucket of balls, but they may grab a soda on the way to the tee line. If you offer additional amenities that encourage customers to stay and play, then the demand for food and drinks will be higher. Take miniature golf for example. A family of four may spend an hour or more playing an 18-hole round, and they’re certainly going to be thirsty (especially in the hot summer months) and maybe even a tad hungry at some point during their visit. Providing bottled drinks and portable snacks they can take outside or in the car is an added service that will make their visit more enjoyable and, hopefully, memorable.
Offer low-risk options. Keep food offerings simple enough for range employees to manage.
• Drinks. At a minimum, you should sell cold sodas and bottled water, and depending on your clientele, beer.
• Prepackaged snacks. Buy individual prepackaged servings of chips and candy at wholesale clubs. You can charge double the price, creating a 50 percent profit margin.
• Vending machines. Don’t want the hassle of stocking drinks and snacks? Set up vending machines along the tee line. Sales from these dispensers can add up.
• Self-serve options. If customers crave more, offer pre-made sandwiches or foods that are precooked and kept warm such as hot dogs and soft pretzels. These types of foods require a low investment and little labor. The key is to make everything self-serve so that you’re not taking employees away from the register to make french fries.
• Special treats. Parents may perceive a visit to your facility as a special trip out with the kids. Capitalize on that feeling by selling candy and ice cream (again, prepackaged).
If you’re not sure what types of snacks will tempt customers’ taste buds, ask them. Seeking customer feedback not only helps you meet the needs of your market, but it also creates more customer awareness of your food options.
Combine food and facility offerings. Creating cross-promotional deals that combine food and amenities can entice regulars to stay longer and spend more money and also help you attract new and diverse customers. For example, pick up extra business during the day by offering lunch specials that pair a bucket of balls with a prepackaged sandwich, chips and drink. Or, create party packages that combine miniature golf rounds and batting cage tokens with hot dogs, chips and sodas (ask mom or dad to supply the cake).
When mulling over your refreshment options, remember what business you’re in. Unless you have food preparation experience and a successful track record in the restaurant industry, stay clear of the kitchen. Selling food doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective, and for the majority of ranges, simple fare will meet customers’ expectations. |
