I hope that you are all doing well and have managed to stay healthy and safe during these trying times.
Just in case you didn’t know, we are now open for in-person dining! And just as a reminder, we want to assure you that we are following the State and CDC recommended guidelines to assure you have a safe dining experience.
It has certainly been a tough year and it appears that this year will still provide us with even more challenges. However, with the President’s goal of all people being vaccinated by the end of July, we hope that the last half of the year will be a return to normal club operations.
I especially want to thank Laura and her staff for the outstanding response to the difficulties posed by the pandemic to keep the club and its staff on a sound footing. There was very little relief available from the government for clubs such as ours, but we did take advantage of those that were available. We also took out a low interest loan to give us further backup to bridge the shutdowns imposed by the pandemic.
I would also like to thank the membership for supporting the club by ordering food from the carry-out program and making further donations to support the staff through the shutdown. This support and generosity was key in getting us through the worst.
Despite all of the actions that were taken, the club still suffered losses. Costs were reduced wherever possible, but fixed costs such as, insurance premiums, property taxes and utilities go on regardless, which resulted in a loss for the year and thus far this year.
The only way to reverse this trend is to increase our membership (so be mindful of potential new members among your friends and business acquaintances) and for the current members to expand their use of the club. The government is helping in this regard by allowing 100% write off of business-related dining. So, I would encourage you to rethink your use of the Club and make a renewed effort to enjoy the fine food and comfortable atmosphere that the Club affords.
And remember if you don’t feel comfortable dining in, please know that you can still support the Club by ordering fine food through the carry-out dinner service.
Thank you,
Allan Pfitzenmaier