It is a time when many members head back to their summer homes, or travel the world to experience premier destinations.
During this period, many private clubs see their on-property membership numbers drop, which means less golfers on the course, and ultimately less members in the restaurants. The challenge for many private clubs then becomes how do they continue providing high-end service for the members who do stay, while also supporting the employees during these slower periods?
Desert Mountain Club found a way to help answer both questions.
Savor the Summer was developed as a strategic seasonal initiative to enhance the daily member experience while stabilizing staffing and driving food-and-beverage participation during peak summer golf activity. How it works is simple: Our restaurants will offer the same daily lunch menu at a reduced-priced through July and August. All the same lunch favorites our Members love will be available, just at a price of 50% off or more. Through this practice, Members can come in after the golf round, eat up at a lower price, and our Teammates can obtain hours they otherwise may not have been able to work.
Last summer was the inaugural run for the program, and we saw a few impactful insights. Total lunch covers from July through September 2025 increased by nearly 50% versus the previous summer. Because of this, staffing levels increased across all our outlets that offered the program, while also drawing support from Teammates at other clubhouses to handle the increased activity.
We also witnessed a surge in golfer participation from the daily tee sheet (more than 80%), which also helped boost retail sales with higher foot traffic from golfers at the clubhouses post-round.
This year, Savor the Summer will return to four of our clubhouses – Apache, Outlaw, Seven, and Cochise/Geronimo. Our Member post-round lunch favorites like the Prime Rib Slider at Apache, Build Your Own Burger at C/G, Crispy Chicken Sandwich at Outlaw, or even a brand-new and already popular Chicken Schnitzel at Seven will all be available, all at a reduced price.
Last year’s main goals of elevating the Member experience and satisfaction, and strengthening employee retention and morale will stay the same, continuing to raise engagement from our Membership and helping our Teammates secure full-time hours during the summer months. While applying last year’s analysis and the valuable feedback we received, you can still expect the same level of service and dining experience that we strive for all year round.
Want to be part of the Member experience at Desert Mountain Club? Talk to our Membership team today to find out more.
