As the pandemic caused by COVID 19 played out around the globe, some pundits predicted a “baby boom” would result as people were forced indoors and prevented from undertaking normal social functions. Fast-forward some many months later and as one could guess the virus gurus were wrong about a spike in births. However, we are presently experiencing an upsurge in members seeking to utilize our one-of-a-kind Club, a “boom” in usage that seems to be playing out at other dining outlets. We understand the outcome after being in lockdown for some 15-months, but we do not have a grand solution for this dilemma, other than to stress the importance making a reservation utilizing more lead time than you have in the past.
We have written before about the constrains of the facility at hand, particularly the size of our kitchen. Our staff can only craft and serve so many meals during the typical dinner hour. Given this restriction we ask that you attempt to advance plan more so than you have done in the past. After the 1918 pandemic, there was a time in our history that is referred to as the “Roaring 20s.” Perhaps we will look back at this time in our history and denote this stage in our history as the Roaring 2020s? Only time will tell. We do ask that you try to understand the situation that is occurring and offer us your patience as this predicament unfolds.
A Word About Happy Hour:
We pride ourselves in having a “true” social club. That is, creating an atmosphere for our members to gather and converse with others; many friendships have been formed at our fine Club. One of the key elements of the camaraderie we enjoy is our long-standing tradition of hosting “Happy Hours,” where any member come and sit with others and enjoy a cocktail, take in a view of the field, and get to know other members of the Club. It is our hope to begin hosting this social group sometime after Labor Day, predicated on securing additional staff to service this troupe. Further, our happy hour gatherings have never had an official ending time, and many participants, while not initially intending to stay for dinner, would change their minds given their new-found joy. Prior to the pandemic, the PACC staff would pivot and incorporate these individuals into the existing dinner crowd.
Given all that is occurring post-pandemic, a happy hour group that can vary in size on any given night, is making it trickier for the staff to segue this group from cocktails and hors d’oeuvres to full-blown dinner service. Again, we do not have a magic answer to this development. As such, we ask that the participants of our happy hour wrap things up by 7:00 p.m. and allow the staff to utilize the table for our dinner hour needs. We know that this a change in the traditional pattern, but given the current popularity of our Club, we are struggling to manage all the requested dinner reservations. This is an attempt to come up with an equitable short-term solution, and we appreciate your support as we are now operating during a unique time.
A Reminder of Our Dress Code:
One consequence of the lockdown and the work-from-home atmosphere that has been adopted, is that our members have gotten used to dressing very-casually. As businesses reopen and people begin to circulate outside the confines of their home, we are witnessing a change in dresswear. When coming to the Club, we kindly request that you consider ditching the pandemic house clothes and return to dressing more “Club Appropriate.” We think it serves as a benefit to all members when we can glance around the room and witness a group of smartly dressed people.
An Update Regarding the Facility:
The resurfacing of the tennis court, which includes a pickleball overlay, has been completed. However, the pickleball nets have not yet been delivered. Further, regarding the new pool house facility, we have received approval from Whitpain Township to proceed, however, we are still waiting final go ahead from the partnership that owns the airfield. Once we have been cleared for takeoff, we will likely wait until next spring to do any major construction as we do not want to disrupt our members from enjoying the pool the remainder of this summer. One exception would be the slab foundation for the new structure which could be poured in place without dramatic interference to our pool users. Stay tuned.
Closing Comments:
We love our Club and all that it stands for and represents. We appreciate the continued support from our membership, and as of now we have forty-seven people on our waiting list, which is an all-time high. We are humbled by this turn of events and we understand that we have you to thank for this growing pipeline. As we strive to manage this list of potential members, we ask that you communicate this emerging issue to anyone you have proposed for membership. Our feeling is that it is best to convey to the candidates that it might take a little longer than planned to be admitted to the Club as resignations have slowed during the past year; this is a good problem to have, but we do not want anyone to be discouraged from seeking membership.
Lastly, we remain grateful to our PACC staff who remained steadfast in catering to our needs during an extremely difficult time. They donned their masks and gloves and risked contracting the virus so that we could have a semblance of normalcy in our lives. They toiled and repeatedly cleaned surfaces attempting to keep us safe. Please remember all that they have done for us, and all that they continue to provide. They deserve our thanks, respect and understanding.
By:
PACC Executive Committee