Large bulky takeout containers may help the presentation of food items, as well as allowing them to be portable, but they are bad for the environment as well as your business.
By the nature of our business we have a lot of takeout products, from coffee cups to food wrappers to full sized meal containers. These items are necessary in our business and with people trying to do more, and more with less and less time, they seem to be unavoidable.
Less people have time to come into the clubhouse and enjoy a meal pre- or post-round and opt to grab something quick and on the go to fuel their bodies and stave off their hunger. Coupled with this it is no longer enough to have chips, chocolate bars and saran wrapped muffins and sandwiches on the refreshment carts. Golfers are looking for more substantial items and items that are appealing to the senses which includes visually.
The more culinary savvy or health conscious consumers are looking for Items such as wraps, salads and sandwiches on different artisanal breads. Egg salad on sliced white bread isn’t going to cut it anymore.
With the increased demand for food on the go, we are seeing an increase in costs associated with the packaging of these items, both for the purchase, as well as the disposal of them. Having more of these items in circulation means on-course waste receptacles are filling up twice as fast and often with recyclable items. This leads to either an unsightly and unacceptable mess on the course or the need for more man hours to manage the problem.
So what can we do to reduce or eliminate the single use large plastic items? Replace large clam shell containers with saran wrap and make a nice attractive label to help with the visual presentation of the sandwich.
Some people tend not to like to drink from a can so rather than automatically pouring the drink into a plastic cup, what about offering a straw? This will also help with the issue of bees getting in your drink.
What about the possibility of using reusable products rather than single use products? This could be done with inexpensive coffee thermoses that can be returned to the beverage cart or at the halfway house.
It’s important for the environment and for the business that we add a fourth R to the REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE saying, and the forth R stands for RETHINK. This is important for both the customer experience as well as the environment.
We need to continue to review how we deal with garbage and what goes in the garbage at your golf club. After all, your environmental stewardship says a lot about your club’s priorities.
