Troon Golf Drives Wine Sales and Captures Guests with iPad Menus

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The Clubs at St. James Plantation is a private golf community tucked away in the wetlands of North Carolina. The club offers members four award winning golf courses of open fairways studded with sparkling white sand traps and the lush waterways of the south Atlantic coast. The amenities include 5 restaurants that vary in atmosphere from sophisticated fine dining to Gastro Pub hip. This Troon Privé Selected Club provides members with a renowned dining and leisure experience. Uncorkd has added a cutting edge that greatly enhances their beverage program and captures longstanding member’s attention.

David Flinchbaugh is the Assistant General Manager overseeing all the restaurants of The Clubs at St. James Plantation. He brought on Uncorkd because he saw digital menus as a dynamic way to improve his beverage program through member engagement and beverage sale growth. Uncorkd was recommended to Flinchbaugh by an established colleague at the Michigan State University School of Hospitality, and after pitting Uncorkd against digital menu competitors, Uncorkd proved to perform best and was the most efficient platform to adopt into his restaurant.

“Our gross wine sales are averaging nearly $3,000 more per month”

David FlinchbaughAssistant General Manager for The Clubs at St. James Plantation

Exceeding Your Member’s Needs

The purpose of a private club is to provide members with enjoyable experiences each time they step on club grounds. This enjoyment might come from playing a beautifully groomed 18-hole golf course, or found through a unique experience at the dinner table. Uncorkd is that latter enjoyment. Flinchbaugh says that his members thoroughly enjoy using the digital menus and that the iPad wine list has his membership of retirees enthused by “tasting notes that are far superior to anything used before.” Club-goers are now hounds for new items to try, with members “keeping [iPads] to look at more items after they’ve ordered.” David Flinchbaugh uses Uncorkd menus for more than just wine, listing desserts and cocktails that come alive through photos, or to easily update rotating beer specials:

“Its resulted in better sales… the digital menus help get [overlooked items] in front of members.”

A Strategic Transition for St. James

With the help and support of Uncorkd, The Clubs at St. James Plantation has integrated digital menus into 3 of their 5 clubhouse restaurants. Each menu has been customized to fit the the different restaurant’s atmosphere and selection. Uncorkd’s tailored customization allows each restaurant to maintain its legacy. This partial adoption is a rigorous approach thats highlighted just how successful Uncorkd’s iPad menus are by pitting the increased sales numbers of the integrated restaurants against the 2 clubhouse that aren’t using Uncorkd. Flinchbaugh has been able to use these numbers to accurately track Uncorkd’s impact on each restaurant.

Uncorkd Menu Integration is an Immediate Success

When Uncorkd made its debut in the three restaurants at St. James, the results were exciting right from the start. Any concerns over customer aversion to the iPads was dispelled once the menus became offered in lieu of paper menus. Members almost immediately became engrossed in all the product information and tasting notes that were offered on the menus. Free from uncertainty, members could make leaps and order new wines or beers they may have been hesitant to try before.

The financial success has been immense as well. Meeting and exceeding expectations of the club management.

“Our gross wine sales (bottle and glass) are averaging nearly $3,000 more per month, year over year, in the three outlets we use them. [Sales] are relatively flat in the two [restaurants] we do not.”

Uncorkd has given the beverage program at St. James a renewed flexibility. The menus can be update and changed instantaneously with no need to reprint or do large-scale menu overhaul. This gives the clubhouses an improved way to run exciting programs like “gastro-pub monday” that offer rotating beer specials. House cocktails and can be changed and updated and showcased to guests looking to try something new. All of this has resulted in better sales.

The Future is Expansion at St. James

The relationship between Uncorkd and The Clubs at St. James Plantation is growing. It’s an exciting period as St. James is expanding it’s iPad menu program to include more units to reach more members. After seeing so much engagement by club members, David Flinchbaugh and his colleagues at St. James have increased the program to match member enthusiasm and use. With a growing program, The Clubs at St. James Plantation are becoming fully integrated with Uncorkd.

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