The National Club, a Beacon of Excellence Among the World’s top Private Clubs
The National Club positions itself as a private retreat in the heart of downtown Toronto where members build their legacy while gaining rich experiences, relationships, and personal growth. The Club is a historic landmark in Toronto’s Financial District. Members and guests enjoy a diverse community supported by unrivalled service, amenities, and programs. It is described as a business and social club with great amenities and facilities, world-class food, and wine, and is a home away from home for the club’s members.
The National Club is like a unique, boutique-style hotel and social club with several dining rooms, a superb wine cellar, and even overnight accommodation. The Club hosts over 800 discerning members and covers over 50,000 square feet across five floors. With numerous private dining rooms and lounges that can seat between 2 to 225 and in peak periods they can turn 1,000 covers per day.
One of the biggest challenges and blessings is the fact their elegant 120-year-old facility has been designated as a heritage building. That certainly can add complexity to the business.
The Club has been recognized as a Platinum Club globally for several consecutive years and awarded the prestigious title of one of the world’s Distinguished Clubs. We asked the General Manager and COO, Bill Morari, if he thought the accolades were primarily based on the food experience. “The food and beverage experience needs to be top notch at The National because we are a city dining club. My competition is not other clubs, but rather hot dining locations like ByMark, Black & Blue Steakhouse and Harbour 60. Our food quality is on par with these establishments, but it is offered at a fraction of the price. The day in day out dining, must be equal to high end restaurant quality, because that is what our members expect.”
We asked Morari how he keeps it fresh. “Our membership base comes here 2-3 times a week, so we cannot let them get bored with the menu. We change menus regularly. We make sure we have specials, and we try to use fresh and local ingredients where possible. We try to stay on trend with lighter fare, trendy ethnic mixes and even a growing and creative non-alcoholic beverage list.”
The dining rooms at The National Club only account for 25 to 30% of the food and beverage revenue with the balance coming through an array of corporate events and social events. “If the budget is there, that is where our team really shines. Our staff gets excited to work with great products and create wonderful menus.”
The Club also recently added a new two-million-dollar rooftop patio expansion through their capital improvement plans to keep it fresh. “This was a real game changer for us when we built our rooftop patio. We built a year-round building with skylights, folding accordion windows, etc., looking over Bay Street. You have that outdoor feel, but we can use it all year round. It changed everything because we used to be slower in the summer, but now it’s a destination to come downtown in the summer.”
We asked about the challenges with staffing at The Club. With a discerning membership, staff training and experience must be key. The Club has approximately 75 staff and an additional 25 on call for events. Morari indicated that, “Most of the key positions like his executive chef, clubhouse manager and purchasing agent have been together for 25 to 40 years. “Our staff must have exceptional service skills and be professionally trained. We do not let anybody on the floor that is not fully trained. It is not fair to the staff, and we would be setting them up to fail. Our members have expectations, so we try to hire good people, then let them do their thing. We have a real melting pot of staff here and we encourage them to step forward with their ideas. If they have an idea for a special, we put it on the menu and the members love it.”
When asked how they keep costs in line Morari responded, “Well, that’s where Foodbuy steps in. Foodbuy helps ensure my purchasing manager and my chefs, are doing everything we can to take advantage of cost-savings programs like the ones Foodbuy offers. There is a lot of pressure to keep prices where they are. Anything I can do to help daily efficiencies will total up to the bigger number in the end. We are always looking for ways to save and to offer other programs, whether it is affinity groups and other discount offers. Whatever we can do to have a one stop shop.”
A tip of the hat to the excellence provided at The National Club over the last 150 years and a toast to the next 150!