Food Locker: What Are the Benefits for a Golf Course?

When it comes to running a golf course in the United States, the competition is stiff. There are over 11,000 golf courses and country clubs across the country. States like California and Florida are stacked with golf courses, coming in with 632 and 884 courses, respectively.

With competition like this, you have to do something to set your golf course apart from the rest. Sometimes it comes down to the little conveniences, like food lockers, when a potential member decides to join.

Never heard of a food locker? Read on to learn what they are and how the big benefits they bring to you and your members!

What is a Food Locker?

The name might sound pretty self-explanatory, but food lockers are elevated beyond your standard locker. It’s a relatively new form of restaurant technology that’s helping restaurants and customers fine-tune the take-out experience. Their popularity took off following the pandemic, with more and more customers moving toward delivery and take-out dining.

Food lockers are temperature-controlled spaces that are accessible to restaurant staff, customers, and delivery drivers. They can be added to any building, even if you don’t have an on-site restaurant. Once your customer’s food has been delivered to the locker, they receive a notification and access code to pick it up.

More Time Spent Hitting the Links

If you run a smaller golf course that doesn’t have big amenities like a golf course restaurant, you probably find that a lot of people’s visits are shortened because they need to grab a bite to eat. Less time spent on the course means less revenue for you and less time for your customers to enjoy your beautiful course.

Instead of adding a restaurant, add a food locker where your customers can utilize contactless ordering and eat a meal at your facility. Once they’re done eating, they can head out for another round of golf, translating to increased profits for you and enjoyment for your customers.

Up Your Amenities

Depending on where your golf course is located, you may or may not have a lot of local competition. Even if you don’t, it can sometimes take quite a bit to convince someone to sign on the dotted line for a membership. That means you have to give potential members every convenience possible.

Standard amenities are great, but being on the cutting edge is better. Having a food locker on site is an amenity that truly streamlines and enhances a person’s day at the club.

Better Tasting Food

You don’t need a degree in food science to know that hot food tastes better hot and cold food tastes better cold. Add on top of that food safety concerns with regard to holding temperatures, and you see why food lockers are not only convenient, they also mitigate risk.

There’s nothing worse than paying for a golf club membership and finding out that the restaurant doesn’t live up to your expectations. By holding the food at a particular temperature, you’re enhancing the customer’s experience with your restaurant. They’ll be more likely to uphold their membership, submit positive online reviews, and refer friends and family to join.

Delivery Security

Food delivery is not without its risks. It doesn’t matter if your customer is ordering from your restaurant and DoorDashing it, there’s always a chance that the food might not make it into their hands.

The best way to mitigate that risk is to lock the food up until your customer retrieves it. Food lockers make that a seamless process. Your cooks prepare the food and put it in the assigned locker, or the driver accesses the locker.

This saves your customers the apprehension that comes with missing food orders. Your club feels more secure and safe, and your customers are more likely to return.

Reduced Traffic In Restaurant Waiting Areas

If you’ve ever run dinner service on a holiday, you know how busy things get! Having dine-in and take-out customers in the same space just makes things worse.

Instead of dealing with the traffic and confusion, add a food locker! Your take-out customers place their orders and don’t have to actually come into the restaurant until they receive a notification about their order. That means fewer customers waiting around inside the restaurant waiting to pick up their food and more space for your dine-in customers.

Customers Get Their Food Faster

Every restaurant has a goal of streamlining its operations. If you truly want to streamline your golf course restaurant’s operations, then food lockers are a must.

One of the things that slow down restaurant operations is the time it takes for restaurant employees to interact with take-out customers. Employees must take the order, take their payment, and hand off the food. It might not sound like a lot, but in the context of your restaurant’s scheme of operations, it can cause a lot of delays and frustration.

Food lockers allow your take-out customers to bypass a large portion of face-to-face interaction. With mobile ordering and notifications, your customers can do everything from their phones. This frees up your staff to focus on dine-in customers and making quality food, faster for all of your customers.

Not having to wait a long time for great food is a huge perk!

Are You Interested in Food Lockers for Your Golf Course?

Adding a food locker to your golf course might seem like a small upgrade, but the benefits are huge! You get to do away with the confusion and congestion that comes with running take-out service, and your customers get a better experience with your restaurant. It’s a win-win situation!

Are you interested in learning more about food lockers and what it would take to add them to your golf course or country club? Book a demo with Truffle today to learn all about the services we offer!