Member Spotlight: Greenmount Beach Surf Club

The Greenmount Beach Surf Club first opened its doors in 1911 and with its location at the southern end of the Gold Coast, it promises panoramic views of the Gold Coast skyline, hinterland and iconic surf breaks. In March, faced with the threat of the coronavirus, the club (like everyone) was forced to shut its doors and wait. In June, the club re-opened with a pragmatic plan to face the short term challenges in order to emerge stronger in the July period. Executive Manager, Marty, says this was a hard decision but it paid off; the June period was tough as we could only accommodate 80 people. But in July, the team were ready and had a firm handle on the burdensome requirements, the club could now seat 293 people and Marty even reports similar numbers as from the 2019 July period. 

Currently, the team faces a new challenge with the growing number of locals choosing to stay home and re-discover the world of home-cooked meals. Marty says that now, as locals get used to the idea of staying home, there is little need to drop down to the Surf Club for a dinner or a bevvy. Though this has left the business with a 20% drop in their food sales, Marty explains that it's nothing to panic about - instead, it's a chance to re-focus and re-approach our key demographic. Much like visiting the gym after lockdown, Marty says we need to find a way to 're-train' locals to get back into the habit of dropping down to Coolangatta and Greenmount for a night of food, fun and laughter. 

Marty has had a big challenge before him, but says that now is not the time to sit on your hands:

You need to work with it and put some extra effort in. Take a look into your socials, start finding your key demographic. I invested in shopper docket deals and am seeing a return, that's what happens when you start looking to your key demographic. I also think local business needs to start moving forward, as though COVID-19 never existed; but never ignore the current regulations. Re-embrace the classic palmy specials and member deals, re-invent live entertainment and take a chance to attempt a return to normal.

Check out the team's website, here.
Like their Facebook, here.