CLUB Café has a new manager, a new team and big plans!
Club Café is Whitsunday Green’s long-established café, catering to golfing clients and the general public.
Now, new manager Robbie Miles wants to take things to the next level, with plans to hold more functions at the venue and ramp things up when it comes to the menu.
“It’s still a work-in-progress, but I have lots of plans for the café,” Mr Miles, who has been in the role just six weeks, said.
“At the moment, it’s all about Christmas but, next year, I would like to start doing three-course dinners on the veranda.
“We already cater for Chamber of Commerce meetings, in the members’ lounge.
“And we recently hosted a product launch for Filby’s Motors, which went really well, but we will be pitching to more companies, for more corporate events, next year.
“We are currently hosting lots of Christmas parties – we hosted the Salvos Christmas party last week with all the usual party food – but we will be putting it out there that the venue is available for birthdays, anniversaries and any special event.
“Events can be held in the members’ lounge or on the veranda, and you don’t have to be a member of the club to book an event – they are available for everyone.”
The café opening hours are 8am to 6pm daily but the venue can operate outside these hours and has a liquor licence.
New introductions to the café menu include pizzas and steak sandwiches, as well as homemade desserts and goodies such as fresh-from-the-oven scones, apple cinnamon teacake and brownies, thanks to the baking expertise of staff member and chef, Natalie Avigdor.
“We are trying to do everything in house, as much as possible,” Mr Miles said.
Fans of the café’s popular toasties have also not been forgotten, with toasties ‘upgraded’ to sourdough bread and Turkish rolls.
“We are now doing gourmet sandwiches, with things like proper smoked leg ham,” Mr Miles said, adding all produce was sourced locally whenever possible.
“We use Prickly Pineapple, Whitsunday Foodservice and Master Butchers Whitsunday, and we also use Fishi for our functions.”
Mr Miles, who has lived in the Whitsundays for 11 years, has signed a lease for the cafe for five years and is excited to ‘make a go of it’.
Previously, the qualified chef worked as Food & Beverage manager for Cruise Whitsundays, for three-and-a-half years, managing a team of 25.
Preparing meals for all the boats operated by Cruise Whitsundays gave Mr Miles a good knowledge of catering en masse, as well as team building and staff training.
He also worked as a chef in various Airlie Beach restaurants, prior to that, giving him a well rounded knowledge of the Whitsundays hospitality industry.
Future plans include reaching out to cruise ship operators and running tours out to Whitsunday Green for passengers, including nine holes of golf, lunch and a drink.
“Even novices can have fun on the golf course,” Mr Miles said.
“It takes about an hour to get around nine holes – about 45 minutes for members – and they can have a social event afterwards.
“I’d like the club to be known as a one-stop-shop for golf, drinks and a meal.”
