OCEAN PINES– With one season in the books, most residents deemed the new Yacht Club a success, albeit still a work in progress.
Opened on Memorial Day weekend, the new $4.7 million facility boasts a restaurant, marina, pool and plenty of space for weddings and special events.
“I think all in all we’ve had a really good season,” said Yacht Club Manager David McLaughlin. “The July financials came in very strong. The banquets upstairs have been extraordinary. I think we’ve sold out about three months up there next year already.”
By January 1, McLaughlin expects every Saturday from May through October 2015 will be booked. Last summer the Yacht Club booked as many as five weddings in a single weekend.
On the patio on Friday nights the yacht club features live music, where McLaughlin recently counted 600 people at one time.
“It was controlled chaos,” he said. “We’re like ducks – we’re sitting up here looking calm, but underneath we’re paddling like crazy.”
McLaughlin said the interior of the Cove restaurant was still a little stark, causing some customers to compare it to a cafeteria.
“We need to give it more character,” he said. “It needs more of a ‘who we are’ feel to it. It needs a little more warmth.
“We still need to tweak a lot of things,” McLaughlin continued. “It’s like getting your first car – you have to learn how to drive it. It’s been such a busy time this summer that we didn’t have a lot of time to play with things. We’ll use the off-season to finalize all the equipment and a few other things we have with the builders to get ourselves into the position we want to be.”
Along with the building, 60 percent of the staff is new including the chef, bar manager and catering manager.
“It was a lot,” McLaughlin said. “A new staff alone is a lot. Throw in a new building as well and it’s a good challenge, not to mention opening on a holiday weekend. I literally was screwing the tables together three hours before we opened. A lot of things that we wanted to get done didn’t get done, because we wanted to at least be open for the holiday. That’s one major thing.”
The other, he said, were the ever-pesky flies.
“That’s been a complaint and a concern from a lot of customers,” McLaughlin said. “Before we opened – before we even had a box of crackers in – we brought a pizza in just for the staff that was here, and we were getting dive-bombed by these flies.
“It’s funny, people say it happens if the wind blows in a certain direction, and sure enough they’re right every time,” McLaughlin continued. “One day you’re fine and the next day the wind blows in a different direction and they’re all in here. That was our number one complaint during the first couple of weeks. If you looked up at the ceiling, probably 20 or 30 percent of the ceiling tiles were covered with flies. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
McLaughlin hopes to have the situation under control by the beginning of next summer.
“We’re looking into things to deter them and keep them out,” he said. “Everything from air curtains that go above the doors … to redirecting where the staff goes in and out. This was designed as an open-air building – it’s going to be a challenge. We’re certainly not going to eliminate them – we’re just going to try to minimize them as much as possible.”
Chef Timothy Ulrich expects to unveil a new fall menu within the next few weeks.
“I approached the original menu with the idea that a lot of people were not going to be crazy adventurous, so I wanted to do a lot of recognizable, familiar items, but put my own twist on them,” he said. “I do a lot of bacon jams, so a bacon-onion jam goes with our fillet and a bacon-tomato jam goes with the Chef’s Burger – just little fun things that a lot of people probably haven’t been exposed to too much.”
Ulrich would like to see more food with a contemporary flavor on the menu, although he is sensitive to the fact that many diners in Ocean Pines will always prefer classic options like fillets and crab cakes.
“I’d like to take the reins off a little bit, but at the same time there’s a smaller market than I anticipated for food like that,” he said. “We’re trying to keep those options for people that are a little more adventurous and want to try some next and exciting things, but also bringing more of the favorites back – the family favorites people want to see when they go out. We want to walk a tight rope between the two.”
McLaughlin hopes specialty dinners, including wine tastings, help open up the palates of the average Ocean Pines resident.
“This is how we develop – we bring people in for different events and see how they receive the food, and if they really like it and we get a lot of feedback we put it on the menu,” he said. “It also gives Chef Tim the time to really showcase his talents and highlight a lot of the staff that have put a lot of time into it. He’s got a lot of talented people in the kitchen.”
Ulrich has had success with events like paella night, using a four-foot paella pan to cook a massive dinner over the outdoor fire pits.
“I was trying to think of what I could do all week with all the paella that people didn’t eat, but after an hour the entire pan was empty,” he said. “We had to get three guys in the kitchen whacking vegetables just so we could make another batch on the fly. It was so well received it blew me away. We’ll be getting that big pan out there at least once a month, whether it’s a gumbo or a jambalaya. It’s a way to get out in front of people and put on a little bit of a show while they eat.”
While some residents have complained about parking, McLaughlin admitted the Yacht Club did not have many options on that front.
“It becomes an issue sometimes during a large wedding, and the weekends are always busy here, but with the pool closing usually around seven that usually frees up a lot of spots,” he said. “You can always use more parking, but I don’t think that’s in the cards. There’s only so much land.”
Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors President Dave Stevens said there were many “relatively small” things the Yacht Club could stand to improve.
“It takes a little getting used to, but I think it finally dawned on me that what you have is something that is fairly unique in terms of an outdoor entertainment venue,” he said. “Once I got my head wrapped around that it’s a little bit easier to see and look at for what it was.
“People go there and they have a good time,” Stevens continued. “They listen to music and they have a good time and, moreover, the numbers of people that have gone there have been really good. They definitely have the crowds and they have the revenue. If you want a place to go and have a quiet dinner and have some ambience, it’s not that kind of place.”
Stevens believes the Yacht Club needs to formulate an overall identity.
“What are they going to do during the winter time?” he said. “I can’t get too excited for it because we’ve just had one of the best springs and summer we’ve ever had in my memory. We had wonderful weather and it’s an outdoor venue. That’s the one thing that hits you over the head – without that outdoors I don’t know how it works. But these are the things you have to find out. There’s no way to guess all these things in advance.
“I certainly think, overall, it’s been a success,” Stevens continued. “I think most people are happy with it – that’s my impression. The view is specular. We’re had one nice night after another, and if you’re out on that huge patio with the fire pit and the band going, it’s party time. Unfortunately, for most people in Ocean Pines, the party ends pretty early.”
Opened on Memorial Day weekend, the new $4.7 million facility boasts a restaurant, marina, pool and plenty of space for weddings and special events.
“I think all in all we’ve had a really good season,” said Yacht Club Manager David McLaughlin. “The July financials came in very strong. The banquets upstairs have been extraordinary. I think we’ve sold out about three months up there next year already.”
By January 1, McLaughlin expects every Saturday from May through October 2015 will be booked. Last summer the Yacht Club booked as many as five weddings in a single weekend.
On the patio on Friday nights the yacht club features live music, where McLaughlin recently counted 600 people at one time.
“It was controlled chaos,” he said. “We’re like ducks – we’re sitting up here looking calm, but underneath we’re paddling like crazy.”
McLaughlin said the interior of the Cove restaurant was still a little stark, causing some customers to compare it to a cafeteria.
“We need to give it more character,” he said. “It needs more of a ‘who we are’ feel to it. It needs a little more warmth.
“We still need to tweak a lot of things,” McLaughlin continued. “It’s like getting your first car – you have to learn how to drive it. It’s been such a busy time this summer that we didn’t have a lot of time to play with things. We’ll use the off-season to finalize all the equipment and a few other things we have with the builders to get ourselves into the position we want to be.”
Along with the building, 60 percent of the staff is new including the chef, bar manager and catering manager.
“It was a lot,” McLaughlin said. “A new staff alone is a lot. Throw in a new building as well and it’s a good challenge, not to mention opening on a holiday weekend. I literally was screwing the tables together three hours before we opened. A lot of things that we wanted to get done didn’t get done, because we wanted to at least be open for the holiday. That’s one major thing.”
The other, he said, were the ever-pesky flies.
“That’s been a complaint and a concern from a lot of customers,” McLaughlin said. “Before we opened – before we even had a box of crackers in – we brought a pizza in just for the staff that was here, and we were getting dive-bombed by these flies.
“It’s funny, people say it happens if the wind blows in a certain direction, and sure enough they’re right every time,” McLaughlin continued. “One day you’re fine and the next day the wind blows in a different direction and they’re all in here. That was our number one complaint during the first couple of weeks. If you looked up at the ceiling, probably 20 or 30 percent of the ceiling tiles were covered with flies. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
McLaughlin hopes to have the situation under control by the beginning of next summer.
“We’re looking into things to deter them and keep them out,” he said. “Everything from air curtains that go above the doors … to redirecting where the staff goes in and out. This was designed as an open-air building – it’s going to be a challenge. We’re certainly not going to eliminate them – we’re just going to try to minimize them as much as possible.”
Chef Timothy Ulrich expects to unveil a new fall menu within the next few weeks.
“I approached the original menu with the idea that a lot of people were not going to be crazy adventurous, so I wanted to do a lot of recognizable, familiar items, but put my own twist on them,” he said. “I do a lot of bacon jams, so a bacon-onion jam goes with our fillet and a bacon-tomato jam goes with the Chef’s Burger – just little fun things that a lot of people probably haven’t been exposed to too much.”
Ulrich would like to see more food with a contemporary flavor on the menu, although he is sensitive to the fact that many diners in Ocean Pines will always prefer classic options like fillets and crab cakes.
“I’d like to take the reins off a little bit, but at the same time there’s a smaller market than I anticipated for food like that,” he said. “We’re trying to keep those options for people that are a little more adventurous and want to try some next and exciting things, but also bringing more of the favorites back – the family favorites people want to see when they go out. We want to walk a tight rope between the two.”
McLaughlin hopes specialty dinners, including wine tastings, help open up the palates of the average Ocean Pines resident.
“This is how we develop – we bring people in for different events and see how they receive the food, and if they really like it and we get a lot of feedback we put it on the menu,” he said. “It also gives Chef Tim the time to really showcase his talents and highlight a lot of the staff that have put a lot of time into it. He’s got a lot of talented people in the kitchen.”
Ulrich has had success with events like paella night, using a four-foot paella pan to cook a massive dinner over the outdoor fire pits.
“I was trying to think of what I could do all week with all the paella that people didn’t eat, but after an hour the entire pan was empty,” he said. “We had to get three guys in the kitchen whacking vegetables just so we could make another batch on the fly. It was so well received it blew me away. We’ll be getting that big pan out there at least once a month, whether it’s a gumbo or a jambalaya. It’s a way to get out in front of people and put on a little bit of a show while they eat.”
While some residents have complained about parking, McLaughlin admitted the Yacht Club did not have many options on that front.
“It becomes an issue sometimes during a large wedding, and the weekends are always busy here, but with the pool closing usually around seven that usually frees up a lot of spots,” he said. “You can always use more parking, but I don’t think that’s in the cards. There’s only so much land.”
Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors President Dave Stevens said there were many “relatively small” things the Yacht Club could stand to improve.
“It takes a little getting used to, but I think it finally dawned on me that what you have is something that is fairly unique in terms of an outdoor entertainment venue,” he said. “Once I got my head wrapped around that it’s a little bit easier to see and look at for what it was.
“People go there and they have a good time,” Stevens continued. “They listen to music and they have a good time and, moreover, the numbers of people that have gone there have been really good. They definitely have the crowds and they have the revenue. If you want a place to go and have a quiet dinner and have some ambience, it’s not that kind of place.”
Stevens believes the Yacht Club needs to formulate an overall identity.
“What are they going to do during the winter time?” he said. “I can’t get too excited for it because we’ve just had one of the best springs and summer we’ve ever had in my memory. We had wonderful weather and it’s an outdoor venue. That’s the one thing that hits you over the head – without that outdoors I don’t know how it works. But these are the things you have to find out. There’s no way to guess all these things in advance.
“I certainly think, overall, it’s been a success,” Stevens continued. “I think most people are happy with it – that’s my impression. The view is specular. We’re had one nice night after another, and if you’re out on that huge patio with the fire pit and the band going, it’s party time. Unfortunately, for most people in Ocean Pines, the party ends pretty early.”