The Normanside County Club in Delmar has closed its restaurant for the winter as a cost saving measure that’s part of an effort to restructure the business in the face of declining membership.
President of the Normanside Board of Governors Dan Byrnes said that the clubhouse would be closed through March, saying that members had voted with their wallets.
`Winter dining is no longer a priority to our members,` he said, characterizing the move as a `short-term closure that’s just strictly due to the fact our members don’t support the restaurant enough in the winter months to make it viable.`
Scheduled special events will go on as planned, and the county club is still booking new events during the closure. Byrnes said that the club usually closes for about six weeks following the Valentine’s Day holiday to give staff vacations and do routine maintenance.
He also said that membership at Normanside has decline by about 25 percent over the past few years to approximately 210 golfing members and 40 social members. Byrnes added that declining membership is an ongoing issue in the country club industry in past months.
The club had been open to the public for lunch and supper Tuesday through Sunday. It’s located on Salisbury Road off of Delaware Avenue.
Byrnes said a one-year reduced membership offer`$3,000 for singles, $4,000 for families`has already seen seven takers since the first of the year. The promotion will run for 50 memberships.
“