Holiday Dues and Gratuities
The easiest way to spread holiday cheer in Clubland
Weeks ago, a letter from the Club was probably written to you requesting contributions to a Holiday Fund for the staff. In Clubland, this annual financial event is just as inevitable as tax season albeit separated by a quarter.
What is the Club Holiday Fund and why (and how much) should you contribute?
The Club Holiday Fund is pooled funds by a Club’s membership that is dispersed among the club staff as gratuities at the end of the year. This is especially common in clubs that have an explicit no-tipping rule.
Traditionally, these funds are reserved for rank-and-file members of the club staff. Think the gentleman at the coat check who calls you a cab home after too many double-or-triple-strong martinis or your favorite bartender who slips in a drink or two under the table and even the server who guarantees the juiciest cuts of steak and an extra serving when you’re in.
It’s almost unheard of for sports pros and club managers to receive anything from the Holiday Fund, but they are often awarded end-of-year performance-related bonuses.
Gratuities aren’t usually distributed uniformly, but, conventionally, staggered based on length of service and their existing pay-scale and role at the club. A senior member of the waitstaff is likely to receive more than a newly minted bartender or valet. Seniority matters, as does role.
As a young member, the expectation from my club manager has always been to give a month’s worth of dues, though I’ve been told that this is, in fact, not the norm. Giving rates hover between 40–60%, depending on the commitment of the members to their club and how strongly they feel about it. Older members, who are more established and further along in their careers, give more.
Giving to the Club Holiday Fund is an indication to club leadership of your satisfaction with the staff and the general level of service around the clubhouse, particularly because individual members have no say in determining who gets how much. It is a vote of confidence in the staff of your club and an appreciation of the hard work they’ve put in to make sure that your leisure can be fully actualised.
Another good reason to give is to thank the people you never meet, behind the scenes, but contribute to the functioning of the club, from maintenance to busboys and dishwashers. Without them, club life would be in shambles, and to thank individually each and every one of them would be nigh impossible.
Clubs generally maintain no-tipping policies, but some club managers will look the other way when members give to certain beloved members of the staff around holiday time.
If you’re going to do this (which we, as Clubland USA, are obliged to discourage), be discreet. Don’t advertise it, but know that your contribution will be thanked and appreciated.
I’ve always thought that holiday cheer ought to extend to everyone, beyond our friends and family, and include those men and women who make it their solemn mission to make our lives more pleasurable and our leisure more enjoyable.