What is a Gold Standard Club?
Here at Clubland USA, we’re often asked via email or in-person by readers for insights on what makes a good club. This is often a matter of personal preference with some, for instance, preferring stuffy city clubs and others preferring frat-lite country clubs with rowdy bars and colorful characters.
Nonetheless, there are three characteristics that we believe are essential for a Gold Standard club experience.
#1: Clubs are owned by members, not corporations
Ishaan Jajodia, during an editorial meeting, once said, “I don’t trust a club that is good with money.” All jokes aside, this means that clubs should be concerned first with satisfying their members than turning a profit. Breaking even is just fine.
This is not as much of a concern for clubs that are structured as nonprofits or share cooperatives where members own a portion of equity in the club. Many newer (and dare we say, “trendy”) clubs, such as SoHo House, Casa Cipriani, or The Ned, lack this structure and, as a result, are more akin to “private restaurants” than clubs.
#2: Reciprocity required
Any gold standard club must have reciprocal relationships and no, your club’s second branch in Miami or Palm Springs doesn’t count. This means that your Club must actively seek to build relationships with other clubs outside of its geographical orbit and, ideally, with a membership base that is compatible but different than yours.
Reciprocal clubs also serve another clever purpose: it ensures that your club is enforcing the most basic norms of Clubland. Club rats love nothing more than going back to their club and sharing about a reciprocal visit elsewhere. Think truly about the endless possibilities of what can be shared about your club. We’re sure that you’ll fall on the straight and narrow then.
#3: Dress for the best
This is the most simple. Your Club needs a standard for how members should present themselves. Does that always mean a jacket and tie? Not necessarily, but it should be unacceptable to show up to the Club as if you'd come back from a seven-mile run and faced a mauling by a black bear.
Need help? Let Ishaan Jajodia show you how to dress the part.