A Proposal to Strengthen the Future of Our Club

Purpose

This proposal is not about poker versus the Forty & Eight. It is about finding ways for all members and activities to work together to strengthen the club.

Since poker moved to the club, it has brought more than 40 new members into the organization. Many are younger members in the 30–40 age range, compared with an established membership whose average age is in the mid-60s.

That difference represents an opportunity.

We should respect the members who have supported this organization for many years while also giving newer and younger members reasons to become involved. Both groups are important to the future of the club.

A Club at a Crossroads

The Forty & Eight has built a legacy over many years. That legacy is more than a building or a name. It is the members, friendships, traditions, service, and community built over time.

We want that legacy to continue.

But we also have to be honest about what could happen if membership continues to decline and we do not find ways to attract and retain new members. The unfortunate legacy could someday be that a great organization, with a proud history and decades of memories, simply could not continue and eventually had to close its doors.

That is not the legacy any of us want to leave behind.

A National Membership Challenge

This is not a challenge facing only our local club. National Forty & Eight records show a loss of approximately 10,000 members over the period reported.

That matters because membership is the foundation of an organization like ours. When longtime members are lost and are not replaced by new members, the average age increases and the pool of future volunteers and leaders becomes smaller.

We have an opportunity that many organizations would like to have: more than 40 new members have joined our club through poker. Many are younger members who could become active participants and future leaders.

We should not take those new members for granted. We should find ways to keep them involved, give them reasons to participate, and help them become part of the future of the Forty & Eight.

The question is not simply what the club looks like today. The question is what we want the Forty & Eight to look like 5, 10, or 20 years from now.

Poker Hours

When poker originally moved to the club, the schedule was:

• Thursday: 5:00 PM–2:00 AM

• Friday: 5:00 PM–2:00 AM

• Saturday: 5:00 PM–2:00 AM

The poker group voluntarily agreed to shorten Thursday to midnight.

Later, poker was required to end at midnight on all three nights. This particularly affects Friday and Saturday, with Friday being the largest night.

We are asking for a 90-day trial:

• Thursday: 5:00 PM–12:00 AM

• Friday: 6:30 PM–2:00 AM

• Saturday: 6:30 PM–2:00 AM

This is not a permanent request. It is an opportunity to test the original concept, collect accurate information, and review the results.

Let the Numbers Tell Us

There have been concerns that keeping poker open later does not generate enough additional business to justify the additional labor.

Rather than relying on assumptions, we believe the club should measure it.

During the 90-day trial, track:

• Food and beverage sales

• Sales before and after midnight

• Poker attendance

• Labor costs and tips

• Food purchases and inventory

• Membership activity

• Special-event cancellations

• Other poker-related income and expenses

Results can then be compared with current and appropriate year-to-date figures.

Try it, measure it, and let the numbers show what works best for the club.

Beverage and Food Sales

The time a beverage is purchased is not necessarily the time it is consumed.

For example, a $60 round of drinks purchased at 10:30 PM may include drinks redeemed via drink tickets and consumed after midnight. The sale is recorded when purchased, even though the benefit may continue later into the evening.

This should be considered when evaluating later poker hours.

The club also has a fully equipped kitchen, yet poker food is generally limited to items such as frozen pizza and corndogs. Poker members have indicated they would pay more for better food, while limited choices sometimes result in members bringing food from outside.

A pulled-pork sandwich night is another example. Poker was cancelled by the club that evening, and more than 20 poker players were expected to attend. Many likely would have purchased the meal.

Better food choices could create additional sales for both poker members and other club customers.

Cash-Only Purchases

Poker players purchase chips with cash. Once their money is in chips, they may not have cash available for a $5 or $10 food or beverage purchase.

Stopping a poker game to cash out a small amount is inconvenient and frowned upon. So the purchase may simply not happen.

One possible solution is a controlled system allowing poker chips to be used for approved club purchases, with the bartender redeeming the chips for cash at the end of the night and maintaining accurate records.

Any system would require appropriate controls and accounting. The goal is simply to make it easier for poker players to spend money at the club.

Supporting the Club

Poker members have demonstrated that they are willing to support the club beyond playing poker.

Poker members have raised approximately:

• $3,500 for a fundraiser with six days' notice

• $1,500 for a fundraiser with 24 hours' notice

Poker members would also have supported auctions and other events if poker had not been cancelled.

These examples show that poker members are not simply people who come in, play cards, and leave. They are members who can contribute time, money, participation, and new energy to the organization.

Special Events and Cancellations

We understand that some events require special consideration. Memorial services, for example, deserve appropriate priority and respect.

Other poker cancellations have included reunions and fundraisers because of parking concerns.

Poker members have been told they can still come during these events and use the bar, food service, pool, shuffleboard, music, and other facilities. If that is the case, allowing poker to continue could provide additional customers rather than necessarily creating a parking problem.

The goal should be to find ways activities can coexist whenever practical.

One Club

The poker group does not want a separate club.

We want to be part of one Forty & Eight, alongside the members who have been here for decades.

Longtime members bring history and experience. Newer members bring different experiences, new energy, and the potential to become future leaders.

Both strengths are needed.

What We Are Asking For

We respectfully ask the board to consider:

1. A 90-day trial of the proposed poker schedule.

2. Accurate tracking of poker-related food and beverage sales.

3. Tracking sales before and after midnight.

4. Tracking labor, tips, food costs, and related expenses.

5. Comparing results with current and appropriate year-to-date figures.

6. Exploring a controlled poker-chip payment system.

7. Exploring better food options.

8. Looking for ways poker and special events can coexist when practical.

9. Recognizing the contribution of the 40+ new members brought into the club through poker.

10. Continuing open communication between poker members, management, and the board.

Conclusion

This proposal is not asking the club to make a permanent commitment.

It asks for 90 days to try something, measure it, and review the results.

The club has something valuable: a long history, dedicated longtime members, and more than 40 newer members who came through poker.

We have an opportunity right now to build on that.

The legacy of the Forty & Eight should not be that we watched a great club slowly disappear. The legacy can instead be that longtime members and new members worked together to keep the doors open and carry the organization forward.

Let's give it 90 days. Let's measure the results. And let's let the numbers help guide the future of our club.