The Members Lounge
Interview #9 - The Members Lounge - Reggio Calabria Club
This week, I had the absolute pleasure to interview Carlo and Michelle, the owners of The Reggio Calabria club and Members Lounge. They have both been in the food and hospitality industry for quite a few years and have extensive business experience when it comes to operating their business but also knowing value and exceptional customer value and service. This interview is full of rich experience and by talking to people who know the quality, value, and service, it really shows through in the work they do and the products they deliver.
The Reggio Calabria Club, part of the Members Lounge, showcases who they are as owners, a family and demonstrating what true Italian culture is about. The Reggio Calabria Club (RCC) is located in Parkville Melbourne, it is your go-to hub for everything and anything Italian that celebrates a love for Italy and the home town of where owners Carlo and Michelle are from, Calabria. The RCC consists of a reception center, a restaurant, and the Members Lounge.
There was an initial goal of Carlo especially to be able to provide for his family and obtain an income to maintain their livelihood. For this particular business, the RCC, they want to be able to provide for their family and not only this, but it is also about keeping the Italian culture alive and what being Calabrian is all about. Through providing this, they are able to have a massive influx of following by knowing who they cater to in the market. Both Carlo and Michelle love doing what they do in the business whether it be cooking or providing quality customer service. Especially Michelle, she loves to speak with people and create that lasting connection to show people what they can do for their community and culture. This would be their biggest goal and achievement, to be able to tell the community why they love what they do with their hard work doing the talking.
Both their parents and grandparents really helped inspire the roots of the business, as well as their Italian culture, because they taught them everything they know about food, cooking and most of all, being Italian. They know where their roots are and always strive for greatness. It all came down to the love of cooking and even though Carlo is a self-taught chef, he learnt everything the hard way…through hard knock Italians not being afraid to give their opinion. He believes that he is only as good as his next meal which definitely shows through in the cooking and service provided.
What tips would you give to someone who is starting their own business?
Carlo
“Don’t do it straight away, do it when you’re in your thirties, get someone to take you on under their wing so you can maybe eventually buy their business because, in today’s world, you can’t learn through mistakes, its too costly, so therefore people go into business blind and think that they can do it automatically but they really need to know what they are doing today because it’s all so competitive. So if you are with someone who is showing you the ropes, you can tag team that because you can either buy them out, wait for them to retire to pursue their business or alternatively start their own business. However, going into a business without any experience, credibility or knowledge or financial backing as well as the capital, is not the best as most businesses and people do not have this. So the best advice is just don’t rush it.”
Michelle
“Take your time, do your homework, and I think you gotta enjoy what you do, you really have to love it because I think it also comes across to the customers as well because if you are not enjoying it, people can bounce off what you portray. So for this industry especially, you have to enjoy it because it’s a lot of hours and hard work and I think that with any business, it doesn’t come easy. People can sometimes go in there and sit back and have customers come to them or not do their homework or put the hard work that’s involved. I think that you gotta love what you do and try to be persistent, you have your setbacks and keep moving forward and just enjoy it”
The style of food offered at the RCC can be defined as more Banquette style eating so when there are people sharing food around, there is that experience associated where customers can come in, sit back and relax and interact with the rest of the party at the table. When customers tend to come into the RCC quite reserved, by the end of the night, there is lots of food, drinks, and dancing, they then become more connected, relaxed and happy due to the experience they have promoting that interaction to actually talk to other people. Along with this, that is only one aspect of the experience Carlo and Michelle want customers to have once they walk through the doors. It is also about the quality dining experience. Having the customer connection along with the dining experience, they are not being intrusive but rather inviting them to reach out and be their friend with the hopes that the team at RCC can be their long term catering provider without being too over the top. Carlo would rather let the experience and the food do the talking first rather than them convincing the customer that its good and then them know that it is great.
Using this mentality, by knowing that their customers do the talking for them, they have never had to spend a dollar on marketing because organically, they have been able to grow exponentially and through word of mouth, word of quality food and experience gets around.
Depending on the business model you look at within the RCC, they not only have a bistro bar-pizzeria but also a function room and catering service. Through providing this, they are able to cover all markets and ages coming to them. Generally, they mainly attract those who are over 50 but then in saying that, they also do have younger generations coming for functions and kids for baptisms and communions for example. For the people that do choose to choose us and come here, they are looking to spend some money on a good quality meal. They don’t believe that the RCC is positioned at the higher end of the market but they are also not at the lower end, they are comfortably in the middle.
To those that come here who are in the age range of 50 and over, tend to want to go to the RCC to get a sense of their Italian culture and go back to their roots. Some of the people coming, especially the older ones, have left their town of Calabria and when they come to the RCC, it brings back a lot of memories from their background and childhoods, all because they are comfortable and are able to relate to the food and music.
The RCC is able to offer something that is different and unique because by looking at a lot of businesses these days, most try to re-create food and re-create the environments to keep up with the time. At the RCC, they don’t have the intention to change and keep up in that sense as they want to embody what being Italian is all about. Carlo and Michelle want to embrace who they are and is what people enjoy about coming back to the club.
Not only this, the quality product is phenomenal, they use premium quality and even though their price point is quite generic, that is a sacrifice that they are willing to make and rather than having to promote that, customers will know that what they are being given is quality. Especially the Italians coming from Italy trying the food and ricotta cheese, for example, they know what good quality cheese is and that this one is superior to what they get at home.
This aspect makes them stand out from the crowd, but also their attention to detail. They don’t see a room full of 500 guests as numbers but rather family and that is another one of their reasons for getting repeat customers and that organic growth.
It doesn’t happen a lot these days but many people appreciate the value-adding that goes into every core aspect of the business whether it be a cookie or biscuit with a coffee or pizza. They are always treating staff right and paying above the premium for everything, and this is why no one wants to leave. That sense of home, family and the sense of being looked after. This along with their value-adding is why they have become so successful and they knew, from the moment that they opened the doors that they will be successful and both Carlo and Michelle had 100% confidence in it.
There is an unspoken continuous cycle that goes on. From the customers that do end up coming back, they also return for functions like 16th and 21st birthdays to then years later down the track, doing their engagement parties and then hopefully their kid’s birthdays and special events. This cycle is unspoken because they keep coming back for the same quality, the same service, and the same experience knowing that they have the feeling of being at home.
When first starting the business, something that would have been done differently and if not been made aware of for Carlo especially was to get someone to help guide him through the mistakes and to not make massive mistakes in terms of commercial positions that are very costly and time-consuming. With having declined leases, in the beginning, starting over and investing again was the only option but ended up being the right one when you look at what they have achieved today. This is where experience comes into play and throughout the years, Carlo and Michelle have adapted and have retained this experience but it’s all a learning curve when you first start.
How would you describe the business in one sentence?
Family orientated, old school authentic traditional Italian club
Thank you for taking the time to read my latest interview with Carlo and Michelle and their business. I really enjoyed working with them and can’t wait to see what the future holds.
Check out their Instagram HERE and click HERE for a direct link to their website. So now the next time you need your Italian fix, you got the place to come!
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