Located just blocks from the White House and our nation’s iconic monuments, The Metropolitan Club of Washington (MC) is one of the city’s oldest and venerated private institutions. Founded during the height of the Civil War by six Treasury Department officials to pursue “literary, mutual improvement and social purposes,” the club continues to attract distinguished political and industry leaders from around the world, including nearly every U.S. President since Abraham Lincoln and several Supreme Court justices. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, its limestone and brick Beaux Arts-style Clubhouse opened in 1908 and provides a stunning, old-world setting where the club’s 2,460 members can enjoy a haven from the bustle of Washington’s professional life. It operates year-round, Monday through Friday.
Social Civility
The Metropolitan Club’s members continually affirm their dedication to a tradition of social civility and value a formality from which many clubs have gravitated away in recent years. It’s strictly coat-and-tie at all times and, lest one fall prey to relaxed attire trends, members recently voted to institute a ban on white-soled shoes. You’ve got to admire a club that stays true to itself and staunchly guards the traditions it values.
The club’s many amenities include a 10-bedroom boutique hotel, a health and athletic facility, a barber shop and shoe- shine station, and a 17,000-book library managed by two club librarians where members can enjoy a beverage and access one of the 450 books authored by club members, as well as daily newspapers and a variety of magazines, periodicals and journals covering an array of interests. While there is a room which can be reserved for meetings as well as the Correspondence Lounge, where members are permitted to use their phones if needed, members do not use the club to overtly conduct business, but rather for polite socializing and entertaining guests in elegant dining spaces.
Culinary Excellence
When General Manager/COO Michael Redmond, CEC, CCM, ECM, arrived at the MC in 2007, they were hosting an average of seven events per month. Today the club has a two-year waiting list and member usage is buoyed by 20-24 monthly events. The food-and-beverage program is the primary driver of member engagement and the club’s sophisticated member- ship treasures the world-class service and exceptional culinary offerings that have become the hallmark of the club in recent years. With an established team of talent in the kitchen, F&B at the MC has steadily enjoyed increased success; today it generates about $14 million in gross revenue.
The more formal Main Dining Room serves breakfast, lunch and dinner; the members-only Members Grill fosters camaraderie as members dine at common tables for breakfast or lunch; the second-floor bar provides more casual menu options for lunch and dinner; the Wine Cellar and Tasting Room offers tasting menus, full-dining and private events; and the rooftop Terrace Bar that serendipitously opened in 2021 when outdoor spaces were vital to the hospitality industry offers à la carte dining and full cocktail service (read more about the Terrace Bar and its development in the Summer 2021 issue of Club Director). Although the six-year planning and approval process for the $11 million rooftop terrace was rigorous, members now enjoy live music, a creative cocktail menu, a cigar lounge area with a walk-in humidor and views of the Washington Monument. Although there is no dining service on the rooftop, 73% of the members that use the roof enjoy the club’s à la carte fine dining room.
The heart of the club’s F&B operation is its enviable Wine Cellar and Tasting Room. The MC boasts the largest privately held cellar in the mid-Atlantic with a 19,000-bottle inventory worth more than $1.3 million. The cellar features separate storage and temperature levels for white and red wines to
Spirit of Hospitality
Whether it’s the daily fresh-squeezed juice and continental breakfast buffet, the 90,000 cookies freshly baked annually for members, the club’s baked-in-house Gougères, complimentary hors d’oeuvres at the Members Bar or the seven-course prix-fixe special menu, the team puts its heart into delivering exceptional quality.
Redmond notes that although ongoing service training is important, it’s the spirit of hospitality with which the staff performs their service that distinguishes the club. “We do have formalized training on the steps of service and all tasks required for each position, but what separates us is the feeling and the connection with the members that far outweigh the fork being in the right place,” he says.
Redmond, himself a chef for 18 years prior to moving to the front of the house, is proud of the exceptional talent of the team the club has cultivated from around the globe, noting that the staff hails from 31 different counties, including department heads: Assistant General Manager Emmet Gallagher from Ireland; Chef Vincent Horville from France; Beverage Manager and Sommelier Elias Yemane from Ethiopia; Banquet Manager Luis Navarrette from Bolivia; and the à la carte service team leaders Francesco Pistorio from Italy and Jose Hernandez from El Salvador.
Redmond added, “Our setting is a very traditional, appoint- ed with the elegance of Irish Linen, polished silver, and warm light reflecting off crystal. Our cuisine, though eclectic, leans towards traditional European club fare most days. Members come to the club to entertain or just get away from the chaos of the Capital and, when they do, they experience old-world charm and engage with a staff that truly understands hospital- ity. That’s not to say we believe we are perfect by any means, but we are very good at making emotional connections with our members and guests. Having a seasoned team that spends countless hours learning member preferences has been game changing for us. The relationship between member and staff is quite exceptional.”