Membership changes for the Mountain View Club Published Dec. 3, 2010 By Laticia Little 377th Force Support Squadron Kirtland AIr Force Base, NM -- Over the past 20 years, the Air Force community has seen substantial cuts in federal budgets in every area of service. Air Force clubs were no different. Lack of appropriate financial support has created the need for clubs to become self-sufficient. Self-sufficiency has become the buzzword among club managers around the world. Although being self-sufficient seems like a reasonable goal for any business, it does pose a significant challenge when attempting to continue to provide the type programs to which club members have become accustomed. The Mountain View Club has been wrestling with this challenge daily. Finding a balance between generating revenue and offering value for members has been a challenge. However, this New Year will find the Mountain View Club ready for the fight. There will be new programs and membership incentives, as well as changes to the dining operation, to assist the club in achieving this goal. "Our goal in making these changes is to increase club membership by giving customers what they want: excellent dining, fun events and great entertainment," said flight chief Vicki Fragomeli. Some of the new membership benefits include weekly progressive club card drawings; free lunches for members based on the date their driver's license state was founded, and free coupons for a round of golf at the Tijeras Arroyo Golf Course. For those who enjoy bingo, a daily bonanza bingo program will start, with prizes up to $1,000, that can be played anywhere in the club. The View will highlight all these new programs next year. Catering is a mainstay with military clubs, so our goal is to maintain our loyal customers and attract new ones. In the spring, the club will host a Catering Open House to showcase the capabilities and creativity that the club staff can bring to any event. "Most people aren't aware that Air Force Club members receive 10 percent off their personal functions, such as wedding receptions, anniversaries and promotion parties, excluding alcoholic and rental/service fees," Ms. Fragomeli said. "We want to encourage our members to take advantage of this great benefit." Along with improvements to our catering services, the MVC dining program will also be re-energized. To ensure that evening food service is available, the lounge menu will be expanded to increase offerings beyond burgers and chicken wings. The menu will include such items as grilled chicken salads, quesadillas and steak sandwiches. On Wednesdays, the club will host "Cook Your Own Steak Night." As with most military clubs, Sunday Brunch is a long tradition and the Mountain View Club is no different. To ensure that the tradition continues, the Sunday Brunch and Tea Dance will be once each month; dates will be posted in The View. Quarterly Membership Nights, featuring a dinner buffet, entertainment and door prizes, will continue and remain free to all club members as a way of showing appreciation to patrons. Those are just some of the many ways that the Mountain View Club staff plans to show appreciation to the Kirtland AFB community for their continued support. As always, if you have ideas or comments regarding the club, visit the kirtlandforcesupport.com website and leave your comments there.