Dear Members, Those who do not have the Club’s and Members’ interests at heart must have no role in its future.
The recent closure of our kitchen was not a decision taken lightly. It was, however, one that was absolutely necessary. Independent health and safety audits, commissioned proactively by the Club, revealed a series of serious lapses. These included pest infestations, poor hygiene practices, inadequate storage of food, cockroach sightings, and the discovery of rodent droppings and rodents. Despite training being provided to kitchen staff and warnings issued to improve standards, many of these issues remained systemic and unresolved. It wasn’t difficult to conclude that the conditions posed a material risk to Members’ health and safety. We will likely also request for similar audits of the Club’s other F&B facilities.
Separately, Management’s own review of the caterer’s staffing records identified the presence of unauthorised foreign workers lacking valid permits. The Club has zero tolerance for breaches of labour laws, and the caterer was instructed on short and urgent notice to ensure full compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements.
Faced with these findings, the Committee made the proactive decision to close the kitchen; before any Member fell ill, before the involvement of authorities, and before complaints were raised. The Committee knew this would cause inconvenience and frustration, and we understood it would risk the angst and displeasure of Members. But the situation had become untenable, and the Club had no choice but to act decisively to safeguard Members and guests.
What is striking is that these very risks were not identified in the Club’s Enterprise Risk Management report prepared with the help of external expert consultants. While that report flagged foreign worker non-compliance as a risk, it did not capture F&B hygiene as a material issue. This gap highlights an important lesson. Consultants may provide frameworks and processes, but they can never share the same depth of concern for the Club as its Members. For us, RSGC is not just an assignment or a report. It is a place we cherish and love, our second home and refuge.
The absence of a documented F&B Business Continuity Plan was surprising. In fact, the plan was drafted only after the health and safety issues became untenable. That BCP has since been partially implemented to stabilise food and beverage operations, ensuring uninterrupted service even during the disruption. The real lesson is not just the importance of having such plans, but of ensuring that they are properly tested and refined over time. Moving forward, the Club must apply this discipline across all critical areas of its operations.
Looking ahead, we may want to consider stricter benchmarks for our F&B operations, possibly even internationally recognised systems such as HACCP, which set global standards for food safety. At the same time, we must balance these standards with affordability for Members. Our aim is to find the best possible outcome, one that safeguards health and wellbeing while continuing to deliver value, variety and quality.
A full post-mortem will be conducted to review what went wrong and how the Club must move forward. This will not be a witch hunt, but we must ensure that those who do not have the Club’s and Members’ interests at heart must have no role in its future.
Raymond Yeoh
Captain
