Bartlett board recommends Holtzman Group for Bartlett Hills food-and-beverage review, asks firm to add marketing and present before vote

The Village of Bartlett’s Committee of the Whole heard Monday that staff is recommending the Holtzman Group, an Oklahoma-based food-and-beverage consultancy with extensive Illinois experience, to assess operations at Bartlett Hills’ food, beverage and banquet facilities.

Scott, the village staff lead on the engagement, told trustees the village solicited quotes and identified two formal applicants: Holtzman and a San Diego–based golf-consulting firm. Scott said Holtzman has worked with roughly 30 courses in Illinois, offered a lower price and “is really the leader in food and beverage consulting” for public-course operations, while the other firm had less relevant experience and higher cost.

The board pressed staff on the scope and timing. Multiple trustees asked why the assessment would focus on food and beverage instead of a full review of the golf course. Scott said the golf side recently received capital investments (irrigation, carts) and is running “pretty efficiently,” so the primary gap was in banquet and food operations. He described the consultant’s work as an operational review that will examine purchasing, menus, marketing and banquet workflows and return a written report and recommendations.

Trustees also sought measurable deliverables and marketing expertise. One trustee asked how the consultant proposed to move the facility’s rating “from an eight to a 9 plus”; another asked staff to request comparable case studies demonstrating Holtzman’s results in similar public-course settings. Scott said staff will ask Holtzman to flesh out marketing proposals and to identify past customers they consider most similar to Bartlett Hills.

On procurement process and timing, staff said no formal RFP was issued because the food-and-beverage consultant market is highly niche and the village solicited targeted quotes. The assessment is expected to occur during the golf season (staff cited April–May as likely windows) so the consultant can observe operations in normal use.

Trustees directed staff to add marketing explicitly to the consultant scope, request detailed case studies and invite Holtzman to give a short presentation to the full board (the meeting after March 10) before members consider approving a contract or engagement.

The committee did not vote to award a contract at Monday's meeting; the board’s direction was to return with the augmented scope and a presentation that addresses marketing and performance metrics prior to any final action.