Osan Officers' Club best in Air Force

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Brok McCarthy
  • 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
OSAN AIR FORCE, Republic of Korea --  It doesn't matter what it is, whether it's a promotion party, a wedding or lunch, the Osan Officers' Club does it right. Its because of this, the club received awards in customer service and recognition as the best officers' club in the Air Force for 2006. 

"Since the club was built 20 years ago, this is the first time it has been named best in the Air Force," said Ron Estrella, the Officers' Club general manager. "This year we focused a lot more on customer service than on starting new programs." 

Throughout 2006, the club consistently received very high marks on customer feedback through hardcopy comment cards and through the interactive customer evaluation system, also known as ICE. These high marks led to the club receiving six awards from Pacific Air Force earlier this year. 

Mrs. Jill Hoffman, the club caterer, said the reason for the high marks is because the staff is allowed to do their work with a minimum of supervision. 

"(Mr. Estrella) has allowed the staff to be creative and make various projects their own," she said. "Some of the people who work here have been here for more than 20 years, and he really makes them feel comfortable speaking up and sharing their wealth of experience to make the club better." 

One of the things that make the club unique on Osan is that the look inside changes from night to night. On Mondays, one of the rooms is set up for pasta night, and the room has a very family-friendly atmosphere. 

The next night, it is set up for Wine 'N' Dine, which gives everyone a chance to sit at a table that feels secluded from everything else so the guest can have a romantic dinner.
It's not uncommon for staff members to stay after guests leave for the night to get everything set up for events the next day. 

"The dedication of the staff is just amazing," Mr. Estrella said. "Without their hard work, the club wouldn't be worth much." 

All parts of the Officers' Club were considered for the award, including those not normally associated with it, like Checkertails and the Oriental House, and Mr. Estrella said both of these places were important in Osan receiving the award. 

Both places are themed restaurants open to all members of the Osan community, and Checkertails is the only place on base that's open 24-hours a day. Both places also deliver, making it easy for people to patronize the restaurants. 

"One of the main draws for the O'Club is its elegance and feel," said Mrs. Hoffman. "No matter what the event is, we treat it as the most important thing we have to do -- it doesn't matter if it's for a senior airman or a general." 

One of the few new programs the club started was having a live house band, Enzuna, play on Thursday and Friday nights. Mr. Estrella said the band has been well received by most of the club's customers.