Chapter 10 - The Private Dining Club Was Not Dead
Madison assumed the family would kill her project after the slap.
Eleanor wanted:
to.
The independent board did not.
The concept had already cost money to develop.
Outside advisers liked much of it.
So the family separated:
Madison’s conduct
from the business proposal.
Madison could no longer lead negotiations directly while family conflict remained acute.
An outside hospitality consultant reviewed the plan.
Conclusion:
Strong concept.
Weak capital structure.
Overly aggressive membership projections.
Good culinary strategy.
Too much construction in phase one.
The recommendation was to shrink:
it.
Madison hated the first version of the review.
Then read it again.
The consultant was right.
Her plan had become too large because she wanted something impossible to dismiss.
Bigger building.
More members.
More prestige.
More proof.
They redesigned.
Half the capital.
Existing structure renovated instead of demolished.
One dining room.
One terrace.
Small wine library.
No enormous club wing.
The board approved a pilot.
Eleanor voted:
yes.
Madison found out later.
She called Eleanor.
“Why?”
“Because the revised numbers make sense.”
“You still don’t like me.”
“Those are unrelated.”
May you like
That was perhaps the healthiest business answer either woman had ever received.
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