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Unit 2 Exploring Careers in Family and Consumer Sciences
Professional Profi le Professional Profi le
Chief Executive Officer,
Private City Clubs
Tom Goodenow
The Harbor Clubs Seattle &
Bellevue WA
How did you get into
your line of work?
While living on campus during college, I became active in the campus food
service. I became more interested in food service and decided to combine it with
my entrepreneurial spirit. As a result, I established a campus-wide concession
operation. I became known as the campus “food guy,” and even the college
president enjoyed the hot dogs I cooked on a camp stove and sold at school
football games. Upon graduation, I returned home to Honolulu to work for my
dad’s private detective firm as a private eye. While this profession was filled with
much excitement, I missed interacting with people.
A few years later, the college president of my alma mater called. He
told me he was on the board of directors for the 1974 World’s Fair (Expo
‘74) to be held in Spokane, Washington. He asked if I wanted to be involved
in planning the fair. I jumped at the chance. At Expo ‘74, I wore many hats,
including being a consultant to the VIP Club.
I joined my college buddy and began building taco-themed Mexican
restaurants in eastern Washington and northern Idaho. Fast food led
to dinner-house restaurants and I became part owner of Casa Blanca
Restaurant in Spokane. At the time, Casa Blanca was serving 800 dinners
on Friday and Saturday nights. It became the highest sales volume
restaurant in eastern Washington.
After Casa Blanca, I decided to do it on my own. In 1982, interest rates
were 23 percent. I built Tom Foolery’s Restaurant in Spokane. We filed for
bankruptcy after two years of operation. This very tough experience taught
me a great deal, and I became very numbers oriented. I also learned how
to become a people-mentoring coach. This is a skill I now use daily as I
operate three separate food service operations.
I moved to Seattle in 1983. Another former college classmate was the
general manager of a tennis club. The club had not returned a profit in
some 100 years in the food and beverage department. He was convinced
I could turn around both the sales and operating numbers. After five years
of growth in annual profits, I was asked to do the same at The Harbor Club
in Seattle, Washington. The Harbor Club was struggling at the time as a
downtown rooftop city club.