Club XL manager passionate about food

  • Published
  • By Caitlin Smail
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Bruce Hiott, general manager of Laughlin's clubs, is the individual in charge of arranging menus and activities at Club XL. He's a soft-spoken man with a firm handshake and a good sense of humor.


By the way he dresses, one might take him for a business executive but as soon as he starts speaking, his passion for food and creativity are readily apparent. So, where did the man behind all the fun get his start?


"I began working as a dishwasher at Brooks Air Force Base," Hiott said. "I didn't want to be a dishwasher anymore, so I began to work my way up the ladder." Hiott spent years making his way up the chain at Brooks AFB and was eventually promoted to assistant club manager.


After spending a few years in his new position at Brooks, Hiott decided it was time to move on and chose to try his hand in the civilian sector, beginning a new job as a chef at the Inn at Los Patios in San Antonio. For the next few years, he bounced around several restaurants gaining experience and knowledge along the way.


"I burnt out of the restaurant business after a while," Hoitt recalls, "so I decided to try my hand at selling steel." His break from the food industry didn't last long. When he realized he didn't enjoy selling steel he quickly jumped back into the restaurant business in 2004 when he bought Radike's, a restaurant he owned and operated until the market went downhill.


It was while he was working as the operations manager at the club on Randolph AFB that a new opportunity struck. Hiott accepted the general manager position for the clubs at Laughlin and jumped at the chance.


"I arrived in a truck, not a moving truck, just a truck." Hiott said. Changes came quickly when he took over as club manager. He began coming up with new concepts for the restaurant, developed new menus and started developing ideas for social activities.


"Creativity. It's my favorite thing about being a chef," Hiott says."The openness of the leadership on base allows me to foster that creativity."


Through his creativity and innovations, Hiott hopes Club XL will win the best in the Air Education and Training Command award and is aiming to win the best in the Air Force award. He also hopes to revamp the menus for Undergraduate Pilot Training graduations and is working with leadership to create a new concept for Jack's Place.


People on base have taken notice of the evolving menus, the delicious meals, and new social activities and really like what they see. "I think Bruce has done a great job and has been very receptive to inputs and requests since he's began," said Kia Binder who has been attending the club for two-and-a-half years, "The food there is quite good and the Thursday night dinners and lunch menu have taken a turn for the better!"


It's the genuine attitude, ingenuity and ambition that Mr. Hiott has brought to the clubs that are fueling the changes in attitudes around base. Laughlin residents have just gotten a taste of Mr. Hiott's creativity and are sure to be asking for another helping!