Reporter’s Notebook: Checking In With the University Club

Robert Hartstein, the new-ish general manager and CEO of the University Club of Pasadena, settled into a corner of the sunlit dining room for a lunchtime conversation Wednesday, reflecting on a career that has spanned fine dining, hotel management, and private clubs.

Since joining in early 2024, Hartstein has focused on rebuilding both the physical space and the Club’s connection with its members. He has reconfigured dining areas and meeting rooms to prioritize members, making certain spaces exclusively for them and enhancing the sense of community.

“We really try to put members first in a lot of what we do,” he said. Extended hours, expanded social programming, and a more member-centric approach reflect the changing needs of a workforce that no longer lunches in office cafeterias but seeks meaningful social connections.

Hartstein grew up in California, earning a degree in economics while nurturing a passion for cooking. He started in kitchens at renowned restaurants in Malibu, Seattle, and New York, eventually returning to Los Angeles to work with celebrated chefs and open his own establishment. Two decades in the back of the house gave him a perspective that would later inform his move to front-of-house management.

His first club position came at the Los Angeles Country Club, followed by a tenure at San Gabriel Country Club and work with a hospitality company managing venues across the state.

“One of my old managers said, ‘Hey, there’s an opportunity at the University Club if you’d be interested.’ And I said, ‘Okay, maybe I’ll come back and talk,” Hartstein recounted. That call coincided with the shocking news that a fire had devastated the Club in July 2023, an event that would shape his first months on the job.

Membership has grown slightly since the fire, Hartstein noted, aided by a simplified structure: executive equity memberships, corporate memberships for businesses, and a new institutional membership for nonprofits and volunteer organizations.

“Our goal is to provide access while keeping it as a private club,” he said.

Meanwhile, Hartstein highlights the educational foundation that sponsors PCC students transferring to four-year institutions, a point of pride for the Club.

The Club is now preparing for its centennial under the current roof this September, celebrating a hundred years of civic and business engagement. A formal celebration is in the works for late March.

The recently upgraded kitchen, still in the final stages of construction, features a state-of-the-art combi oven and reimagined spaces for banquets and member gatherings, signaling a commitment to hospitality, tradition, and community for the next century.

Hartstein hardly pauses when asked the best part of working at the University Club.

“The people, both members and staff. I’m just really proud to be a part of it,” he said. “Where we’re at right now, most members really enjoy being here, and you can feel that in the room.”

Founded in 1922, the University Club of Pasadena is a membership club and event venue located at 175 North Oakland Avenue in Pasadena.