Restaurant Business: Parks, Recreation & Pressed Panini?
The Fate of the Coral Gables Country Club May Be Decided as Early as This Month
Is the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, which oversees public green spaces, runs softball leagues, and offers Zumba classes for seniors, about to get into the restaurant business?
That seems a distinct possibility as the deadline approaches for the current operator of the Coral Gables Country Club and Liberty Cafe – Liberty Entertainment Group – to clear out after the city’s bitter breakup with that Canadian company, which has operated the place for the past 10 years. Its lease expires April 2022.
City Manager Peter Iglesias says he will announce in December a recommendation on whether to lease operation of the club, the café and the gym to the Barreto Hospitality Group, the only suitor offering to take on the job, or let the city run it. “We intend to keep it the same,” said Iglesias. “But we need to put some money into it…”
Indeed, the city is now spending $1.4 million for a new roof and has plans to repair the pool. Ultimately, Iglesias sees the property again being run as “an affordable country club,” with members paying $3,000 to $4,000 a year for golf, gym, and pool privileges. There would also be a restaurant for future members. “It won’t be a Flemings [the upscale downtown steakhouse], but a small restaurant,” says Iglesias. “And there will be rooms for nice events,” like birthday parties and weddings.
Whatever Iglesias’ recommendation, the final word will come from the city commission. At his last town hall meeting, Mayor Vince Lago took questions about the Club’s fate and that of the adjacent Burger Bob’s and assured the audience that their character would not change, even if that meant the city would ultimately run both facilities. In an e-mail to Coral Gables Magazine, the mayor said, “Burger Bob’s and the Coral Gables Country Club are iconic destinations that have helped build a sense of community. We are committed to ensure that any plans provide the opportunity for public input… and that any decision be made in a fair and equitable manner.”
At least two commissioners have reservations about the parks department diving into the restaurant business. “As a general proposition, I wouldn’t want the city running it unless it has to,” said Commissioner Jorge Fors, Jr. “For sure, our parks and recreation department is fantastic…. the question is, do we want to put the operation of the country club and the restaurant on their plate?”
Commissioner Rhonda Anderson said a “split arrangement,” in which an experienced restaurateur runs the food operations while Parks and Recreation handles other country club operations, could work. As Iglesias ponders his decision, what is certain, he says, is that Liberty Entertainment will be gone, despite an outpouring of support expressed during a community meeting in September. In deciding not to renew the lease, the city cited a list of grievances, including late payments, broken agreements, and inadequate maintenance of the historic property.
As for Burger Bob’s – the beloved, cash-only hamburger joint that shares space with the pro shop on the Granada Golf Course – the lease on that property expires Dec. 31, after which it will be on a month-to-month basis. Two proposals have been submitted, one from business- man Rodney Barreto’s Hospitality Group, the other from Rita Tennyson, who has worked with current lease-holder Bob Maguire for nearly three decades.
Barreto has ordered to come in with plenty of cash to upgrade and expand seating at the old-school eatery. Tennyson has ordered only $60,000 for needed improvements but has a wealth of community support. Iglesias says a decision could come as early as the first quarter of 2022.