Our Sun City Anthem resident and Anthem Opinions
contributor, Robert Nusser, attended the recent Restaurant seminar in Anthem
Center...
...but his "take", in our opinion, was bit more
frank than what you may have read elsewhere.
States Mr. Nusser....
When
you...
When you assume, you make an Ass out of U & Me.
Thus was the case during last Tuesday’s big meeting about the future of the SCA Restaurant.
I, like many (if not most) Residents, received a notification of a meeting in the Delaware Room on May 9 @ 9:30 concerning the future of the restaurant.
Apparently a lot of us got that announcement AND there was such a huge interest in this, the Delaware Room in Anthem Center was packed to capacity with ‘standing room only’ availability.
We all assumed a ‘big’ announcement would be forth-coming.
At the end of the meeting most (if not all) the attendees, walked away feeling like:
Rex Weddle, the Sun City Anthem Board President, prophetically started the meeting by announcing that ‘we are on a deliberate course’ (which, of course, meant that no decision had been reached).
The
decision, so far, has been to either find a properly-vetted tenant or repurpose
the area.
He then
graciously turned the meeting over to Ms. Seddon.
Ms. Seddon made the statement that as of this past March, a decision was made
that there would be NO self-managed restaurant (which is good). BUT, then the apparent
bombshell:
Ms.
Seddon stated that undoubtedly ANY restaurant will need a RESIDENT SUBSIDY.
(Translation: your
dues will be going up, AGAIN).
She stated that any restaurant owner would have to make a “reasonable” profit.
It's now the responsibility of Sun City Anthem unit owners to make sure an outside profit-making company makes a profit ????
...that "the state" has to "make good" on losses they might
sustain ????
Apparently, after all this time, no one has come up with what constitutes a “reasonable profit” (and it looks like the same people who made the determination of what constitutes a "reasonable income" for our General Manager, will be the ones to make that decision.)
One would think that, after all this time, some sort of figure would have been finalized (?)
Of course, in this scenario, the ‘reasonable profit’ will be a major factor in determining the restaurant subsidy (and thus our dues increase).
Another brainstorm from the Board was that the restaurant space could be leased to a new tenant for $1.00 (One Dollar) per year…..
Another option was touched upon:
...but once again, NO concrete estimates as to the cost of such conversion was offered.
In fact, after all this time, no specific suggestions for a potential new use of the area were offered.
Then
came the icing on the cake (so to speak).
-the
new Board to evaluate the situation and “weigh
in”
-the
new Treasurer to review ‘all details’ of any
proposal
-the
new Legal Counsel to evaluate the situation
-all
parties to compare and contrast all alternate
options
-the
General Manager to make eventual recommendations
the restaurant has been vacant for 2 years...
And now it sounds like they are starting from square #1?
So...It appears that this on-going debacle will go on and on and on.
The HIGHLIGHT of the meeting was when the various restaurant options were summarized and was met by boos when a “formal sit-down” establishment was mentioned, and was met by wild applause when the prospect of an “informal” eatery (with the option to take food out to the court yard or take food home).
Here’s an idea – why not let the Residents VOTE for what type of eatery is desired…..and for once, acquiesce to the Residents’ desires??
The original reason Del Webb installed (and subsidized) a restaurant was touched upon (briefly):
it was a SALES TOOL to woo potential buyers into SCA.
Many on the Board lamented that, at that time, there were few competing restaurants in the area; which of course, has now substantially changed. There are so many now, that there are literally too many to accurately count.
So many of us got the impression that the over-riding opinion is that ANY type of restaurant in SCA is doomed to failure.
and so...why throw good money after bad?
Del Webb is long gone, and all new construction was sold a long time ago.
And please, cut the nonsense about how a restaurant increases the value of our homes: the data sheet from Proudfit Realty that’s included with the SCA magazine shows that the average price of a home in SCA has gone UP since the close of the restaurant.
Make a one-time investment to convert the area – that investment will pay off for years and years.
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Have
thoughts as to Robert's comments as to the two options
discussed?
Send
them to us at:
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Yes you are correct....Ms. Seddon mentioned how any restaurant would have a monopoly on any catering in Anthem Center; and also mentioned that catering was the most profitable venue any tenant would enjoy. Yet all past restaurants held that monopoly AND they all went out of business.....which lead me to my conclusion that ANY type of restaurant appears doomed to failure, so why throw good money after bad?
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting the outcome to be different. -
P.S. - in Ms. Seddon's presentation (or, for that matter, anyone else) should NOT compare the restaurant at Canyon Gate to SCA....Canyon Gate is a COUNTRY CLUB, SCA is an Adult Community...it's like comparing apples to oranges
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From Mary Lee Duley...to...Anthem Opinions
Here is a response I received from Sun City Anthem President, Rex Weddle, as to the current community restaurant situation:
"Mary Lee, thanks for sharing the thoughts of your target audience about the restaurant space.
The suggestion for a survey seems widespread and is one the Board and GM are discussing. Surveys have been made in the past, but some folks have questioned how effective they were. The point has been made that any survey must be professionally designed so that whatever the results, they can be trusted.
If we move in that direction, we'll need to be sensitive to that need.
That said, please understand that I am not speaking for the Board, as it has taken no action on this question at this point. The Board's direction to Management to develop a recommendation on the use of the restaurant space would naturally include authority to conduct surveys, if necessary."
And as to the 55+ surveys, Mary Lee, those are the function of Management to conduct. The Board is updated on the response progress regularly; however, since it is not the Board's project, I will pass along your inquiry to the GM for a reply."
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Has there ever been any consideration to asking one of the culinary arts schools if they would like to use the space for training of their chefs? The UNLV culinary arts program runs the concessions at the Smith Center and do a great job.
Why don't we just turn the space into a bar with slot machines. -
From John Bogdan...to...Anthem Opinions
If they would only repurpose the space so that when playing table games we can enjoy the view.
We have Buckmans up the street which is doing very well for breakfast lunch and dinner.
It also lets us have catering facilities when needed.
Why not let the residents decide what our needs are? -
John, you have echoed the thoughts of literally every person that has contacted us.
It has never made sense that Buckmans should be considered any kind of competition. They are our neighbors, and we should treat them as such. They are a FREE restaurant to all the Anthem communities, and have stood the test of time for years.
We wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Russer's comments regarding a restaurant increasing property values being PURE NONSENSE. As he stated, the recent Proudfit report showing increasing home prices, certainly dispels that belief.
Have that golf course "go under", and all you have to remember is what Lake Las Vegas looked like when theirs filed bankruptcy.
That beautiful million dollar plus home complex plummeted in value as a result, but once the golf course was brought back, the property values once again, began to rise.
Who out there ever didn't believe that Buckmans wasn't a part of Sun City Anthem when they brought out here by a realtor for the first time? Their view is magnificent, and it was every bit the highlight as the wafer falls were when anyone examined our association.
After all the mistakes, I can't believe any intelligent being would want to try this losing experiment again.
Then again, I did you the words "intelligent being", didn't I?
As Mr. Forrest Gump so aptly put it:
"Stupid is as Stupid Does"...
So, perhaps that explains why our Board and "Princess" General Manager are in such desperate need of it.
Wouldn't you love to see Ms. Seddon make this statement?
"If my idea fails, I will resign my position".
or
"If my idea fails, I would not take another bonus until the community made up the losses based on my recommendations."
But...at the very least, this VAST DOLLAR COMMITMENT must be placed before the membership WITH FULL DISCLOSURE as to the pros and cons, in order to proceed.
It's the right thing to do...and based on the past, obviously a pipe dream to expect. -
Anthem Opinions has received a number of comments marked "anonymous" or "unknown".
Our blog policy does not allow such postings, and as a result, any such comment without a recognizable name, is deleted. -
From Rich & Priscilla Parr...to....Anthem Opinions
Since the restaurant has been closed for two years, has anyone done an analysis on how the lack of the restaurant has affected the bottom line of of this association?
That should be compared to what the costs were while Vic's was open.
The comparison may help identify the correct answer.
Many have been identified as the author of the quote "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result."
We attempted to patronize the various restaurant attempts, but always seemed to find that the quality for the price was out of whack.
What would change with the next attempt? -
Rich & Priscilla,
In baseball, three strikes and your out. In football, you punt on the 4th down, and in basketball, after a sixth foul, they toss you from the game.
In Vegas, the odds are always stacked against the individual, but in the restaurant business, only 2 out of 10 make it past the first year.
Someone might want to tell the decision makers those facts before they embark on dropping thousands of our retirement dollars in order for a few egos and VERY SELFISH individuals to get their wishes and we end up with a dues increase that can only mushroom year after year.
The statements I have heard, mention that an empty space would cost Sun City Anthem residents $50,000 PER YEAR.
I have never seen that verified. Perhaps Mrs. Seddon in her marvelous ability to present her power point presentations, might spell that out to the community.
Then again, even if that was true, my guess is that if that figure was accurate; within 3-4 years, repurposing the space would allow us to break even.
but...it would also provide desperately needed space to Clubs that are being shuffled around like a deck of cards.
If only those fools would spend their own money...I wonder how far any of this insanity would have lasted.
A long time ago, I learned...
..if you have INTEGRITY and have the BEST INTERESTS of those you represent, then you shouldn't ASK THOSE WHO HAVE PLACED THEIR TRUST IN YOU, TO INVEST IN SOMETHING, you wouldn't invest in yourself.
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From Marty Winger...to...Anthem Opinions
"Reasonable Profit" is" libtard speak" for how to create a slush fund for a select few to manage.
The relatively new "Queen" has found her safe space and now knows how to play the game.
We'll soon see this restaurant shoved down our throats by old middle managers who are playing the place they think we must have. -
I attended the meeting and all of the other residents comments are spot on and have greater insight than exhibited by the board, who presented the same old full service idea.
All of the residents appear to support a casual type of restaurant but a wide opinion as to food type and price point.
I believe the board should consider converting the area into a food court type of operation. The existing booths would be replaced with 3 mini storefronts, each of which would serve a different type of food. The back area would be used as a common food storage and possibly food preparation area. The existing casual tables would be a shared common area. The existing bar area would be preserved as a 4th entity.
There are literally hundreds of would be operators that dream of opening a restaurant but only have modest funds. They will work long hours and strive to provide the best food and service. Instead of subsidizing a full-service restaurant these small operators could pay a modest monthly rent and common area maintenance fee.
Inevitably, some will fail. However, not all will fail at the same time and thus, some will remain open until a new operator is located.
This is not a complete proposal and after a more through review, it may not be feasible but I believe it should at least be given a look. I am disappointed that I provided this concept to tow of the new board members during the campaign period and they completely ignored it.
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What Mr. Nusser has written thus far about the eating was spot on, except he didn't mention exclusivity.
Ms. Seddon stated that in order to survive, the restaurant must have exclusive catering. That means all clubs and residents, or anyone using the facilities would need to use the tenant as their caterer or go "off campus."
This was tried many times with the last tenant ,and was the formula when Trumpets was here.
In the case of Trumpets, we were allowed to bring in outside food to Independence, but not Anthem Center.
With the last tenant, the clubs tried to use him, but the prices were not reasonable and the food and service were bad; so clubs, one by on,e stopped using him.
Bottom line, the place died.
The theory of subsidizing is an old one, but SCA has said they don't want to do that time and time again.
Each time the board changes, the candidates claim they want to do what the residents want and as soon as they are elected, they flip-flop over to the kook-aid...