Information Pages

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

More Restaurantmania...."Massive" or "Minute" ?

Massive Turnout for Restaurant Meeting ?

Image result for cartoon laughing moving

From recent reports somewhere in the area of 400 people showed up at the Sun City Anthem restaurant workshop on Monday, February 25, 2018.

...and elsewhere reported as "massive".

If one makes an assumption that of that total, approximately half are from the same household, it appears the word "massive" is in the eyes of the beholder...a beholder who always has, and always will have...an "agenda" based on deception.

To those who know how to count, how about a lesson in 2nd grade math?

Image result for counting cartoon

200 households divided by 7,144 homes
=  
2.8%
of Sun City Anthem homes

But

We'll go a step further, we'll give "Mr. Massive" the benefit of the doubt and assume that all 400 attendees were from separate property owners.

 Related image
That would mean that ...

400 households divided by 7,144 homes
=
5.6%
of Sun City Anthem homes

That to us means that between 94.4% and 97.2% somehow either don't give a hoot, or have been at a "buy one...get one free" place.

But...according the soothsayer blogger, supposedly somewhere near 80% of the attendees said they would accept a SUBSIDIZED restaurant... 

... to the tune of between $68,000 to $85,000 EACH YEAR according to the esteemed Director, "give 'em 40,000 grand of your money" Thomas Nissen.

Yeah I believe that 80% of unit owners would OK a subsidy, don't you?

After all,  apparently the "new favorite", G2G, primarily associated with Denny's Restaurants, has 41 restaurants, with an annual revenue of $70 million...

...must be in dire need of assistance.

They are also demanding FREE utilities and an annual rental fee of $1 with a generous "bonus of 4% of sales in excess of $1.3 million", open ONLY for lunch and dinner5 days a week.

Yeah...a restaurant who owns a bunch of Denny's...not open for breakfast !

Let's see, based on that info, in order to recoup that $85,000 subsidy...a.k.a. your dues money", that would mean the restaurant annual revenue would have to be...

$ 3,425,000 annual revenue
opening 260 days each year

generating
$13,173 per day in revenue

(with an average meal costing $12.00)

MEANING

SERVING ONLY 

1,098 people
each day


Shall we go a bit further?  

Why not !

Referring back to that "massive400 in attendance,  and supposedly 80% of them (320) stating they wouldn't mind a subsidy...

...to all of you who boldly raised your hand in such support, if 100% of you eat there 3 to 4 times EACH DAY....EVERY DAY...5 DAYS A WEEK...

...on behalf of all of Sun City Anthem, the residents would gladly thank you for PRACTICING WHAT YOU PREACH....

...subsidizing the place to pay the $85,000 subsidy you believe the rest of us should pay !


Folks, all of this is just another example of...

Image result for cooking the books cartoon
  
Got a comment?

Send it to us at:

  1. From Buddy Greenfield...to...Anthem Opinions

    With 70 million in sales.
    41 locations.
    That is an average of $1.7 million per location.

    How can we even hit the average by opening 5 days a week for limited hours?

    Denny’s Restaurants are open 7 days a week 24 hours a day.

    How in the world are we going to match that?

    That is over twice the hours of operation that they are proposing here.

    If we hit that average…..then we get the following:
    4% of excess over 1.3 million.

    So $400,000 (the excess) times 4% = $16,000.

    If they grow the sales to the average of their restaurants (doubtful), then we would grow to a monthly rent of $1,333.

    What a deal to be average. We are getting hosed.

    Now add free utilities to that?

    Bad deal….

    So Nissen says we have to put in a guess of $85,000?

    We will for sure put in more than that.

    Just where do these people come up with this nonsense?

    Should have recalled Nissen, Weddle, Burch, and Waterhouse and got rid of Seddon.

    This place is going insane with the way they do business.
  2. From Janet Cologna...to...Anthem Opinions

    Dick,

    I spoke to a very reliable source about Henderson patrol of this area. They (the police) ride Anthem Parkway at least once every shift.

    True they do not go up and down every street, but they do go into neighborhoods here as calls and time permit.

    They may make a second run on Anthem Parkway as time and calls permit.

    It is true they do not  have enough officers and patrol cars.

    I spoke with some on my friends in the neighborhood and we are all in agreement that we don't need a restaurant.  
  3. From Liza B...to...Anthem Opinions

    I saw this on our Monday SCA Eblast. 

    Employees of the Month

    Please join us in congratulating Karen McDade and Israel Martinez as the February winners for our employee recognition program.

    Karen is a Fitness Monitor and has recently stepped up to the plate during the absence of the Lead Monitor. Karen is recognized for being proactive and her willingness to take on additional duties without hesitation.
    Israel is a member of our Facilities Maintenance staff and known to be a hard worker, stepping in whenever it is needed. He is recognized by his peers to be knowledgeable and professional.

    Great job to both Karen and Israel. Each of them will receive a gross monetary award of $400 with the next payroll.

    "Each of them will receive a gross monetary award of $400 with the next payroll".


    What ever happened to a special parking spot for the employees of the month? $400 just for doing your job to me is a gross waste of our funds!!! 
  4. From Peter Hudson...to...Anthem Opinions

    Dear Anthem Opinions,

    After reading through the proposals of what the three restaurants would have to offer, said specifications, potential cost and or additional income to our Association; we find ourselves in agreement with “Opinions” that this would not be a sound investment for our community.

    We believe for this to stand alone and be profitable, it would need to provide an atmosphere along with exceptional tasteful food items that have a distinct difference than what any other restaurant offers/provides within a five mile radius.

    Plus, with having such an exceptional ethnic background of people living within Sun City, would our taste continue to support such an adventure as this week after week?

     If restaurants have failed in the past, what is the belief from our current Board that any one of these or others would succeed?

    From my experience if I may add, my family has and continues to be in the business of selling raw food products to restaurants since my grandfather and dad started it back in 1942.

    Over the years we have seen many fine restaurants come and go. From those that succeed comes with the commitment of said ownership who work and oversee its daily operation.

    We to have witnessed many successful operations that have been sold and watched them fail, downsize, and or go completely out of business.

     With that, if the Board does decides to move forward ( with a) “lets” give it one more try with whom ever, shouldn’t our only commitment be to lease this space out per going rate per square foot?

    With that, we should only need to provide the necessary fire and general liability to do it being our building.

    Said tenet should also be attached onto our insurance as well, along with providing any additional insurance requirements per need.

    Said tenet should provide a hold harmless clause and agree to pay for any claims brought against the association caused by said operation.

     If the decision is to go with a “Club” type setting for its membership to where we are self managed here,  to in my experience I have seen many come and go over the years.

    To be successful with this venture, the Board would need to search and hire experienced successful restaurant management personal, plus also really give consideration to charging its members a set yearly amount for food and beverage to be spent to support said “Club” type venture.

    Another question, who that Board member be to give of their life to seeing this type of venture succeed day to day, year after year?

    To close, we really need to ask ourselves, am I really willing to give of myself to support this and spend a fair amount of my dinning out funds within one of these proposals no matter what?

    My wife and I love our community, we are here for the long haul and will do our level best to continue and support our fellow neighbors.

    Thank you for you time.

    Wishing you all the best.
  5. Peter, what great commentary.

    When it comes to people like you who would bring such amazing practical experience to the table in such dealings, why do these decision makers refuse to seek out such vital advice?

    It never ceases to amaze me how much hidden talent and experience goes unnoticed and untapped in Sun City Anthem, allowing those who have little or none make decisions.

    Thanks for your input. I think our readers greatly value it.
  6. From Thomas & Patricia Yeaman...to...Anthem Opinions

    I was one of those people who was unable to attend the Restaurant meeting last Monday.   in the morning for a 70-year old with arthritis just doesn’t work!

    I have a hard time believing the majority of people who did attend were most in favor of a “subsidized” restaurant!

    Been there.....done that!  Hey folks.....that doesn’t work!!!

    And they only want to be open five days a week??

    Are you kidding???

    The Italian restaurant is too limited in its menu, not being able to offer a BLT or grilled cheese sandwich or anything other than Italian food?

    I love Italian, but I don’t want to go there more than once every few weeks, and it wouldn’t be someplace I could go for a sandwich or snack.

    Village Pub would not be my first choice of a restaurant here, but of the three, I believe it has the best chance of being profitable and serving the the needs of the majority of people residing here in SCA.

    It has a varied menu; there would be something on the menu for just about everyone.

    The prices are a little higher than I would like to see, but it sure would be convenient for a meal a couple of times a week or a dessert after our card games, swim class, or craft activities!  T

    That’s where my vote would go, however insignificant my vote is.
  7. From Robert Nusser...to...Anthem Opinions

    Sadly - the typical resident is too uninformed to understand this, and will sit idly by while our HOA fees likely get raised to $500 per quarter over time. 
  1. From Frank Lewis...to...Anthem Opinions

    The board only considered 3 options:

    - single operator restaurant (doomed to fail even with subsidiaries)
    - convert to meeting rooms at a cost of $750,000 (minimum)
    - combination

    During last years election campaign, I presented the following concept to two of the successful board candidates, so I know they are aware of it but obviously have no interest in even considering the following.

    The layout of the restaurant and the additional kitchen space works in favor of converting the space into a food court.  The bar would remain as is and the existing dining booths would be removed and replaced with 3 storefronts that would be leased to small, independent operators.  The excess kitchen space would be divided into both exclusive food preparation areas and a common storage area for each operator.  The existing seating would be a shared common area and maintained by a common area maintenance fee (CAM).  The CAM could also allow for a shared utility cost.  Tenants would be selected to provide a different style of food.

    These small operators can operate on a much smaller revenue stream as they are self-managed and do not have large corporate overhead or franchise fees.  They would compete among themselves to provide the best quality, variety and price point - a real benefit to residents.  Restaurants fail and turnover can be expected.  However, not all would fail at the same time and therefore, at least 2 would remain open until another tenant is located. By offering a modest rental rate (not free) this should not take much time as there are many persons that believe they can succeed in the restaurant business but have limited financial assets.

    Shouldn't this at least be considered an option ?
  2. I find it rather interesting that one of the proposals, G2G, who owns 41 Denny's Restaurants, has no intention of serving breakfast.

    Could this proposal be an intentional decision on G2G's part in order to reduce competition toward that restaurant chain in light of Denny's being known primarily for breakfast entrees?

    ...thereby reducing revenue to SCA, and making it even more difficult to obtain a break even point?

    That decision alone, should end all negotiations with that organization, especially in light of their $70,000,000 revenue, demanding $1 in rent per year and free utilities.

    That deck is stacked with greed in my opinion.

    Also, it is ludicrous that it would cost $750,000 to re-purpose the area.  After discussing that with other individuals in the real estate and construction industries, both estimated the cost at between $300,000 and $400,000.

    Are others allowed to bid that job?  Were those bids obtained from the usual "favorites" or were another contractors at large allowed to submit bids?

    Those "favorites" have always had questionable numbers.
    1. David Berman Words of Wisdom:

      Evidently charging a profit-making firm rent is a death knell to a restaurant !

      After reading his comment, it shouldn't be a surprise.

      "I believe those who might get excited about the prospect of collecting rent from a tenant might want to stop and ponder the fact that the rent obligation is a good part of what killed off prior operators."

      Got news for him...not paying dues or a mortgage might be a good part of getting you kicked out of your home too.

      Did it ever dawn on him that if a guy can't afford rent, that person shouldn't be in business?

      Of course not, that how bureaucrats think....the world owes them everything...

      ...that FAILURE is everyone's fault...except their own.  

      Looks like his knowledge of providing financial planning advice is right on par with his ability to maintain a law license.

      Anyone still wonder why we throw money down the drain?

      It's listening to buffoons who "
      tell you how, but never did".
      1. From Robert Nusser...to...Anthem Opinions

        A message to David Berman from Mark Twain:

        “It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt”

What Going On Down the Road in March


Image result for laughlin



or

Click on our Information Page

"Laughlin Live...Weekend Entertainment"

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

March 1st Means Changing Your Watering System

Don't Forget...March 1st starts...

Spring Watering Restrictions

southernNevadaWaterAuthority.jpg (300×200)

CLICK HERE for Full Information

or

Click on our Information Page...

 "The Garden Wizard"

Monday, February 26, 2018

Carpet Stains ? Let's Clean Them the Easy Way


Carpet Stains...A Mess
but
Don't Panic

 Image result for carpet stains

Click Here for Full Information

or

See our Information Page...

"Why Didn't I Think About That ? ....Tips"
Archives...Page Two


Sunday, February 25, 2018

Restaurantmania...for the 6th Time ! ... An Anthem Opinions Editorial

Another Restaurant?

Image result for here we go again

Let Residents Decide, not 7 individuals
and a General Manager

Crunch time !

Here we go again...another restaurant and likely, another decision that will be made by individuals who look at a community as a bunch of children who need guidance.

Do we want one?
Do we need one?
And...if so, which one ?

How about doing it right this time?

And by that I mean, putting it to formal vote to a community with residents allowed to make the final decision based on...

Image result for full disclosure


...not allowing some blog operator with a track record of supporting 5 consecutive restaurant losersa Board without a single member of restaurant or self-employment experience in the private sector...

...all of which, have been out of the "real working world" for YEARS...

...or a General Manager who recently had 863 people sign a "no confidence" petition as to her ability to making a community a happy place to live !

Let's face it...

We've been hood-wickedlied to, and literally ROBBED by former restaurant operators in conjunction with a Board of Directors whose willingness to spend OUR MONEY like water, while covering up their incompetence, demonstrated by total LACK OF EXPERIENCE in any restaurant matters....is no longer a belief, but a fact!  

All one has to do is look at the substantial financial community losses over the years and come to a logical conclusion that you can't play in a professional game with a bunch of amateurs.

And so...are we going to go through it again?

Probably...

...unless for once, a decision is made based on many factors, the most important of which are FULL FINANCIAL FACTS...NOT...the emptiness of one's tummy.

In other words, WHAT IS THIS GOING TO COST ALL OF US?

Image result for what's it going to cost?

Do I or an overwhelming percentage of most residents, care what goes in that empty space?

NOPE...because living in a "Buy One...Get One" town means, most of us will go elsewhere to eat as a result.

That too...is FACT...

...unless of course, you feel you have some kind of "divine  right" to eat in your own back yard, making sure others pay for it, while ignoring the many other factors that COMMON SENSE demands being properly addressed.

Looking at the three possible options, it appears the best "deal" for Sun City Anthem might be the one offered by The Village Pub.

The other two, based on their "generous" offers, are, "same old...same oldwhere one is asking for rent of a buck a year, and the other is based on a percentage of revenue...which likely, looking at the past, will never materialize !

But...back to the Village Pub.

After examining the initial proposal, it appeared to outshine the other two by a landslide, but remember...it's just an initial proposal.

Pardon my skepticism, but restaurant promises are as old as the hills, and for those of you who have been here for years...

...after 5 bogus tries...

...as empty as a Sunday morning bottle of Jack Daniels in the hand of a homeless person sleeping under a viaduct! 

So...don't believe everything you read...there HAS TO BE MORE to the story than that proposal, and some of the terms don't seem to "fit the bill" when it comes to a community filled with unsuspecting seniors.

Let's look a some of them.

Gaming?  No problem as far as most are concerned, but 24/7?

...that might be a bit much...yes, they want to be open around the clock on our premises, while the rest of the Anthem Center is closed.

Just how do you make sure our property is protected from theft and/or vandalism and/or keeping strangers from entering other parts of that property?

What about security?  

Lately casino cages, banks, and grocery stores have been "prime pickins" for the unsavory, and we certainly have had our fair share of home break-ins, haven't we?

Ask yourself....

Why would the Village Pub want to be here?

Could it be....

...because they feel Inspirada and the continuously increasing new home construction in that area that will include "affordable housing", creates a new avenue to promote their organization? 

Don't forget that Inspirada is NOT a 55+ community....lots of kids with young families !

Think about this for a moment !

"Rounders" is in the last stage of a new building located at the intersection of Volunteer Road and Executive Airport Drive.  

They undoubtedly saw an opportunity for a profitable venture...so much so, they decided to build their own building !

And...remember....

A new Las Vegas Raiders facility will be built as well...needing employees... looking for a place to eat !

Add it all up, folks, and ask yourself....

Does Village Pub view Sun City Anthem and other surrounding Anthem communities as a competitive balance, looking for A CENTRAL LOCATION,  to get "a piece of the action" ???

More importantly....

Will all of these entities bring an "undesirable element" to the Anthem communities that would affect the safety of elderly people ???

Let's face facts...

When was the last time you saw a Henderson police car patrolling Sun City Anthem?  

The city won't even paint the roadways with new striping, so where does it come up with the funds to properly patrol a location within a senior community that is open all day and night?

How many of you will travel to Anthem Center and park your car in a dark parking lot, walking in the dead of night to a place without sufficient security?

How many residents favor strangers traveling through their streets (and in some cases), casing their homes for potential illegal activity?

The safety of the Anthem community must be addressed, and WILL COST MONEY !

So...let's just say, a 24/7 operation with slot machines while strangers roam "the hood"  doesn't seem to address the #1 concern of senior citizens...

Image result for safety


But...back to the Village Pub for other considerations.

It takes 5-10 minutes to travel to their other location on Eastern Avenue (literally the same amount of time it takes to travel from your home to Anthem Center in most cases); they already have an existing popular client base of many Sun City Anthem residents, so what makes them believe it won't be a matter of taking from one to give to their other restaurant?

We're not restaurant operators, so we don't know what their rationale might be.

As the saying goes...

Image result for frankly my dear i don't give a damn

...but what I do...

Related image

...about...is...

... the ENTIRE dealcomplete with all the nooks and crannies as to what FINANCIAL COSTS the residents will be held responsible for now or in the future along with proper safety precautions.

And...guaranteed assurance from a Board of Directors and General Manager, that NO LOANS or FINANCIAL SUBSIDY of any kind is now, or will be in the future, part of ANY arrangement.

Why am I writing this article? 

Because there's another old saying that keeps ringing in my ears....



Image result for those unfamiliar with the past are condemned to repeat it

...and...with people on the existing board that include Rex Weddle and Tom Nissenafter voting to approve $40,000 of loans to the last one who DEFAULTED on both ...

...not counting how they and Bob Burch and Aletta Waterhouse, along with a General Manager with a hotline to an association attorney whose bills were over 200% of the budget...and...dumped $80,000 in the most unethical manner possible on the recent recall election...

...aren't the brightest candles in the candelabra when it comes to cost effective management decisions.

I believe caution is in order and FULL DISCLOSURE of THE ENTIRE COMMITMENT combined with publishing the entire WRITTEN LEASE summarizing each and every provision, must be made public, allowing residents to place both pros and cons in a formal ballot packet, to make the decision.

Image result for good business


It's time we did this right, if we do it at all...which honestly, after five unsuccessful tries has shown to be nothing more than...

Image result for an exercise in futility
So...I ask all of you, is all of this worth the price of a cheap sandwich...one that can easily be obtained with a short 5-10 minute drive?

Think about it !

Got a comment?

Send it to us at:
scaopinions@gmail.com
  1. From Rana Goodman...to...Anthem Opinions

    1:  The 24/7 won't work. None of us that live here stay up that late and who is going to pay "our staff" to keep the building open and what about building security out of the restaurant? We have no security guards (other than when activities sends them to an event to make sure one senior does not attack another LOL)

    2: If you remember the last time gaming was discussed several years ago, I contacted gaming control and was told that we could have to take measures to make sure that our private area was sealed off from the public are if gaming was in the restaurant/bar.

    That would mean:

    (a) the restroom, at least the ladies, would need something like a key-card entry for the back door that opens into the gallery.

    (b) a gate of some kind as you enter the gallery with key card entry because I'm sure we don't want a guard there to keep "public" out of our resident area.

    (c) locks on the doors from the outside leading into Anthem Center other than the reception area changed to key-card entry.

    (d) all 7,144 resident membership cards changed to ones so that WE COULD GAIN ACCESS TO THE KEY-CARD ENTRY unless of course someone has a better idea.

    As you said, Village Pub is the only offer that made sense, the other two are insulting, $1 per year, REALLY?
  2. From Buddy Greenfield...to...Anthem Opinions

    Definition of an amenity?

    An Amenity for Who????

    SCA or the surrounding neighborhood?

    Does our charter allow our amenity to include NON RESIDENTS?

    Do we need a vote or just the attorney saying it is in the best interest of SCA and voting is not required.

    Do we need extra liability insurance for our center since it is open to the public?

    Separate entrance?

    Safety of adjacent space(Anthem Center)?

    Will Village Pub be financially responsible any damage or vandalism to Anthem Center?

    How can we be assured that visitors do not wander in Anthem Center?
    1. From Marcia Kosterka...to...Anthem Opinions

      Another thing to consider is exclusivity that ALL clubs must use the tenant for catering.

      That does not bode well for different types of food for different club events, especially the ethnic clubs.
      1. Offering the Restaurant (OUR AMENITY) to the public? What's next? The Swimming Pools, the Gyms, or the Tennis Courts to the public (for a fee, naturally).

        Of course - think of all the kick-backs !

        1. From Janet Cologna...to...Anthem Opinions

          You brought up some great points about even why we would have a restaurant here.

          I do take exception to Henderson not patrolling here. I was told by two officers, one on days and one on swing, that they do ride around our streets.

          Wonder if they're pulling my leg?
        2. Janet, they may tell you they patrol, but I may have seen one two drive down the street I live...in 12 years !

          I find that concerning.
          1. From Barbara Snell...to...Anthem Opinions

            Remember.....Vic Vegas?.......our last restaurant attempt......taking out trees on the Anthem terrace to improve the view...the evening Vic locked everyone out of the kitchen, including maintenance, because of an oven door malfunction during one of his free dinners...the Vic on a billboard on 215 and St Rose Parkway advertising him at our restaurant, but no address....then no Vic and only 2 restaurant employees to serve expensive and time consuming meals from a much smaller menu.

            If that restaurant space conversion into Club, exercise, Committee, Board, meeting rooms etc, residents would still be using the area today.  The space would not have sat vacant for such a long time and without all the expense of moving the last restaurant and company out.