Want to Force a Restaurant on the Community without a Vote of the Sun City Anthem Owners?
A Big Mistake !
Listen carefully, Sun City Anthem Board...
There is little doubt that when the terms of the G2G "deal" which, in the opinions of MANY, are now being referred to as "...
"G2G:
The Official Screw
of You & Me"
...were fully disclosed to the Sun City Anthem community, there was an uproar that has yet to be seen in the 13 years that I have resided here.
Yet, despite the fact that this arrangement is being compared to...
"being held-up without a gun"
...those concerns are being COMPLETELY IGNORED by the Sun City Anthem Board.
It appears that this group will NOT even consider a community vote on whether to implement this ridiculous deal that will cost Sun City Anthem residents approximately $250,000 EACH AND EVERY YEAR....likely to exceed that amount as years pass...
...and further displaying their UTTER CONTEMPT for the unit owners and residents...
...it now appears they are "caving" to G2G's latest ridiculous demands.
We had hoped that COMMON SENSE would prevail; that the Sun City Anthem Board, in light of the many recent obstacles, would end the controversy, and for "the people" they promised to represent to...
...allowing the community to decide on this matter.
That option does not appear to even receive the slightest consideration...
....and to the overwhelming many who have been made aware of this probable impending financial catastrophe, that attitude is not only...
but
Must have...
It is now time that the community react...
...in a manner that even The Sun City Anthem Board and G2G will understand without a vote of "the people" to determine if this expenditure is acceptable.
It is this simple, either put this to a community vote..
or...
Should those who are capable of examining this ludicrous losing financial arrangement resent this arrangement ...
&
the place
?
When you see members of the Sun City Anthem Board who voted to approve this "hold-up"...
Tell them of this possibility...and how real it might be !
That very thought should also send shivers down the spine of G2G management as well.
After all, as of now, according to the 125 people who supported this arrangement by attending a previous meeting on which it appears this decision is being made, (approximately 1% of the entire Sun City Anthem population), that's all who have indicated their desire to be their major source of revenue.
And with that in mind, a community vote should be welcomed by that company to determine if that is the case...for their sake as well.
They may be getting free rent and utilities, and clean linens along with 6 Wide Screen TVs, but they will still bear the cost of employee salaries and food...even if...no one shows up !
And...how long do you think it will take a $70 million company to come to that realization before they, like the 5 previous ones, will...
 |
DISAPPEAR
...not giving a hoot; while in the meantime, Sun City Anthem has spent THOUSANDS OF OUR ASSOCIATION DOLLARS giving them everything including the kitchen sink?
By refusing to allow the unit owners to decide this vital matter, it then becomes a very "iffy" deal to all parties, doesn't it?
So "stuffing this thing down the throats" of Sun City Anthem, knowing that 80% of all new restaurants and 100% of all Sun City Anthem restaurants FAIL, the method in which this has been handled, can and likely will, produce THREE LOSERS:
A. A Board of Directors without credibility.
B. A Tenant without many customers.
C. An angry population losing $250,000 each year financing an empty restaurant that could have been re-purposed to accommodate the many unfulfilled needs for Club usage.
It is that simple...either the Sun City Anthem Boards puts it to a...
...or...
...or...
We, the unit owners, can, and likely, will ...
"PUT IT TO YOU"
and
G2G
...while we watch the 125 people who attended a meeting to support this travesty, looking like the selfish fools they are, by refusing to consider the negative economic affect they will have caused Sun City Anthem.
To those of the community who believe this position is unfair...
Know this...
...if a vote of "the people" providing full disclosure allowing both sides of the argument to state their respective cases is taken, and "the people" accept this arrangement as a result of that vote, we will wholeheartedly support the arrangement.
Nothing could be fairer in our opinion.
It is now time for the Sun City Anthem Board to be fair as well.
It is now time for the Sun City Anthem Board to be fair as well.
Got a comment ?
Keep telling it like it is with this unwanted, unneeded, restaurant they are trying to ram down our throats .
Even though the inexperienced (I am giving the board the benefit of the doubt) board thinks that the majority of residents want and will spend their money on meals at the new restaurant, they best be careful of the assumptions.
These are the board assumptions and we see from experience how poorly their decisions have been in the past.
I have heard from numerous sources that many plan to boycott the new restaurant. They do not want to spend the money now and they will be refusing to spend
the money later.
If G2G is making projections on revenue based upon 7,000 plus homes, they may want to re figure the ratios with far less available diners.
Many people are angry and tired of having the board push their personal agenda upon the community, and since the board seems to refuse to put out a ballot to see
their intentions, they (the board and G2G) may be surprised.
Actually, if G2G is as smart as they seem to think they are, they could also do a survey of interest in the community.
After all WE are paying for everything else. Paying for a survey would be a prudent move at this time.
Even with our association giving G2G all this free stuff, they may find that it is still impossible to turn a profit when they are not wanted at SCA.
I know one thing for sure, I will not frequent a new restaurant when I know that they have outsmarted and hosed SCA on the negotiation table.
We are about to be screwed once again.
Dick,
I wonder if anyone has spoken to the local real estate agents to see if if the percentage of homes sold vs the homes listed over the last 2 years, has lagged behind other age restricted communities?
Remember the past boards have told us our homes would be worth more or would not sell as easily unless we had a restaurant.
Seems to me the answers to my questions would be part of the restaurant committee report.
I understand that as seniors we go to any lengths to get what we want, but to give away the store is ridiculous.
No restaurant has come near the sales numbers they say are needed to share in the revenue.
How is this contract abiding by their fiduciary duty to protect association assets?
I have not seen that question addressed in any of their reports or meetings.
Other than the one-sided, or should I say blindsided terms of the original agreement, I had to laugh when I was that Sun City Anthem gets NOTHING until the gross restaurant revenue reaches $1,400,000.
Doing the math, it would be comical if it wasn't so sad, that any Board would accept that arrangement.
If each patron spends $15 per meal (keep in mind everywhere else, it's Buy One, Get One Free) that means that 93,333 people would have to be served each year or 7,778 per month or 256 each and every day, 365 days a year.
Better yet, When was the last time anyone saw 45 people served at a time for 8 hours a day ?
Then again, think about who comprised the Restaurant Committee to come up with this "brilliant" recommendation:
a. A former Board member, Thomas Nissen, who voted to give the last restaurant tenant $40,000 in loans...who defaulted on them, and then voted to "write them off" because he believed the place would sue us....as if a guy who couldn't pay his rent, utilities, and loan payments could afford paying a $500 per hour attorney ! The guy was the BoardTreasurer of the Association too !
b. A current Board member...Forrest Quinn, a current Treasurer of the Association.
c. a General Manager whose spending habits rival those of Imelda Marcos' shoe collection.
Add these three to a Board who looks at them as financial gurus and we just might have the next cast of the remake of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest".
Hello Dick,
Again I say to you", NO to the board " . Put this restaurant question to the homeowners of SCA directly with a vote ! ! ! !
From my previous posts, you know that I am AGAINST this restaurant or any other for that matter.
As the space for clubs which are growing by leaps & bounds & need this space.
Sir, is it possible to take an email vote to you on this G2G and see how many are not happy with this ridiculous deal?
Thank you.
There are approximately 2,300 Anthem Opinions subscribers and we reach approximately 1,800 to 2,000 each day.
There are 7,144 homes meaning that we would be unable to reach about 5,000 unit owners.
It would be comparable to the Board's rationale that 125 people going to a meeting, speaks for all of them !
To be FAIR, this message must reach ALL OF THEM, not just a selective audience, and the only way that could be accomplished is a sponsored vote by the association...
...a vote, if like the Removal Election, would be a joke unless a ballot included statements "pro" and "con" the restaurant proposal.
Without inserts as to the "pros" and "cons", in my estimation, this Board would likely "do another number" on the unit owners having an outsider do the mailing....at a contrived prohibitive cost.
A vote of the unit owners could be done at normal costs of about $8,000, a one time cost; a cost that is far less than $250,000 EACH AND EVERY YEAR.
I'm trying to use two words that have always been "foreign" to so many Sun City Anthem Boards...COMMON SENSE.
I belong to several clubs and have yet to meet any of these 125 people who want a restaurant.
Everyone I have talked to thinks we should drop the idea and use the space for clubs.
I am all in for boycotting because it was my plan all along to do just that.
Is not the definition of insanity....doing the same thing over and over and getting the same result?
I know people who drive to MacDonalds every morning to get a $1 cup of coffee yet we have a $1 cup of coffee and a large screen TV and a beautiful view at the Coffee bar at Anthem Center.
There are 4 restaurants down the hill on Eastern that are within walking distance of each other; they are always filled with SCA residents and some even offer 2 for 1 coupons. Their meals are reasonably priced and they are established restaurants with senior meals if requested. They have trained long time servers.
That is a problem that many do not understand. Iif you want a good waiter staff, they must make a good wage and have plenty of customers to tip. It is a long drive for most of them and results in a heavy turnover. We already have Buckman’s with the view and higher prices.
So what are we thinking???
I agree with everything you said except the last line of your comment...
... the word "thinking".
In the REAL world, Banks will not invest major capital in a construction project unless and until a “Census Study” is conducted to provide some evidence that there exists enough population (e.g. customers) to assure the success of the project.
If the Board of Directors had a modicum of business acumen, the members of the Board would be cognizant of this fact and NOT base their decision of the whims of 1% of the potential “customers” of the proposed project (e.g. new restaurant).
IF the Board individuals were using their OWN MONEY to 100% subsidize the restaurant, you can be sure that such a study would be conducted.
Of course, as in the past, the Board doesn’t care that their actions give the appearance of subterfuge (e.g. ‘back room kick-backs’).
This article is 100% correct that the Board’s arrogance is in full display by NOT letting the residents VOTE on the future of the now vacant restaurant.
As always, IT’S OUR MONEY.
I attended the June 14th meeting where the SCA restaurant committee gave members an update on where things stood regarding the hoped for restaurant at SCA Center. The process described was painfully amateurish, but the worst part was the strong defense the committee made regarding their conclusion that the association had to work with G2G or no one. The only thing worse than not knowing what you are doing is not knowing what you are doing, but thinking you do.
Last week I offered management assistance to no avail. I am a new SCA resident with extensive restaurant experience.
My background— cooking school-trained chef for ten years, becoming executive chef, not getting to work with ingredients, getting bored, looking for something bigger.
Earned MBA degree (after Duke undergrad BA) at University of Wisconsin-Madison with a concentration in marketing and a specialization in research.
Studied under Dr. Gilbert Churchill, who literally wrote the book on marketing research.
The Wisconsin Restaurant Association hired me, and besides research, lobbying, and testifying, my duties included helping member restaurants with their operational issues and guiding people who wanted to open a new restaurant.
After ten years I started my consulting business, using knowledge from my MBA and experience to help clients in every aspect of their business. This ranged from analyzing their P & L and operations reports for lost profitability to teaching how to control food and labor costs ( the two largest expense categories), to designing kitchens and the menus to be served, to teaching seminars on restaurant labor laws (including sexual harassment, worker’s compensation and wage and hour regulations). Staff training and reducing employee theft were other seminar topics.
Specific issues raised and unanswered.
No business plan was ever prepared by anyone. This would have included real research to determine member interest and the types of operations that might have a chance to succeed.
An informal show of hands at one meeting isn’t research.
The request for proposal (RFP) is crucial if the operation is not to be managed internally.
I heard ten were sent out, three returned, and only one (G2G) declared possible on its face.
How were those ten selected, why just ten, and why did 70% of the limited number refuse to respond?
A good RFP has many details that would enable the potential operator to determine the fit for them.
It also tells the potential operator that the client knows a little about what they are doing.
There were many other cringeable moments at that meeting.
For example, deciding G2G was capable because they had annual revenues of $70 million. This indicates nothing.
Did G2G offer to allow the committee to see their operations reports?
What was actual profit and where did it come from?
They run casinos as well as restaurants.
If most revenue is from the casino, or even an outsized percentage, that doesn’t say anything about restaurant acumen. It’s also easy to jack up sales revenue in a restaurant if you pay no or little attention to costs.
Compensation should not be tied to a revenue figure.
A business plan would include a marketing plan, one that takes into account realities. Pro forma P & L documents are only as good as the assumptions used. Those assumptions must be identified, defended with facts, and then used to determine reasonable projections.
The kind of operation desired must be determined before any estimates of number of covers, average check or weekly revenue can be made. Otherwise it’s just guessing.
I am retired and do not want a job.
It’s clear though that unless the committee is willing to ask the right questions they won’t find the right answers.
Eat hearty, be healthy !
Spoken from both educational and professional experience, how a Board can ignore your observations and comments defy logic.
On behalf of Anthem Opinions and all our readers, thanks so much !
We agree that a vote is warranted on this restaurant issue considering failures of the past and the high costs involved.
The arrogance of the board and the “few" who showed up to make this gigantic decision without community input, is aggravating.
Have a vote of the entire community here or forget the whole idea and let the residents use that space for their various activities etc.!!!
Being unable to respond earlier the 6/25 comments on the restaurant issue, after reading the current comments, I must conclude that most of the opinions published hit the nail on the head, as the onsite eatery would be destined to fail at the expense of the property owners.
The only serious takers on requests sent out to provide restaurant service at the former Trumpets (and other failures) site was a company called G2G Management Group LCC.
Not to be confused with G2G Corp from Singapore, it is not a corporation, but a Limited Liability Company, which is in this case owned by a Vince Eupierre, a successful businessman.
Being a LLC, in this case a single owner, but could also be a partnership or S Corporation , it has allows much less recordkeeping and flexibility in profit distribution and allows it to have the tax advantages of a corporation.
Not implying any irregularities on the part of Mr. Eupierre or G2G, he will try to get the most bang for his buck and demand us to pay for many services normally paid by the tenant such as linen service, utilities, and many more.
Realizing the risky nature of the venture, I am afraid the HOA will give him the keys to the ranch.
Since most of LLC’s 40 or so restaurants most being Dennys (& Cocos) in high traffic locations with an effective name recognition ad program, they do well in that environment, but counting a limited surrounding market, and numerous competition with a plethora of eating places close by in the Vons and Albertson centers and more sure to come around the Costco site, what does Independence center offer?
We must all remember we have a HOA and a high priced manager making decisions with our dues in place of a property management group.
This is frightening judging from their past performance.
During my years here, I have seen them drop the ball on the Liberty Center repair bill to a potential $2,000,000 liability from half the bill; make a $40,000 unsecured loan which defaulted on a previous restaurant tenant; kick a charitable assistance group for elderly from the premises; causing friction with clubs; hire a high priced accounting firm, which was unnecessary by state statute to oversee an election; and other breaches of confidence too numerous to mention.
Putting the restaurant issue up to popular vote would likely kill it, but timing the election as to when the snow birds are gone. sending confusing ballots, hiring 3rd parties to count the ballots, could change the outcome.
Just remember than G2G likely looks at the Anthem board as a group of untrained bumpkins and it doesn’t take much to get them to roll over.
History shows the board has done little to help the homeowner.
Let's not allow them to waste any more of our money!!
This is quite a day...another well thought out written comment from an individual who uses COMMON SENSE in addition to intelligence.
All of us send our thanks.
In the years that I have lived here, I have repeatedly preached that any SCA board should ask for expertise amongst those that live here. That is the wise thing to do. Rather than be repetitious, I have gathered quotes from other wise individuals:
"Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something."
Plato
"A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool."
William Shakespeare
"A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows the public opinion."
Grantland Rice
"A smart man makes a mistake, learns from it, and never makes that mistake again. But a wise man finds a smart man and learns from him how to avoid the mistake altogether.
Roy H. Williams
"No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude."
Alfred North Whitehead
"No man is so foolish but he may sometimes give another good counsel, and no man so wise that he may not easily err if he takes no other counsel than his own. He that is taught only by himself has a fool for a master."
Hunter S. Thompson
"Wise choices can put us in control of situations where we might otherwise be tempted to compromise our principles. We cannot control all that happens to us; however, we can choose to be in control of our responses."
L. Lionel Kendrick
"The mark of a wise person isn't never making mistakes - everyone makes plenty of them. Rather, it's the ability to quickly admit - and fix - them!"
Whitney Tilson
"It is a wise man who knows where courage ends and stupidity begins."
Jerome Cady
"Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom."
Charles Spurgeon
Great job...again.
Finally folks have taken the time to comment.
If the Board put "Inserts for a Vote" inside the Spirit and the President's Message simply said "Vote with Basic Instruction", it would cost no additional postage and would reach every Sun City Anthem owner.
Is there nothing that can be done prior to this becoming a "fait accompli?"
It is difficult to believe that we homeowners have no options.
Thank you.
If they do not respond, that would be more than obvious they couldn't care less about the residents and owe their allegiance to a stranger, rather than to those they promised to represent.
And it they do forth without a vote of the community, "let them eat cake" and BOYCOTT THE PLACE.
I belong to a number of clubs here and all I hear from people is that they plan on boycotting a restaurant.
A few are happy about it but say they would go once or twice a month, most people wanted a place for breakfast.
A number of clubs are already missing a lot of people who leave for the entire summer. We are not on a main road where people pass all the time like the restaurants they were comparing us to.
We all have our favorite places, some we go to on certain days for their specials.
How will this stand up to two for one specials?
I agree with a previous statement about business plans, what are their debts?
My husband asked at one of the meetings about having the restaurant post a bond considering our previous track record, including one business trying to steal our equipment from the restaurant in the middle of the night and one owing $40 thousand that he personally signed for, he died & no one went after our money from his very large estate.
My husband, Barry, was told by a board member that we would not do that because we needed to make it as easy as possible for a restaurant to come in here? Huh??? Isn't the boards fiduciary responsibility to us the homeowners rather then the restaurant?
Come on people this our money , this is our community but now we are not given any rights. We could use this space for our clubs which are growing but we will lose the four or five tables in the upper gallery because they belong to the restaurant.
I personally don't care for a restaurant; I haven't missed it at all.
Our property values have not gone down according to the real estate paper in the Spirit.
We are not that old or feeble minded that we can't be asked what we want, I agree with the person that said put a ballot in the Spirit & we can drop it off at no additional cost or post a sheet of paper at the clubs & people can voice their opinions.
We are offering to pay for everything even cleaning the linens? What's next shoe shines? Where will this excessive spending end?