Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Mulligans owner writes the Lake Worth City Commission

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After last night's City Commission meeting, you have to ask yourself, 'What is really going on here?" Vice Mayor Scott Maxwell did everything possible to derail it all. The Mayor, Pam Triolo, lost her cool once again and passed the gavel to make a motion to rescind all previous votes other than Kilwans. Commissioner Amoroso just followed Maxwell. None of them knew what the Right of First Refusal means. It was a complete farce of a night.

Below is an e-mail sent to the Commission by the owner of Mulligans:

January 18, 2012


To Lake Worth City Commissioners,

Last night’s City Commissioner meeting was shocking to me as I have spent weeks gathering and reviewing lease documents, financial statements, references, etc. for a lease to be approved for the Lake Worth Casino Project. I was told by the Realtor that this was simply a formality.

However after sitting through 4 hours of a meeting going nowhere I quickly realized that the commissioners are not viewing this decision properly and heading towards a decision that will leave their community disappointed with this project and a restaurant that Lake Worth will not be proud of.

I am insulted to be placed in the same category with Bokamper’s Sports Bar. After looking into their concept and their website I am appalled that the City of Lake Worth would even consider a place that does events as Bad Ass Bike Night and barely dress their employees.

I feel as certain commissioners are thinking too much about the initial bottom line and are not looking into what the community needs and wants in their back door. Lake Worth needs to build their reputation with Family Oriented locations, businesses that support the community in the way it needs to be supported. Bringing in a sports bar is not doing what is right for the community. As far as an owner of a restaurant saying sure we can serve breakfast or sure we can come up with another concept, that is not easy and if they do that it will not be done right. It takes years, and a strong infrastructure to build a new concept and to add another whole menu to a kitchen. This needs a different kitchen design, different cooks, and years of experience to do this properly. If you choose Bokamper’s you are selling out your entire community for a few dollars because you don’t have any pride in your project and think you can’t get anything better upstairs. That thinking is wrong and really disappointing coming from City Commissioners.

I have performed my due diligence before signing a letter of intent and presented the commissioners with a professional package of our financials, references, etc. in a timely manner and felt as I did what was required to be eligible for a lease. For a business to come in and toss a to-go menu up to the commissioner and state they will pay more money, is unprofessional and not the way this business should have been handled nor should they even be considered without a full proposal.

Mulligan’s Beach House is a company that has been successful doing breakfast, lunch and dinner for 15 years. We are a casual family seafood restaurant. Our list of references, donations and news stories of supporting the community that each commissioner was given speaks for itself. We are a restaurant that not only serves great food with fast friendly service to each customer we also highly support each community that we move in. Mulligan’s is what your community wants. We are a restaurant that knows how to handle high volume business, we are family owned and operated. I am in the restaurants every day and I am a hands on owner, constantly training my staff & managers, constantly looking for new better products for our menus, I am there talking to my customers and making sure everyone has a wonderful experience and will want to return.

Mulligan’s is currently on beach front locations we know the standards and regulations that need to be in place for the safety of our sea turtles and recycling policies to keep our beaches clean. We already follow those guidelines at our other beachfront properties and will guarantee that you will have a clean healthy place on your property. We have already hired architects and contractors to begin planning for this project and they will need time to get the proper paperwork and ordering process started. Holding this vote off for another month will just be very difficult on us or any other restaurant being considered to do all the work *properly* to build a
successful well-built restaurant. A decision is necessary in the next few weeks by the city commissioners to do this properly.

Mulligan’s Beach House does not promote their bar, we do not do shots, we do not do pitchers of beer, we simply sell a variety of tropical drinks, beer & wine to compliment your meal. Mulligan’s concentrates on families and pleasing all ages from 0 to 100. We are open 365 days a year giving families a place to celebrate all the holidays including Thanksgiving & Christmas with traditional turkey dinners and more holiday festivities.

I am asking that the city commissioners think seriously about your vision for the City of Lake Worth, if you do this you will clearly see Mulligan’s Beach House being the perfect fit for this location. I guarantee you that we will make Lake Worth proud; I guarantee you that once we are selected for that spot and other restaurateurs see the beautiful restaurant that we will build, you will be able to get the rent that is needed to fulfill all of your budget requirements.

Take a moment to view the websites and visit
Mulligan’s and visit the Bokamper’s, imagine Bokamper’s with Welcome to the Jungle playing on their website and girls dressed in too tight shorts, wings & BBQ pork, customers smoking at the bar, more TV’S than people, imagine that on your beautiful beach front community…look good? No, now imagine Mulligan’s Beach House with the sounds of steel drums playing, fresh tuna, grouper & snapper on your plate, kids holding balloons, beautiful palm tree fabric booths, water lit bars and professionally dressed well-mannered employees serving your citizens, imagine that on your beautiful beach front community. Mulligan’s is the picture that your community envisions in that location, now you just have to make that vision become reality.

Sincerely,

George Hart,
Owner/Operator,
Mulligan’s Beach House Bar & Grill




15 comments:

  1. Wow! They really want to be a part of our community! This is a grand slam for us!

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  2. What in the world is wrong with our fair city and the commissioners? I don't know why anyone would want to do business with us at this point. I'm all for the beach casino renovation but this has turned into a farce.

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  3. What is really going on here? To me it sounds like the 3 stoogies have gone a bit looney. Man the life boats. Its time to abandon ship. I bet the people that voted in these clowns are feeling a bit sick.Firing Stanton started it all.

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  4. The entire process last night was a farce but not because they didn't sign the lease with Mulligans or other leases other than Kilwins. Nope, its because of ridiculous open ended right of first refusal clauses, unrealistic Operating Expense budget aka C.A.M. charges and a broker trying to just get leases done as fast as possible. Meanwhile the City (and the broker), up until last night had no idea what market rent is for this building. I don't think the citizens want to subsidize this project for the tenants. Have they really seen all the potential deals out there? I don't think so. A rush to sign 10 year deals just to get this project going is truly the farce.

    The fact that negotiations were taking place during and as a part of the commission meeting last night is the joke. Staff and the broker should be ashamed that a meeting like that was allowed to even take place. And whomever approved allowing those first right of refusals to be written the way they are should be fired! Another attorneys paradise delivered on a plate and the citizens will be the one that pay for the incompetence that has been allowed to take place.

    Blame who you want, but the people in charge of this project over the past 6 years are the ones at fault. Stay tuned...

    Chris

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  5. I am in agreement with Chris. That being said I feel the farce began when the commision and consequently the media( which they are still doing) decided that this is a renovation.I can see no part of a building on the beach that is being renovated. It is new construction. The person who is doing the biggest disservice to the city is the city attorney. It is not the commission's responsibility to know all the legal ramifications of the first right of refusal. This is the city attorney's job. It certainly would help if they understood her guidance but she really gave none last night.The problem is that the city attorney works at the pleasure of the city manager not the commission.

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  6. Nope, its because of ridiculous open ended right of first refusal clauses, unrealistic Operating Expense budget aka C.A.M. charges and a broker trying to just get leases done as fast as possible.

    Chris-I don't think the Right of First Refusal is ridiculous at all. I am sure it depends upon where you are coming from. We have always wanted to protect our long-time tenants. Most people have a sense of loyalty especially those who have been in our city and have frequented these establishments for years. It was new people on staff with no understanding that drove off John G's.

    The Operating expenses were done and approved by our Finance Department. I have faith in Carr.

    It is only your opinion on the CAM. Snitkin and the City has a different opinion. It will be up to the City to watch expenses and live within its means at the beach project.

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  7. Not that you asked, but the city attorney is there to give advice when asked by the Commission and to jump in there when she sees a potential problem. She did just that last night. THEY DID NOT LISTEN.

    There is no problem because the city attorney works for the commission. You guys can't blame Susan Stanton on this one. Whatever will you all do with no Stanton to blame?

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  8. The organizational style in LW resembles a buch of "pizz" ants riding a log down the river in which every single ant thinks he/she are driving.
    If I had my choice it would look like this:
    City Manager - responsible for operations, reports to City Commission.
    City Attorney - (if we had one) responsible for legal matters, reports directly to the City Commission.
    Utilities Manager - Runs Lake Worth Utilities, reports to the City Commission.
    I'd be willing to bet that in this kind of structure they would fight theirs heads off or come to consensus in driving the city towards a great future.

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  9. I'm not sure about the statement "it was new people on staff with no understanding that drove off John G's." What didn't the staff understand? Was it that a major tenant should pay market rent in the new building including water and electric and not the $13 per sq. foot with no utility costs that John G's paid for years?

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  10. WELL UNDERSTAND THIS--
    John G's was perfectly willing to pay market rates.

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  11. Lynn,

    You misunderstood, its not the concept of a first right of refusal I'm complaining about, its how they were written. I have no problem with those tenants having first chance. But there is no time frame written into the clauses in which the tenant has to respond. This generalized language is opening the door to litigation which could have been avoided. Typically there is a time frame such as 24 hrs, a week or something reasonable afterwhich the (prior) tenant no longer has the right of just refusal. The way it is now, these smaller spaces could potentially be fought over for months.

    As far as the cam charges you are right, it is my opinion based on 27 years in the commercial leasing and management business. Either way any discussion at all on capping the amount of cam is a huge mistake. And not telling the tenant a realistic number now will result in the tenants be blindsided as the real cam numbers become reality. Time will tell.

    Chris

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  12. One thing that has always bothered me is the parking. Our former tenants got free parking. I have not seen this situation addressed. Can you imagine a restaurant as an example, opened from 8am until 1am paying for parking for 25-40 employees, whatever the number at $2 an hour. So, if you take 25 employees @ $2 an hour times a 17 hour day that would amount to $850 a day or based on 30 days, $25,500 a month. This is an extremely high price to pay. Ridiculous. I would recommend that every employee buy a beach decal and the rest of us can fight over the 55 spaces. LOL. The parking cost needs to be addressed.

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  13. That's why the Ritz buy's parking from K mart even though parking is free across the street. They did not want to interfere with the tenants in the Plaza Del Mar. Only in Lake Worth does every employee, Government or retail need free parking.

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  14. Fine and dandy. However, we are talking about Mom & Pops, NOT HUGE CORPORATIONS WITH TONS OF MONEY. Get real, as Dustin would say. Let's encourage business and make life easier for them to make it.

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  15. Let the employees park across the street in our beautiful park.

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