Saturday, March 8, 2014

Lake Worth: City wrestles with expenses exceeding casino expectations - The Coastal Star

Christine Davis of the Coastal Star reports on the status of the Lake Worth Casino building and beach property. She also talks to Juan Ruiz, Leisure Services Director and with the owner of Mulligan's. It seems that our anchor tenant faced some surprises once open. Click title for link to article.
 Mulligan’s Beach House Bar & Grill, however, has experienced some belt-tightening, but it’s not all bad.
    Owner George Hart has five other waterfront restaurants, and, last year, he said, he was “sold” on this property. He invested $1.5 million; he’s paying $21,000 a month on a 20-year lease; his property taxes last year were $45,000.
    “We liked the property, but the Realtor told us that the north parking lot would be available to us; we would be involved in a valet service; and that we would have ample light for our night business. None of that happened.
    “I spent $10,000 on a golf cart to get people up the hill from the parking lot. We don’t have sufficient lighting, and it’s scary to bring your children out there at night. We were never provided valet service, which we were willing to pay for. We were never allowed usage of the parking lot to the north, so, now, you have to move your car in the middle of dinner or you are locked in.
    “We should get together to solve the problems. We are watching our sales go down.”
The city says that the issues with the site will be addressed, but does not say when.