El Santiago Club is History

[downeaster]

Stopped at El Santiago Club for our usual beer after golf this PM. We were told next Friday is their last day. We were told it is going to be a rec center. Although we will miss it I am not totally surprised.

[LittleDog]

That's a shame. We have stopped there for Sunday morning buffet and on Mondays for German night. We personally will be sad to see it go. Isn't this the same thing that happened at Chula Vista? I wonder what the background story is and whether the Villages were involved in this?

John

[jpharmat]

That is a shame ! My husband and I love to have lunch on the patio there. It has such a fun atmosphere.

[DaleMN]

When we first took the trolley car tour they stopped at El Santiago and the friendly raucous crowd within made us want to not get back on the trolley and join them all for a drink.
Unfortunately, last winter when we went there a couple of times the food and service was just not what it used to be.

[JohnM]

We have enjoyed MANY pleasant meals there ... it was one of our favorite restaurants in TV ... we will miss them ...

[ajbrown]

We used to go there for happy hour many years ago. Anyone remember the one pound hamburger they had on the menu way back when? They even had special buns made for it. Not too healthy, but it was so big it made folks laugh and point when they brought it outhttp://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-eatdrink054.gif (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)? . That could have 5+ yrears ago, I do not recall exactly.

[raynan]

OMG....what a shame. Our group just found it and we've been telling everyone about the Jimmy Buffet nights and are planning on being there tomorrow night. Found their New England lobster roll and clam chowder very good. Darn it!

[JohnM]

Yes ... DARN IT ... does anyone have any FACTS on why they closed ... was it financial? I don't understand why TV would need a rec center there .... isn't there some type of rec center on the other side of the parking lot?

[bxmt54]

The owners are from England....maybe they decided to go back. I remember a couple of years ago there were some visa issues for them and the staff ran it for the couple while they were in England getting things straightened out. I, too, will miss the place a lot. Best onion rings and sauce I have ever had. We always take visiting friends there to eat...just a real good, fun place.

[RichieLion]

Well, the village of Santiago does have one of the smallest crappiest Recreation Centers I've ever seen, so maybe this is a good thing for the residents of Santiago who don't even have an adult pool, but only a family pool. Santiago residents who don't want to swim with the screaming youngsters we all love, have to drive to Tierra Del Sol for adult company in the pool. We have plenty of places to eat. I think this is a good thing for the residents of Santiago.

[JohnM]

The owners are from England....maybe they decided to go back.

If this was their motivation, I wonder why they didn't sell it ... if I knew ANYTHING about the restaurant business, I might have been interested ... it was a FUN place ... GOOD FOOD, GOOD SERVICE, GOOD TIMES ...

[ledfeather]

one of the best places In the villages for a meal and/or a casual drink. I visit at least 2 times per week and usually more. Staff is always friendly and up beat. Best chef in The Villages. My understanding is that the problem was purely financial due to slow business except during the prime season and high rent.

[JohnM]

My understanding is that the problem was purely financial due to slow business except during the prime season and high rent.

I totally agree with your comments about the place and the chef ... I also suspect {i.e., NO FACTS} that it may have been financial ... we NEVER had to wait which was good for us, but not so much for the restaurant ... if financial, is there another restaurant going in, or, as rumored, a rec center?

[raynan]

Well, we went to dinner tonight with some of our neighbors and the waitress told us that The Villages took the building back to become a rec center. The owners were given 2 weeks notice and the employees got 1 week notice. Very sad. Such a fun place that our group in Pennecamp just discovered. We love Jimmy Buffet music and the New England Seafood on Wednesdays was great.

[JohnM]

The owners were given 2 weeks notice and the employees got 1 week notice.

Didn't they have a lease? Definitely sounds strange ... VERY SAD NONETHELESS ...

[Challenger]

The Villages boogeyman strikes again (latest conspiracy theory). Rumors abound. Where is Paul Harvey when we need "The Rest of he Story"?

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Sounds like there night have been a clause in the lease agreement somewhere that gave the lessor/owner the ability to cancel the lease based on certain conditions. Or maybe they made it worthwhile for the lessee to close up and vacate........???

Bill :)

[cabo35]

The Villages boogeyman strikes again (latest conspiracy theory). Rumors abound. Where is Paul Harvey when we need "The Rest of he Story"?

There are 80,000 stories in The Villages....this is one. Who killed El Santiago. The usual suspects were rounded up and grilled by burly, cigar chomping gumshoes with a hint of cheap bourbon on their breath. As the twisted tale of mystery unraveled....the truth slowly revealed itself.

Col. Mustard, a friend of the lessor, had an airtight alibi, he was moose hunting in Montana. Miss Scarlett, an aspiring but not very talented actress who hustles drinks and old geezers on Friday nights at Katie Belle's, was in Poughkeepsie sleeping with Professor Plum, a Professor of Taxidermy from Texas, when the dastardly deed was done. Mrs. Peacock, Scarlett's mother, and Mrs. White, the cook at El Santiago, were in a pickle ball tournament in Oklawaha when the crime occurred. It was determined that Mr. Green, aka Fumar, at the time of the heist, was still recuperating from his golf car collision with a Sumter County police car while Rocky and the Rollers were performing the Beach Boys "409". The police report says Fumar.....ah..... Green was singing loudly, "Nothing can catch her...Nothing can touch my 409....409, 409, 409, 409...Giddy up 409" just before the crash.

That leaves just one of the usual suspects............It had to be the developer...... in the conservatory.....with the candlestick....a lawyer and a check book.

Yes.....yes.....the developer did it. It's always the developer.

We're going to miss El Santiago for all the reasons already expressed. Our first lunch in the Villages with friends was there. Many more followed.

[wendyquat]

There are 80,000 stories in The Villages....this is one. Who killed El Santiago. The usual suspects were rounded up and grilled by burly, cigar chomping gumshoes with a hint of cheap bourbon on their breath. As the twisted tale of mystery unraveled....the truth slowly revealed itself.

Col. Mustard, a friend of the lessor, had an airtight alibi, he was moose hunting in Montana. Miss Scarlett, an aspiring but not very talented actress who hustles drinks and old geezers on Friday nights at Katie Belle's, was in Poughkeepsie sleeping with Professor Plum, a Professor of Taxidermy from Texas, when the dastardly deed was done. Mrs. Peacock, Scarlett's mother, and Mrs. White, the cook at El Santiago, were in a pickle ball tournament in Oklawaha when the crime occurred. It was determined that Mr. Green, aka Fumar, at the time of the heist, was still recuperating from his golf car collision with a Sumter County police car while Rocky and the Rollers were performing the Beach Boys "409". The police report says Fumar.....ah..... Green was singing loudly, "Nothing can catch her...Nothing can touch my 409....409, 409, 409, 409...Giddy up 409" just before the crash.

That leaves just one of the usual suspects............It had to be the developer...... in the conservatory.....with the candlestick....a lawyer and a check book.

Yes.....yes.....the developer did it. It's always the developer.

We're going to miss El Santiago for all the reasons already expressed. Our first lunch in the Villages with friends was there. Many more followed.

VERY FUNNY

Anyway, whoever "done it" has caused some hard feelings. Hubby and I went there today for lunch and he ordered (from the menu) Pot Roast Slider. The waitress (quite testily) said, "We don't have that and we've NEVER had that!" so he ordered another selection. I ordered the Cold Lobster Salad Slider. She came out of the kitchen and said, "We don't have the lobster"! I wrinkled my nose in frustration as that is why we went there for lunch and she walked away saying, "It don't matter cause tomorrow is the last day." I had to call her back to the table to change my order. Her attitude did improve by the time we left! Hope THAT is not the reason they are closng!

[DaleMN]

Back in January we went there for dinner and were so surprised to hear the waitress say they didn't have any lettuce for our salad. It struck us as highly unusual and my wife even commented "wonder if they're in trouble?". Might very well have been the case. We also noticed the owner was a lot more interested in singing karoke than tending to his business.

[jojo]

There are 80,000 stories in The Villages....this is one. Who killed El Santiago. The usual suspects were rounded up and grilled by burly, cigar chomping gumshoes with a hint of cheap bourbon on their breath. As the twisted tale of mystery unraveled....the truth slowly revealed itself.

Col. Mustard, a friend of the lessor, had an airtight alibi, he was moose hunting in Montana. Miss Scarlett, an aspiring but not very talented actress who hustles drinks and old geezers on Friday nights at Katie Belle's, was in Poughkeepsie sleeping with Professor Plum, a Professor of Taxidermy from Texas, when the dastardly deed was done. Mrs. Peacock, Scarlett's mother, and Mrs. White, the cook at El Santiago, were in a pickle ball tournament in Oklawaha when the crime occurred. It was determined that Mr. Green, aka Fumar, at the time of the heist, was still recuperating from his golf car collision with a Sumter County police car while Rocky and the Rollers were performing the Beach Boys "409". The police report says Fumar.....ah..... Green was singing loudly, "Nothing can catch her...Nothing can touch my 409....409, 409, 409, 409...Giddy up 409" just before the crash.

That leaves just one of the usual suspects............It had to be the developer...... in the conservatory.....with the candlestick....a lawyer and a check book.

Yes.....yes.....the developer did it. It's always the developer.

We're going to miss El Santiago for all the reasons already expressed. Our first lunch in the Villages with friends was there. Many more followed.

I'm sitting in an airport club with a flight delay LOL. This is hilarious. Reduced the stress of the day!

[2BNTV]

There are 80,000 stories in The Villages....this is one. Who killed El Santiago. The usual suspects were rounded up and grilled by burly, cigar chomping gumshoes with a hint of cheap bourbon on their breath. As the twisted tale of mystery unraveled....the truth slowly revealed itself.

Col. Mustard, a friend of the lessor, had an airtight alibi, he was moose hunting in Montana. Miss Scarlett, an aspiring but not very talented actress who hustles drinks and old geezers on Friday nights at Katie Belle's, was in Poughkeepsie sleeping with Professor Plum, a Professor of Taxidermy from Texas, when the dastardly deed was done. Mrs. Peacock, Scarlett's mother, and Mrs. White, the cook at El Santiago, were in a pickle ball tournament in Oklawaha when the crime occurred. It was determined that Mr. Green, aka Fumar, at the time of the heist, was still recuperating from his golf car collision with a Sumter County police car while Rocky and the Rollers were performing the Beach Boys "409". The police report says Fumar.....ah..... Green was singing loudly, "Nothing can catch her...Nothing can touch my 409....409, 409, 409, 409...Giddy up 409" just before the crash.

That leaves just one of the usual suspects............It had to be the developer...... in the conservatory.....with the candlestick....a lawyer and a check book.

Yes.....yes.....the developer did it. It's always the developer.

We're going to miss El Santiago for all the reasons already expressed. Our first lunch in the Villages with friends was there. Many more followed.


Great post. :clap2:

Hilarious. :1rotfl: When is the book coming out?

[pili]

What a shame. We have always have good dinners and the service is excellent. It's terrible that TV is taking back the lease and putting all those people out of work so they can turn the place into a rec center. We have had many pleasant evenings going there as a group. Brian, the chef, is excellent and many a times he prepared special bufett dinners for a group of us and a large group of neighbors. El Santiago is one of the places with good food and service. If another rec center is needed, I'm sure TV can find a place instead of closing the restaurant and making all those employees lose their jobs. No, there is nothing wrong (health wise) with owners. Is The Villages who's putting them out of business.

[Chi-Town]

I talked to the owner some time ago and complimented him on his place. He said that he would have liked to have a sign on Enrique to help people find the place especially at night, but The Villages wanted $6000.00 in exchange for that right. I jokingly suggested that he could hire someone to hold a sign for years and still come out ahead.

[chuckster]

Was always amazed at how few customers were there when we stopped for lunch or dinner.

With fewer and fewer customers I was surprised it lasted as long as it did. I suspect being behind on lease and utilities payments with decreasing revenues resulted in the closure, similar to Bourbon Street in Spanish Springs.

Too bad, enjoyed El Santiago.

[The Great Fumar]

There are 80,000 stories in The Villages....this is one. Who killed El Santiago. The usual suspects were rounded up and grilled by burly, cigar chomping gumshoes with a hint of cheap bourbon on their breath. As the twisted tale of mystery unraveled....the truth slowly revealed itself.

Col. Mustard, a friend of the lessor, had an airtight alibi, he was moose hunting in Montana. Miss Scarlett, an aspiring but not very talented actress who hustles drinks and old geezers on Friday nights at Katie Belle's, was in Poughkeepsie sleeping with Professor Plum, a Professor of Taxidermy from Texas, when the dastardly deed was done. Mrs. Peacock, Scarlett's mother, and Mrs. White, the cook at El Santiago, were in a pickle ball tournament in Oklawaha when the crime occurred. It was determined that Mr. Green, aka Fumar, at the time of the heist, was still recuperating from his golf car collision with a Sumter County police car while Rocky and the Rollers were performing the Beach Boys "409". The police report says Fumar.....ah..... Green was singing loudly, "Nothing can catch her...Nothing can touch my 409....409, 409, 409, 409...Giddy up 409" just before the crash.

That leaves just one of the usual suspects............It had to be the developer...... in the conservatory.....with the candlestick....a lawyer and a check book.

Yes.....yes.....the developer did it. It's always the developer.

We're going to miss El Santiago for all the reasons already expressed. Our first lunch in the Villages with friends was there. Many more followed.

I resemble that insinuation............:girlneener:

[Skip]

Billy and Mel were the nicest people. They appreciated their customers and treated their employees like family. It showed! Cara and Barb and the rest of the crew over the years really worked hard to please their customers. Chef Brian Webster was very creative too. We always enjoyed his signature "Grouper Fingers".

I don't blame Billy and Mel for not renewing their lease under the new terms they were forced to accept. It's the developer's greed thing again. They'll be going back to Rochester, England because their US Business VISAs will now be revoked.

We had to be there tonight. They will all be missed. :cry:

Skip

[Mallory]

Certainly will miss El Santiago but couldn't they reopen in another location? Might take some time to recreate the ambience but it could be done.

[Challenger]

Does anyone really know the straight stuff about this closing?. The anecdotes and innuendo posted here just feel like there is a missing piece. The Developer would not gererally kick out good tenant unless the value of the property was higher than the rent being paid. I suspect that the business was marginally profitable and probably unable to maintain a reasonable margin with all the competition in and around "the bubble". How about some facts-if anyone really knows them.

[iandwk]

How about some facts-if anyone really knows them.

Never try to confuse a good thread like this with facts. What would we do for fun?

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Never try to confuse a good thread like this with facts. What would we do for fun?

Now THAT...........................is funny!!! :1rotfl: Good one!

Bill :wave:

[TomW]

I think something has been afoot for a long while. The cleanliness and general quality has been gong down for months -almost as if the owners had given up on the enterprise. Whether they knew of the evential demise or the TV management had to step in due to the owner's problems will be a subject of speculation. Only the owner and developer know for sure.

[mmac321]

... the men's room was a disgrace.

[grayesun]

Living up near the El Santiago club area, we're sad to see the old restaurant go...yeah it was quaint, rustic and even charming on first blush, but it was in pretty tough shape, needed a facelift and a real good cleaning. Yes, the bathrooms were pretty crude.

A investment in upgrading this place was necessary and probably not in the cards for the owner...good luck to them in their new ventures, we'll miss them & the many good meals/times had there. :beer3:

As someone posted earlier, the possibility of getting a "real" recreation center near our home (like most other Villages) is exciting.

[phil9200]

I was a customer from day 1. The Real Estate offices use to hold their meeting there. It was a fun place with good food and service. The only complaint at the time was the sound, it was hard to hear yourself talk. The place has been going down hill for some time now. The bathrooms were dirty and the service and food went from the 4 star to 1 star. I guess when the owners were not there the place was not run properly. I miss Chula Vista, but Santiago will be better for the residents as a rec center.

[JohnM]

It was our favorite place to eat in TV and will miss it ... does anyone know if they plan to open somewhere else in the area ... we will follow Brian (the cook) wherever he goes ... he is a genius in the kitchen ...

[kaydee]

I was a customer from day 1. The Real Estate offices use to hold their meeting there. It was a fun place with good food and service. The only complaint at the time was the sound, it was hard to hear yourself talk. The place has been going down hill for some time now. The bathrooms were dirty and the service and food went from the 4 star to 1 star. I guess when the owners were not there the place was not run properly. I miss Chula Vista, but Santiago will be better for the residents as a rec center.

As I began reading your post I was nodding and agreeing until I got to the part " I guess when the owners were not there the place was not run properly". Were you referring to " not there" as a general rule or were you making reference to the time period when the owners were held up in England and were absent for 18 months? The reason I ask is that I can personally speak for the employees who successfully ran El Santiago during those 18 months and did a fabulous job. The employees at that time took charge, worked so hard and kept the place going. They deserve so much credit and I needed to mention it.

[robertwbusby]

http://smilebox.com/play/4d7a51784e7a59314d44673d0d0a&blogview=true&campaign=blog_playback_link


Remembering the Santiago Club...Smiles and Frowns