Meza Luna….
 

We cannot believe how downhill this place has gone, what a shame. Went last night at 6;30 to order a drink and some appetizers…Wait until you hear what happened…Ordered a grey goose and tonic..Sorry we are out of goose..Ok how about a ketel one and tonic…Sorry out of that..Ok, lets try Absolut…nope that one out too...Ok give me what you have with tonic..
Then: We will have two appetizers, the crab cake bites and the bruschetta..

Wait 20 min…Came back out, Sorry they just told me we are out of crab..

Ok give us the caprese salad..Ok…Salad comes out , we ask for balsamic vinegar,, Sorry we are out of that..

Then, and you won't believe this..Two other couples beside us..

They order chicken wraps,, sorry out of chicken.
The other two ladies at the end of the bar order a flat bread pizza…Sorry the pizza oven just broke...
WHAT??? We are watching all of this unfold in amazement! So, my hubby asks to speak to the mgr..Younger gent comes over obviously does not want to! Talks to the other servers and bartender first before slowly coming over..Hubby explains all that just happened..He says,," Well, we got busy this past weekend and still waiting on a truck…Hubby says , really? Thats your answer..Then hubby says to the mgr, You really don't care do you? Gent says,,, well nah.. I have no excuses..walks away then proceeds to fuss at the server for sending him over to talk to us....
We were all in shock! The craziest part of this story is..They are located right in front of a Publix market that was open and sells…YEP you guessed it!...Crab,Chicken,and balsamic vinegar! If anyone knows the owner of this rest, pass this story along just in case they happen to care...
We are really starting to think they may be in the process of closing down, if not, they should be…...

Holy Cow! The server was a mime?

Mr. Chicken. You wit you. I just love your posts.

sorry but I hit enter by mistake before I finished typing..Just needed a few more minutes to edit before the replies started….

Such a shame to hear this. Especially if they don't care. Being a manager, he is probably stuck taking the fall for the owners and may be frustrated. I don't think they give their managers the authority to take care of things on their own. :(

I have to say, we used to go there quite often and enjoyed it, but we haven't been there for quite awhile.
I just never think about.

Restaurants in TV seem to start off with good service and food but go (over time) because of poor management. "Rents" are high and its a very very tough business for "mom & pop" restaurants.

When people open a business, they know what the rent is. They already know they have to provide quality and good service if they want to make money. If they aren't able to do that, they shouldn't open a business.
It is a shame. I hate to see anyone go out of business.
They also had some problems with ownership that may have distracted them from doing what needed to be done in the beginning. :(

I agree. They know how much it will cost and no one makes them rent here. What people need to know is that the lion's share of the business happens in the high season, which is only three months. That means that they have to maintain themselves on far less income during the rest of the year. That takes some doing.

And Bonny knows many of the back stories. Sorry to hear this kind of stuff. especially in the middle of the high season. It sounds like things are very seriously bad.

I'm really sorry to hear this because I've also enjoyed this restaurant in the past and they seemed to have it together. It's sad really.

Can you explain the "High Rent" ?

Funny, several months ago we were there and they were out of the first two premium vodkas I ordered. I thought at the time "the are going out of business" since a sure sign is when the liquor distributor cuts off credit and goes to cash only. Sounds like it has just taken a little longer than I thought.

Guess what type of business fails more readily in its first year?

Rent amounts are subject to the laws of supply and demand in the local market

Management is a pivotal factor in a business's success or failure.

Business plans must be realistic and intentionally conservative

There are unpleasant circumstances that could never be predicted and the reason for being intentionally conservative in a business plan.

Cash flow is critical and the continually increase/decrease of population in Florida exacerbates planning. This is especially difficult for restaurants because much of their inventory is quickly perishable

Liked it better when it was Ci-Ci's Pizza.

I am pretty sure you know this , but places in high traffic areas usually can charge more rent than those places which are off the beaten path or away from most activities, and in The Villages situation, that can be described as golf cart reachable.

It is the way in most resort areas. Near the attractions, the rent costs more. Why? Because it can. People are in business to make money, not give stuff away.

And...drumroll.....never expect to live off the proceeds from your new business for at least the first two years.

We were there last week. We were going to go to the Mexican place nearby but the line was out the door there. There were only a few people in Meza Luma. We actually wondered why there was almost no one there when the closest other restaurant was packed.

I can't figure out how they are running out of so many things with so few customers.

TheVillageChicken: Thank you so much. I do remember that rule now that you produced it.

Don't give up on Mezza Luna
 

We go there often and have always enjoyed good service and food. I was there today for lunch and it was very good. They are preparing to have a wine tasting and dinner on February 4th. Call and get a reservation. Everyone deserves a second chance....

You got it. The reason they are out of liquor is their distributor cut them off for not paying their bills, same with the food purveyors.

Wine tasting without wine, that'll be interesting. What ever you do, don't pay in advance.

Next will be the orange tape on the door from the Florida Dept. of (Sales Tax) Revenue.

"Another one bites the dust!'

Skip

What percent would that be?

Sorry but Mezza Luna started out with poor service and went downhill from there. We went there very soon after they opened. They had no bread. And no apologies. Later, service was indifferent with many servers standing around chatting with each other. And it's pricey. I really didn't think it would last.

And the rent charged was a surprise to the owners? They weren't made aware of it before they signed the lease?...come on!

I went to a luncheon there in June. The rude female bartender with ponytail (who used to work at Red Sauce) and the waitress who called our group's hostess a "b*tch" behind her back gave every indication this place was not going to last. There was nobody but our group of 12, and the service was very slow and food was mediocre at best.

Unless an owner who cares is present ALL the time, "While the cat's away, the mice will play"…..and treat customers like they're intruders.

Recently during a meeting regarding commercial doings in The Villages, the question of this "percentage" was asked to the executive (name I don't remember) in charge of the developers commercial division. And he answered to I think hundreds in attendance that there is NO percentage of sales charge added to any merchant and/or restaurant lease.
Answering in such a public forum would lead me to probably believe that he is telling the truth and this percentage theory is bogus. I do not have personal knowledge one way or another. Just relaying what I remember being said recently by someone who should know.

I certainly won't miss them. When they started serving breakfast wife and I went and had a memorable experience. Halfway through the "ordeal" I was looking around for cameras hidden thinking we were on Candid Camera.
Wife asked for decaf coffee and I asked for regular. After me getting mine and a refill we asked where the decaf was. They said they had to brew decaf. I would think a restaurant would always have decaf available. Then after a long wait the waitress told us that they had grains in the coffee and had to brew another batch. My eggs were floating in grease and I really didn't want to eat them. The experience rated them our personal "cross them off the list".

We were there last weekend. It's was the first time for me. (Also was going to go to the Mexican restaurant but there was a wait). I was actually pleasantly surprised. All the tables were full, there was entertainment, and the food was very good. So having been there less than a week ago, they had everything we ordered and it was quite good. Wait staff was also very nice.

Could this possibly be just one bad nite? From everyone else it sounds like this isn't the normal? just askin'

We just home from a lovely meal at Meza Luna tonight. Arrived around 7:00 and I would say it was at least half full. We were greeted by the hostess and promptly shown to a table. Our waitress Darcie was great - took our drink order promptly and answered any menu questions we had. Our friends had a pizza - yes the oven was down yesterday, but it was repaired and operational today. My husband had the Penne Arrabiata and I had the Penne Bolognese - both as good as - or better - than any other Italian restaurant in The Villages. Darcie brought the table a wonderful basket of garlic bread to enjoy with our salads. We had a great time and a wonderful meal.

My wife and I were there this past Friday. Although the wine portion was small we found the food to be very good. Their tomato sauce was excellent and I cleaned the plate with their delicious bread. As a NY Italian I was very pleased with the food , especially the sauce which is the integral part of Italian cooking.

The Morse family doesn't make any percentage of total receipts. See the post above.

They know that before they open a business.

I'm so glad to hear people saying good things. We have always had good food and good service there and never any problems.
We haven't been there for awhile.
I think I'll make a note to go there next week.
We like there stromboli and pizza !

I must say I wish the thread title did not say "Goodbye Mezza Luna". People just trolling on here would look at that and assume they are closed. It would be a shame to see that affect the business there.

We all need to be careful when we chose a thread title so it's not misleading to people who come on here and just look at the topics and don't read the posts.
We certainly never want to wish someone out of business.
There are a few places I don't like and don't go.
That doesn't mean I wish for them to close. If other people like them, that's great. I just go somewhere else and we can all enjoy what we like.
I love the choices we have in the Villages !!

I can 150% assure you that they do make a % of sales. I not only personally know several biz owners that lease from The Developers commercial dept ..... I have seen actual leases. I also know several more that chose not to open a biz on TV leased space do to this lease provision. The % varies based on type of biz, location, size of space leased and length of lease.

The answer from the guy from the commercial dept was carefully phrased to avoid full disclosure.

That said .... it is not an uncommon practice in "hot" commercial markets.

Good to know, I was afraid the businesses were not told of this percentage up front and that it was an unfair practice.

Thankfully it seems all parties looking to lease are free to make the best business decision for themselves.

Well said and very fair. I so agree. I have been there three times and enjoyed it each time. I too wish them well.

I still remember reading....
 

After the public address on the subject, the words clearly stating that no percentage of sales was part of the lease on commercial property by The Villages.

Here is a link to commercial property. I wish someone would call them and ask them again. I don't care. It just bums me when people make scathing statements as if The Villages were a big con operation. \\

We have one valid and honest and reliable poster who says they do and one who says they don't and I clearly remember reading and rereading the article about it. It is done all over the country and is not uncommon and certainly legal, but I remember reading they didn't.

Missypie, do you know?????


The Villages Commercial Property Sales & Leasing

I can only assume about here in TV. We have a business in another state. It is located in a very affluent area. Our rent is very high but it goes with the area. When our sales exceed a certain number then we must give the landlord a percentage of our sales that were over and above the magic number. We knew this before signing on the dotted line. Of course our attorney spelled everything out for us as we were novices back in the day.

When I read about TV charging high rent, it is because we have a captive audience here. I don't think the rent is overly high if you have a good business and plan. Once again, I'll play the broken record of "location location" .