Three Restaurants gone this week
 

Toojays, Spanish Springs

Demshars, Spanish Springs

Cody’s , Mulberry

:shrug:

As of the end of July, over 16,000 have closed in the USA.

I can’t say that I’m surprised. Retail is suffering, too.

Would hate to be in retail with a store-front.

Until Covid is under control a whole lot more will go to the wall.
As much as TV full timers hate and complain about the Snowbirds, a lot of Florida businesses depend on the winter season to see them through the rest of the year.
If the virus continues as at present, and many of the 'birds' are unable/refuse to fly south expect a whole lot more of the same

I expect many more restaurants will close for good before things turn around ... such a shame that so many small businesses will go under and that so many folks have been furloughed from large corporations and forced to dig into their savings to survive

yet college kids just don't seem to 'get it'...read today that a group of students at Northeastern were kicked out for violating covid-19 rules and will not get their $36K tuition refunded....ouch! once again, just because you test well doesn't necessarily mean that you're intelligent

we keep giving to the Salvation Army...they dispense the greatest amount of money donated to them

What one has to ask is in 2019 how many times did one frequent the three restaurants. I’ll go first

Too Jays SS once

Demshars SS twice

Cody’s Zero

Let’s throw in KBs Since 2007 have been there 3 times

None of these was about cost, for us it’s the food, nothing spectacular just a average. So we definitely didn’t contribute to keeping them open

Toojays - many times
Denshars - Went once, not worth a return trip
Cody’s - once, disgusting

Unfortunately more will go under before this ends.

Once this ends new ones will open up.

Demshars closed before this week. They had a "nasty-gram" on their little message board outside the store where they usually put the menu blaming customers for not coming to the Square (like it was our "fault" that they had no business). That was over a week ago.

Very sorry to hear that Demshars closed. It was one of our favorite Villages restaurants. Maybe the family will open anew one after the pandemic runs its course.

Was there an announcement that Cody's in Mulberry is definitely not coming back?

kathy

Yes. Sept. 8 at the online news site
"Chain restaurant in Mulberry Grove permanently closed amid COVID-19 pandemic"

What exactly did the “nasty-gram” say? Maybe they were just stating the facts?

TooJay's and Cody are permanently closed.

I thought the sign said temporary closure on Demshar's and I got an email a few weeks ago saying they were closing temporarily because of COVID-19.

We've had many delicious meals at Demshar's and maybe holding off on the negative comments will help them to reopen when the time comes.

That does not exactly promote good will does it

Our govt throwing away our money once again

I was just there tonight, if I knew I was going to be quizzed on the subject I would've taken a photo of the sign. It was a short paragraph. Something like "we have decided that there's no point in trying to stay open because of Covid-19. Maybe if more people actually came to the square it'd be worth trying to save this place but screw that."

Those are my words, expressing my perception of what they posted.

But isn't it, just a little bit. our fault that they closed? There are a few scenarios... 1. The food/service was so bad people didn't want to go there. 2. The Pandemic happened so we're not eating out at all. 3. There's no entertainment so we're not going to the square.

#1 is there own fault. But #2 and #3 fall on the consumer. If they're not getting business they're not making money and so they have to close.

I can tell you that we have either done take out or dined in at the restaurants that we want to support. We overtip. We understand if we don't support the restaurants we love, they might go out of business. So we are doing everything we can to support them.

If you don't want your favorite restaurant to close... that's what you have to do.

Demshirs
 

DENNIS opened...Check out Cheers in Stone Crest..
Great food and entertainment.. also heard reopen..could happen in November.. villages open the squares..

Restaurants closing and opening under new ownership and new names is a constant thing in that particular business. The catch is, none of them will make it if they are not supported. I recently spent three weeks outside the villages in two different states. Ate in restaurants that were at least 50% full or more. Nowhere did I see the paranoia that exists in the villages with regard to COVID-19. A virus that now should be in the rearview mirror based on how the number of cases and deaths have dropped so significantly nationwide. Do you want things to get back to normal? Then start acting like it!

Stiffed businesses
 

I liked Cody’s when we first went to their Ocala restaurant before they move to The Villages and after they move to TV they were good but then management didn’t keep the quality up. I got sick off of the salad at the Sumter store and it took awhile to go back. The other two stores also had problems with food and the managers admitted it.

Hopefully the negative comments will prompt them to improve their food and service and make every day consistently good.

If COVID doesn’t kill your storefront business, Amazon could !

The business climate has been changing for the last few years. First because of a lot of online shopping, long-time stores have folded. Then COVID hit.....restaurants are a tough business in a good economy but then with all the restrictions laid out these past months it would be tough to continue. IF they were struggling prior then a death-knell is expected. I think of stores like SteinMart too, going out of business. Don't know what their bottom line was before COVID but..... We can all complain and point fingers but I'd wager many have never had a business. I didn't have a store-front but I did do a direct selling business for a few years. My supplier went through some struggles due to rapid growth, trying to change with that in technology as well as getting their own products in the ware-house. THEN 9-11 hit...it dramatically affected many of the seller's (mine included) so I phased out of my business. Fast-forward a handfull of years and that company went belly-up. Many times it just takes one thing or several, seemingly smaller things and a business can no longer function. Those restaurants need to be able to pay their workers and if no one is coming (for whatever the reason) they can't keep their doors open indefinitely.

Demshars quality food was horrible.. poor presentation. Customer service mediocre at its best...... The price of their dishes was fine but not a single time we visited we were satisfied..... we gave them many opportunities.... They needed to learn from The Chop House.

Neither of the three restaurants were any good......... just mediocre........ Hopefully some High end restaurant will take over their space....

Let’s be truthful. If most of the restaurant’s in TV were located in any major city they would not survive. The food in the great majority of theses restaurants is average a best and many below average. The old saying “invent a better mouse trap an the world will beat a path to your door”. If these restaurants put out better quality I don’t think they would be in as much trouble. I believe what your seeing right now is a shake out and those that put out poor quality and service will not survive.

Until about a month ago we did not feel comfortable given the virus of eating at a restaurant so we did takeout of food we could reheat and feel safe.

Now we are back to our normal routine of 1-2x a week but only restaurants that take this seriously.

Very sorry if good restaurants close during these times but our safety comes first. People here are older and at more risk of dying if they catch the virus so do you expect them to dine out to support a restaurant at potential risk of their lives?

Well the negative comments, will be from those who consistently make them...then they will complain there is no restaurants to go to next...Covid has made life difficult for all, but kicking a business when it’s down....really, smdh

I see some posters liked the place, but I agree with your description. It's the second shop I was not a fan of in that location.

Re: Cody's......what was disgusting? Was it the food, service, cleanliness of the restaurant or something else?

Just yesterday, hubby and I went to Cody's in Brownwood. (our usual Cody's is LSL) The Baby Back ribs were so meaty and juicy with the most delicious BBQ sauce generously slathered on them. The endless salad was delicious and fresh as usual. Hubby's side of cole slaw was creamy and so delicious. My sweet baked potato was cooked to perfection. The rolls were great as usual with the delicious cinnamon spread. The restaurant and restroom were immaculate and the service was very attentive.

I never did go to the Cody's that has been closed. The Cody's website says that location is "temporarily closed" so we will see what the future brings.

The only issue I have with Cody's is the installation of the plexiglass on the back of their booths to minimize the air from entering your dining space from people in adjacent booths. Rather than having the plexiglass sit flush on the top of the booth backs, there is a large gap between the bottom of the plexiglass and the top of the booth. Seems that large gap is defeating the purpose of putting up the plexiglass. All other restaurants hubby and I have been do have installed their plexiglass so there is no gap at all, creating a safer environment from the adjacent booths.

We have been dining in Cody's LSL for many years and have never had a bad meal.

We who were overly fortunate with our lifestyle before The Virus should be patient even though its difficult and be a good example for our family's and those around us. Having an opinion and stating it on this Forum is what it is all about I believe.

Giving oxygen to the shameful remarks of some will help them grow into gigantic disasters for Our Forum. Just like several of the poster who have recently taken a powder. Their absence has made our Forum much better again. They sometimes don't put themselves in the other person's shoes. What kind of letter should be left outside of any business that is closing? A Love Letter? I don't think so. Maybe the person who penned the letter just had to lay off the people who made him look good for years. Just like the Posters who have left us other restaurants will fill the spots these empty ones will leave. Spanish Springs is not finished. The Virus is not finished either.

It all is a shame but Demshars, TooJays, and Codys didn't order up the current Pandemic. It wasn't even on the menu. I predict that everything will end up being just fine for everyone involved in the end. Let time play out. How many imminent disasters were lurking over our community? Many is the answer and we're still here so far living a good life. Any bit of news sends some of us into a frenzy.

A group of us went to Demshar's for a holiday dinner last year. I was not impressed with the extra condiment I had requested that arrived in a little plastic cup. That cup is what is used for take out condiments, not an indoor dining experience. Never went back.

Had to Google "smdh". I'm too old to try to figure out those acronyms.

So your saying the only places worth saving are the ones with fancy over price menus. :shocked:

The person wishing for "High End" restaurants should realize that many of the Villigers cannot afford the high end restaurants and are satisfied with the food offered at the "Lower End" restaurants.

And there will be more

I did see the Nastygram with attitude like that and opening at a new location under a different name I will venture to say they will not be reopening. Not a very goodvBusiness Practice for supporting and future customers

I'm fine with Spanish Springs getting a new higher-end place to dine. I don't think Demshar's was all that great, but something better at a similar price point would be appropriate. There are plenty of places in SS where we can get lower-priced tasty food, no matter how big or small the microwave oven is, no matter how many crates of frozen food they keep in their walk-in, whatever else. Gator's is awesome for their wings and chopped salad. World of Beer has flatbread Fridays and I like their steak flatbread almost as much as I like City Fire's flatbread. Margerita's, when they don't overcook it, has an enormous, very tasty fried fish sandwich. These menu items start at $5 (flatbread on Fridays before 5pm) and don't go over $12 (the fish sandwich with a side order). Ay Jalisco will give you a nice-sized steak taco with refries and rice, chips and a MUCH-improved salsa over their previous incarnation, for under $6.

If I wanted to dine out every day, I would consider these too expensive. But for a weekly or once every other week treat, they are a great option to cooking at home.