[Villager Dude]

Originally Posted by 784caroline

A place like Ruth Chris would be great.....but the only way you will see Ruth Chris in Central Florida is if there is a "Casino" nearby in the the future!!

As much as we would like to see the great restaurants I just don't think the demographics will support it. Maybe as we build out and the Fruitland Park " High End "
homes are built maybe they will help the demographics to support these great restaurants.

[golf2140]

A high end steak house was tried in Spanish Springs, it lasted 6 months. A lot of folks in TV dine out 4 to 6 evenings, not looking to break the bank each night. Just my thoughts.

[Patty55]

High end chain restaurant? Isn't that an oxymoron? Kind of like ax murderer/babysitter?

IMO we already have too many chain restaurants and it seems that whenever an independent restaurant opens everyone can't wait to see it fail.

I JUST DON'T GET IT.

[Yung Dum]

Originally Posted by Patty55

High end chain restaurant? Isn't that an oxymoron? Kind of like ax murderer/babysitter?

IMO we already have too many chain restaurants and it seems that whenever an independent restaurant opens everyone can't wait to see it fail.

I JUST DON'T GET IT.

I agree, but I would like Ruths Chris, but not every night. I haven't had a good steak in the 10 years I've been here. I also think the lack of independents and abundance of chains just makes TV look kind of bland. And the Outback here is the worst in the country.

[DougB]

Wah, wah, wah!

[jblum315]

I would be happy if we had even just one decent Chinese restaurant. Good grief, there are good Chinese restaurants in Cuba! in Edinburgh! Probably in Kansas, in Texas. It doesn't require masses of Chinese residents. I can cook good Chinese food at home

[Bonanza]

We probably will never have a Ruth's Chris here in our lifetime.

We probably will never have a Costco here in our lifetime.

We will never have either of them here in our lifetime,
and the reason we won't have either of them is because
we don't have the population to support them.

[DeanFL]

We are relatively new TVrs, and it does startle us that the population (even the summer pop) may not support new independent restaurants. I mean we have 105K+ locals and more adding in surrounding populations. I recall reading that the average annual income of TVrs is almost $100K/year (if true, we are bringing that down...). True or not - we DO have a quite hefty disposable income stream in TV. A shame that we don't attract new non-chain places.

One would think a good % of TVrs would stream to new restaurants that offer good food, prepared well, at competitive pricing.

[784caroline]

Originally Posted by golf2140

A high end steak house was tried in Spanish Springs, it lasted 6 months. A lot of folks in TV dine out 4 to 6 evenings, not looking to break the bank each night. Just my thoughts.

What was the name of this "High End" steak house ?

[pooh]

If the companies who own these restaurants won't come, how does one plan on getting them here? A letter writing campaign? Restaurants also have a bottom line and if they are not going to make a profit, no coming to an area.
There are some who are willing to pay a bit more for a meal they enjoy, there are some who complain at the prices when there is an increase or when a new place opens. Restaurants face increased costs for food, insurance, staff and while many assume that they can easily absorb the extra cost and not pass it along to customers, they can't, won't, shouldn't have too.
Remember we picked this area to live in...hopefully one took the time to see what was in the area. Surely not all of us had our ideal pick of our favorites where we moved from.

[dah1020]

I totally agree. For whatever reason the food at all of the country clubs is not good. Bland veggies. Fried or stuff not made from scratch. Just yesterday I went past a local restaurant and got a look at kitchen staff out back and was horrified I will definitely never eat there again. I would not want any one of the touching anything I eat! And people here can be cheap,cheap,cheap. Why because they are here living the life and they eat most of their meals out and don't want to spend high dollars amounts per meal. Sooooo they do cheap and don't care about quality. It's quantity they are after. I'm from Midwest and can tell you there were better eating places there than here

[janmcn]

Originally Posted by pooh

If the companies who own these restaurants won't come, how does one plan on getting them here? A letter writing campaign? Restaurants also have a bottom line and if they are not going to make a profit, no coming to an area.
There are some who are willing to pay a bit more for a meal they enjoy, there are some who complain at the prices when there is an increase or when a new place opens. Restaurants face increased costs for food, insurance, staff and while many assume that they can easily absorb the extra cost and not pass it along to customers, they can't, won't, shouldn't have too.
Remember we picked this area to live in...hopefully one took the time to see what was in the area. Surely not all of us had our ideal pick of our favorites where we moved from.

Very well stated. Prospective buyers should look hard at what is here, not what they imagine would be here in the future.

If any restaurateurs were thinking of moving to TV read any of the restaurant threads, they would probably have a good chuckle as they put a big red xxxxx through The Villages.

[dah1020]

I totally agree food at country clubs is just bland. Just not that good never had a good steak at any of them. Vegetables yuck. But people here are living the life and eat out almost every day so it's quantity that that want not quality. I can't believe when I hear people say they had a greAt meal at such and such restaurant and I go and it's awful. I think their taste buds are gone and they don't care what they eat. I'm from the Midwest and I can tell you we had better restaurants there than they do here.. And everybody here has to do things in big groups. What is that all about. To show people the have a lot of friends. Even in the country clubs it is so noisy when they come in and the you get a couple of drinks in them, it's like they take over the whole place . I'd sooner eat a grilled cheese sandwich at home.

[pooh]

Originally Posted by dah352

I totally agree food at country clubs is just bland. Just not that good never had a good steak at any of them. Vegetables yuck. But people here are living the life and eat out almost every day so it's quantity that that want not quality. I can't believe when I hear people say they had a greAt meal at such and such restaurant and I go and it's awful. I think their taste buds are gone and they don't care what they eat. I'm from the Midwest and I can tell you we had better restaurants there than they do here.. And everybody here has to do things in big groups. What is that all about. To show people the have a lot of friends. Even in the country clubs it is so noisy when they come in and the you get a couple of drinks in them, it's like they take over the whole place . I'd sooner eat a grilled cheese sandwich at home.

I can't comment on steaks at any restaurant here in the area, never order them.
Generally order salmon or shrimp and if they are prepared well, I enjoy. Haven't had bad fish or shrimp out so far. Veggies, well, I prefer they are more on the crisp side, not mushy, and fresh. Have enjoyed good veggies more often than not. Do you prefer soft or more crisp veggies? Have a friend who only enjoys
veggies that are well cooked and soft....what she is used to from her background. Our differences in preferences may influence what we think of as good food.

Drinks can make people more vocal, at a higher volume, that's for sure, but I don't think it's unique to our clubs. People do go to dine in large groups....yes they do. Friends do enjoy gathering together to dine....always have...it's a social thing, now and probably, always. Some days it's uncomfortable to be around large, noisy groups, other times, maybe not. People tend to forget or not realize just how noisy they can be....even while eating...

[Yung Dum]

Originally Posted by jblum315

I would be happy if we had even just one decent Chinese restaurant. Good grief, there are good Chinese restaurants in Cuba! in Edinburgh! Probably in Kansas, in Texas. It doesn't require masses of Chinese residents. I can cook good Chinese food at home

Have you tried Cheng's? Very small, but pretty good.