Talk of The Villages Florida

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-   -   Panera and The Veranda (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/restaurant-discussions-90/panera-veranda-31792/)

uujudy 09-11-2010 10:43 PM

Thank you,
Judy's Mother

Helene2008 09-11-2010 11:19 PM

Oh God George....I forgot all about him....Thanks for the laugh!!!

jmitchell 09-12-2010 04:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by graciegirl (Post 291190)
I always agree with 07 and Memason.

I think the food is not so great anywhere in TV. I wonder why that is ? (There are exceptions and we know where they are and we frequent them)

Do all of the good cooks who do it for money still live outside of The Villages?

We need immigration from young people who know how to cook and want to cook here in The Villages.

Maybe they don't pay them enough? The prices are low in most restaurants. hmmm.

I agree with you GracieGirl! What's with this? and why are they almost all chain restaurants? Maybe the Morse's should start a Culinary School. :D

I was not impressed with the Veranda's food -- it was o.k. just nothing special (ate there twice - we have only been in TV twice, 3rd time will be when we close on our house) and I like Panera but the Veranda had such a great location I wish a more interesting and healthy restaurant was going in there.

One more thing -- my husband and I were quite surprised that with all the healthy, active people there were so few "really" healthy, fresh food restaurants -- or did we not find them????

mak44070 09-12-2010 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by graciegirl (Post 291190)
I always agree with 07 and Memason.

I think the food is not so great anywhere in TV. I wonder why that is ? (There are exceptions and we know where they are and we frequent them)

Do all of the good cooks who do it for money still live outside of The Villages?

We need immigration from young people who know how to cook and want to cook here in The Villages.

Maybe they don't pay them enough? The prices are low in most restaurants. hmmm.

I think 'they' heard you. This is from The Villages Charter High School home page:

Our students appreciate the intense learning atmosphere. Setting high expectations for students and staff alike is an important key to the success The Villages High School enjoys. In the junior and senior years, the students are afforded the opportunity to study in one of six (6) academies including the Health Sciences Academy, the Entrepreneurship Academy (Culinary Arts and Communication Technology-Graphic Arts), the Engineering Academy, the Communication Academy (TV Production and Journalism), Fine Arts (Art, Dance and Music) and the Advanced Studies Academy. Through our Advanced Studies Academy, students may qualify for dual enrollment courses and earn up to 29 college semester hours here on our campus in Math, Science and English. Additionally, our goal in the immediate future is to work closely with Lake Sumter Community College to add additional Dual Enrollment programs to increase the number of semester hours our students may earn.

:popcorn:

rwhal 09-12-2010 10:45 AM

I'm from the st. Louis, Mo. area. Interesting story: the original bread company was called St.Louis Bread Co. which the owners sold to Au Bon Pan in NY. They later bought it back and when they went international they changed the name to Panera. Love all of their items. Enjoy.

Wayne

memason 09-12-2010 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rwhal (Post 291497)
I'm from the st. Louis, Mo. area. Interesting story: the original bread company was called St.Louis Bread Co. which the owners sold to Au Bon Pan in NY. They later bought it back and when they went international they changed the name to Panera. Love all of their items. Enjoy.

Wayne

Wayne.... the first Panera's I ever visited was in St. Louis and it was the St. Louis Bread Co.... downtown...

For all your Chicago folks out there...how about the best breakfast in the world at Lou Mitchell's on Jackson St. ...just one block from Union Station....

jaspal 09-12-2010 12:48 PM

Wish I had bought Panera's stock when it took over St Louis bread CO. It was $5.00 a share. It has since--split many many times. My gut told me to buy it but w/o 5 years history I held back.

tpop1 09-12-2010 01:22 PM

3 threads in one!
 
Three distinct points being raised here...

Veranda leaving, Panera coming in.

Veranda's food not recommend by many; ambience and quaintness obviously not enough or it would be staying open; it's all about ROI.
People like Panera (even though its a dreaded chain!)

Lack of good restaurants in T.V.

Let's face it we live in a time and in a location where value is desired over quality. There is a great amount of pressure on price / performance in restaurants these days; here and elsewhere...just look at the ads and the specials. With this much pressure on prices, its hard to keep the quality real high....cheaper ingredients being used .. hard to lure top chefs.

Chains vs. local
The eternal tug of war. Chains can provide more value..economy of scale in ordering supplies, menu development, etc. It's obivious that chains do better in T.V just look at the Golden Corall, Olive Garden, etc. parking lots. We've got to remember the our Country Clubs are "local" and most are rated highly; quality and value.
_

Chopper 09-12-2010 02:25 PM

I was told that the Veranda officially closed for good today at 3:00 PM. Sorry to see it go. Some of the employees who didn't live in TV had children enrolled at the Charter School. If they don't find employment elsewhere in TV they will be required to remove their children from the school. I know this must be a stressful time for those employees. Hopefully something will come their way.

downeaster 09-12-2010 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HowardSims (Post 291522)
I was told that the Veranda officially closed for good today at 3:00 PM. Sorry to see it go. Some of the employees who didn't live in TV had children enrolled at the Charter School. If they don't find employment elsewhere in TV they will be required to remove their children from the school. I know this must be a stressful time for those employees. Hopefully something will come their way.

I would hope those affected can finish the school year. If the school requires them to leave sooner my opinion of the school will take a nose dive. I guess if some are hired by Panera they will be able to continue at the school.

jmitchell 09-12-2010 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HowardSims (Post 291522)
I was told that the Veranda officially closed for good today at 3:00 PM. Sorry to see it go. Some of the employees who didn't live in TV had children enrolled at the Charter School. If they don't find employment elsewhere in TV they will be required to remove their children from the school. I know this must be a stressful time for those employees. Hopefully something will come their way.

That is very sad about their kids. I hope 1. that TV helps them find another job in TV and 2.) that there is some grace period (at least a year since this was a Villages owned business) before they have to pull their children out of the charter school.

I would hate to see any kids negatively affected. Does anyone know how this works?

chelsea24 09-12-2010 07:19 PM

Yup!
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by memason (Post 291501)
Wayne.... the first Panera's I ever visited was in St. Louis and it was the St. Louis Bread Co.... downtown...

For all your Chicago folks out there...how about the best breakfast in the world at Lou Mitchell's on Jackson St. ...just one block from Union Station....

ahhhhhh.... great memories! I have to admit, sometimes I miss that beautiful city. :thumbup:

nONIE 09-12-2010 08:55 PM

So do I Chels, lately been thinking alot about Chicago. Wish I could find a reason to have to go back for a visit. (I know I dont need a reason) but so little time and I prefer to spend it in The Villages. We must keep our priorities straight!

MeMason, dont think I ever had breakfast there, but sure sounds like I should have!

BobKat1 09-12-2010 09:48 PM

Off topic, but for those of you thinking about Chicago, it was beautiful today. 78 degrees very low humidity and a slight breeze.

However, as I was putting some things away in the garage I kept eyeballing the snowblower thinking that before long I'll have to gas it up and make sure it will run when needed.

getdul981 09-13-2010 06:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobKat1 (Post 291590)
Off topic, but for those of you thinking about Chicago, it was beautiful today. 78 degrees very low humidity and a slight breeze.

However, as I was putting some things away in the garage I kept eyeballing the snowblower thinking that before long I'll have to gas it up and make sure it will run when needed.

Reality check.


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