Several. Dunkin Donuts shut down for good last week. Ay Jalisco still has plenty of business, and for some reason I can't fathom, Ruby Tuesday's is always busy. That place is SO run down - wallpaper peeling off the walls, the carpeting is threadbare and horribly stained, the burgers are meat-flavored grease patties on gummy buns. Panera is busy at lunch time, not so much at dinner time. The only other restaurants in Spanish Springs are the fake Greek place which is MOSTLY drinkers, the Italian place which is great but VERY expensive, and the seafood place which is also great but expensive.

There used to be a wine-drinking place but they closed down a year or more ago. There's also Kilwin's ice cream which is - also very expensive (I think I had to pay something like $7 for a single SCOOP of ice cream).

In addition to the closed and still vacant restaurants there are also a few vacant stores, and I'll give J.Jill's 6 months of being open before they shut down as well.

Live in the Havana area and will not make that trip down… do not believe it would have much more to offer.

J Jill’s closed down in the malls in the West Coast ages ago. Sorry that is the only store they could get in that spot

"From your lips to God's ears" as the saying goes! Anyway, 100% agree, would LOVE it if an Indian restaurant (preferably one that offers a lunch buffet) would open in TV, but I doubt it will happen..I think the average Villager isn't into heavily spiced / spicy foods & has fairly bland tastes when it comes to food / restaurants. Thus why 90% of restaurants around here are boring chain restaurants & fast food. I've got more complaints about TV than most, but perhaps my biggest is the lack of variety when it comes to restaurants--I'd love to see more non-chain / franchise restaurants, and most importantly, more ethnic restaurants.

Ha! Great answer...

"Overage" is a common clause in lease clauses in indoor / outdoor malls. I've had approx a dozen retail stores in high end malls, and all of them had an overage clause, meaning if my gross sales were "over" a certain amount, I had to pay the mall owner a percentage of that overage sales, in addition to the monthly rent I was paying. And guess what? I was thrilled to pay it--that meant that my sales that month / year were WAY more than expected!

It's kind of like taxes--no one really likes paying them, but in reality having to pay a lot of taxes is somewhat of a blessing. No tax = no profits. Lots of tax owed means you enjoyed really high net profits.

But your last sentence--"Even one empty business in a center makes for a less inviting shopping, dining, or entertainment atmosphere"--is spot on, and it's a self perpetuating cycle--the more empty spaces means the less shoppers, which means more empty spaces so less and less shoppers, and on & on.

I checked out the Spanish Springs square for the first time in a long time just the other day...strolled around with extra money in my pocket wanting to get rid of some of it but couldn't find a damn thing I wanted to own or eat! Hell, even the Dunkin' Donuts went out of business! If a reasonably priced coffee & donut place is unable to stay make a profit in an area dominated by senior citizens...you know the place is in serious trouble.

There are two massive corner locations (anchor tenants) sitting forlorn & empty--the former World of Beer & the Margarita Republic, now Dunkin'...and more along the main drag that your drive down to get to the Square. The wine place went out of business...it's just sad.

What I really want to know is how the heck that lingerie store stays open--that's the biggest mystery in the world to me. I know TV has a reputation of lots of swingers (what color is the loofah on top of your car?!?!?) & wild sex, but seriously--how many 70+ year old women are really buying sexy lingerie, especially bras that cost something like $80 each!

I'm aware that Spanish Springs has a much older demographic than the newer areas of TV, but there are numerous restaurants in the immediate area that seem to be doing well--LongHorn Steak House, Texas Roadhouse, Miller's Ale House, Applebees, Darrell's Diner, Mission BBQ, & Francesco's--all have busy parking lots out front whenever I drive past, so the problem isn't lack of demand.

The Morse family are billionaires, so I doubt they're staying awake at night fretting about the sad-state of Spanish Springs, but it definitely sucks for those of us that live in the area. I do drive over to Lake Sumpter occasionally (I intentionally misspelled to irritate the spelling/punctuation police on this site!), but no way I'm going to drive all the way to Brownwood to eat or have a drink.

I lived in the Ft. Lauderdale area for nearly 20 years, and this sports bar /restaurant is WILDLY popular and has locations all over South Florida:

Flanigan's - Laid back Family-run Restaurants in South Florida

Really good, reasonably priced burgers, steaks, caesar salads, fish sandwiches, BBQ ribs (actually, everything on their menu is really good), a $6.99 lunch special, and a 50% OFF happy hour 9PM to close. As a bonus, many of their locations have an attached bottle liquor store right next door! And they stay open LATE!

I would kill to have a Flanigan's open in the Spanish Springs area...

Empty Stores Spanish Springs
 

Duffy's a chain throughout Florida. I think that would do well in Spanish Springs

I have never been to Sawgrass, don’t know where it is at. Spent two days at the outdoor expo at Everglades, and I am ready to foreswear south of 44. The traffic is a train wreck. 20 minutes to get from Warm Springs to past the tollway at 3:00 pm on a Saturday? Lots has been written about Morse ans 44. You have to be nuts to live down there.

CFS Coffee is opening in place of Dunkin’. Whole list of new businesses opening in TV in today’s paper.

Replacing Dunkin Donuts with a gourmet coffee and $20+ steak bowl restaurant is just pricing more retirees who LIVE in the area - out of the area. People go to Dunkin Donuts to get a small or medium cup of coffee and a donut or muffin for under $10. CFS doesn't offer that option.

There's a DD up the road in Spanish Plaines Plaza, near the hospital. I'm guessing that one will be getting more business soon.

Rent
 

These days every landlord takes a square foot rent plus a percentage of your business, just as bad as a franchise owner

They need to add two left turn only Lanes to get onto 44 East but I bet they're going to happen for 5 years

Agree. I for one would LOVE a GOOD Thai restaurant. Yes, there is one in LSL, but my experience with their food is that it is Thai only in name, and seasoned for nursing home tastes. Further agree about lack of variety. Hey, here's an idea, open ANOTHER Italian eatery... Sheesh. Unfortunately, most restaurants in and around the Villages seem to strive for mediocre and celebrate when they achieve it.

I wish there were a few "take-out" eating places. Tacos, burgers, hot dogs, food you can walk around with. Not just the occasional over-price food trucks at events. Similar need at Lake Sumter to a lesser degree. Brownwood and Sawgrass have several food-to-go places. And of course the successful Edna's on the Green.

When we go for entertainment or a car show it would be nice to be able to get a snack, not just a sit-down meal.

It is hideous. First thing I thought when I saw it. The cheap plastic red, white, and blue sign really clashes with the Spanish colonial revival architecture.

We think Koyame is good for Thai.

If I was still in Business school would suggest the professor assign Dunkin Donuts as a case of how quickly a business can be destroyed by going away from their core business.

Well Dorothy, you're not in Kansas anymore. Those restaurants with the mediocre food and no seasoning... apparently they appeal to the customer base. I like more variety as well but I know better than to look for it in this homogeneous community; instead, I head to Ocala, Orlando, or Tampa.

Dunkin’ closed about 5 months ago, the new coffee shop/mini restaurant is very close to opening.
Italian restaurant has great lunch specials for $12, and the food is excellent. By far the best piccata in TV. Kilwins prices are in same rage as many hand scoops business. J Jill has national issues along with a large % of brick and mortar.

Leesburg also has good restaurants

I drive Warm Springs every day. I have never taken anywhere near the time you claim. Even with the expo going on.

I actually think it's fairly good as well, or at least I did--if I'm not mistaken it was recently sold--last time I ordered the Mongolian Beef it wasn't near as spicy as it used to be. I always thought their Thai dishes were much better than their Chinese dishes. Def like their red & green curry dishes. Nice sized portions, too, I can usually get two full meals out of their dinner sized portion.

More details needed--names & descriptions.

Not quite
 

Actually I noticed the menu doesn't have "Scotch Eggs" anymore (which I loved), it now says "Scotch Egg".

Dunkin Donuts is gone? I'm so happy to hear that. That place was so filthy and messy. Hope Starbucks comes to that location.

Several years ago the owners of Kayame sold the business to people who kept their name and later on opened a new restaurant Kung Fu. We do like both.

I took a quick look at the CFS website. They have food besides coffee. Looking forward to this coffee shop.

Blondies Restroom-nope!
 

How can they open a place with no restroom nearby? A 70-80 year old in a walker has a long way to go. Why didn't they hook into the Sharon water works connected to Blondies now?

Apparently they didnt think it was necessary

They needed to limit water sippers or it wouldn't be profitable.

Please would have been nice.

My cousin Vinnies, and Los Magueyes (not in Leesburg though)

You get what you pay for and that’s never been truer than with restaurants. Very few of them have anything other frozen or fried foods. The “expensive” places care more about quality.

Change has been occurring in the Villages for more than 25 yrs. Many, many businesses have come and gone in ALL THE SQUARES.
Only a few years since opening, change is now happening in Sawgrass Grove. It will happen in Eastport and Middleton.

I think Stu hit the nail on the head. Many residents prefer eating outside of the bubble. Many do not drink, many do not like crowds, many prefer the comfort of their home, some hate loud music... their reasons go on and on. How many of you visit, dine, and shop at the squares frequently? If your answer is SELDOM, then you understand why businesses come and go.

Dunkin is not the first coffee/pastry restaurant to leave Spanish Springs. Starbucks and a Bakery (in that same location) have come and gone. Many restaurants and shops in LSL closed. Brownwood has seen change. This is NORMAL.

We had dinner last night with two couples here longer than us. They cannot remember last time going for music in the squares.

We go rarely but the truth seems to be as villagers develop an active social life they go out to dinner or to clubs leaving little or no time to go to the squares.

Sawgrass and Happy Hour
 

I am so disappointed in people that make assumptions on hearsay. Go to Sawgrass between 3-5pm and you’ll see what they have…..

Amen!

I am guessing you're a bit of a coffee expert, what with your username and avatar. I've been drinking black coffee daily for almost 40 years, but I gotta tell you, Starbucks might be the most disgusting coffee I've ever had.

I'm certain you probably have a much more sophisticated palate and can appreciate the flavor profiles of those coffee beans that are squirted out of some animals butthole in South America (Kopi Luwak beans).

To my Irish American potato-loving plain palate, Starbucks tastes like coffee that brewed 4 days ago and has been sitting on a hot plate until scorched prior to pouring. I can do without them and their purple/green Sigmund & the sea-monsters-haired baristas also.

It is an OUTDOOR bar. There is no place to put a port-a-potty on the patio. There are two tiki bars on the Square itself, and no attached rest room. Anyone buying a drink from the tiki bars has to walk to the same rest room facilities that people at Blondie's have to walk. I'm sure most 70-80-year-olds with walkers are smart enough to know that if they can't walk that far to the rest room, they probably shouldn't drink at that bar.

That's an interesting comment given that you watch them brew the coffee right there in front of you. It seems your Irish American potato-loving plain palate needs re-calibration - it isn't the Starbucks coffee that was brewed 4 days ago.