Author: 9278surf

The Brassie Grille – Now Fine Dining?

Well, I’m sure you saw the email spouting the Tomahawk Ribeye entree at the Brassie Grille – for $145. That’s right folks – $145. As I have explained previously, the restaurant business is a tricky endeavor, and fine dining can have expensive consequences. Is the Board over its head and above its pay grade with this current direction for The Brassie Grille? But, when you’re subsidized, like the Residents subsidizing AGI (Aquarina Golf, Inc.), e.g. The Brassie Grille, I suppose untoward business consequences have less impact when its distributed among 450+ fee paying residences. Just saying.

The history of the Brassie Grille has been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs, e.g. employees, food inventory, etc. As I have suggested in this Blog many times, rent out the restaurant to skilled restaurant professionals, and collect the rent. Rather than losing money in attempting to be in the food business, maybe more effort and time could be better used on maintaining Aquarina’s infrastructure and having our fees build a reserve for our future needs, e.g. the repairing and upgrading our entrance roadway, which serves the whole community and not the just the golf folks’ restaurant embellishments and activities.

It’s understood that the restaurant is a necessity and good for the community, but keeping it simple, i.e. a limited yet changing menu, and creative use of the current kitchen, is the best approach if the Board insists in being restaurateurs. Less risk is attained with a business plan that depends on drink sales for most of the profit and not risky food sales, which may and can create profit, but only when it’s done both tastefully and economically, not in a manner to compete with Djon’s Steak and Lobster House on our dime.

Then there is The Brassie Grille expansion – yikes! It will be at least $700K and heading north with costs; I’m sure. Remodels are not done with a set price; I know. Unknown and unexpected issues surface all the time, which means even higher costs. Besides, is now the time to remodel and expand with the country being in a stagflation/inflation situation, with limited labor and supplies?

The Board meeting, which was opened to the Residents for The Brassie Grille expansion explanation ended with the floor open for questions. The first question was “How will this expansion be funded?” The AGI answer was basically “I am not going to address that matter, The Board can figure it out.” Hmm.

I wish the Board would be transparent with AGI finances, and show the Residents the specifics of The Brassie Grille P&L (Profit and Loss). If the restaurant shows a solid return of profit on its expenses, great. Maybe a paced and thought out expansion is justified. However, the only real crowds I see are for special events at minimal or no cost to the patrons. Other than some beverage sales, does the The Brassie Grille actually make a substantial profit on these indulgent parties for a segment of the Community. If so, then show us the receipts to justify this major expansion expense planned for the Residents.

The Board of Directors for Home Owners Associations have the latitude to deal with the Residents’ Reserves in a broad manner, i.e. not only for major repairs and needed infrastructure replacements, but also for “Betterments”, a legal term for capital improvements, e.g. The Brassie Grille expansion. The choices for how the Reserves are spent are at the Board’s “sole” discretion. Hmm. It’s like a Board having an open check book to the Residents’ Reserves.

Remember, Board Directors are voted by the Residents into their Director positions, unless no one runs for a Directorship, then the current Board finds a Resident volunteer to serve. Do you think the Board looks for like minded folks that support the Board’s politics and focus for the community?

Does this sound familiar to what we have here in Aquarina? Hmm.

A Quick Look Back

It’s approaching four years now that the Blog Site, AnAquarinaVoice.com, came into being as a platform for the Aquarina Community to be apprised of news updates, and provide an opportunity for residents to communicate among themselves. The site visits have steadily built over these years where some Posts have seen nearly 3,000 visits, and total visits are approaching 100,000.  All this has evolved from a readership audience of approximately 500 residential units.  The Blog is directed at Aquarina Residents, and has never been directed anywhere else.

It should be noted that the Comments Link in the left margin of the posts is the trigger to establish and release your comments.  By clicking on the Comments Link a screen will open to write an email, which can be sent back to the Blog to be posted and appear in the Comments section for folks to read. As I have explained and promised in past posts, these email comments will never reveal email addresses or names of the authors of the email comments.  However, we have had email comments where the authors requested that their email addresses and names be associated with their emails to the Blog.  Neighborhood social chatter, commentary, and debate is certainly encouraged to have a healthy discourse and a rapport of ideas.

Aquarina has become a vibrant subdivision in the South Beach Area (Spessard Holland Beach Park to Sebastian Inlet).  Social groups within Aquarina have emerged, from those groups that keep among themselves, yet still having an eye on the community, evolving to groups that have become political and have exercised control of the community.  In striving for a political balance, you would expect that these varied groups should work together for the good of all, rather than having one of them focusing more on shaping the community for themselves.  Do we have that balance? Hmm.

It can be said that Aquarina has resort characteristics, i.e. a beach club and private beach, a river facility with access amenities, a neighborhood club house for social activities, a golf course, tennis courts, and a restaurant. These resort facilities can be serious expenditures and needy maintenance items.  In addition, there is the infrastructure that supports these facilities. Finally, the community generates over $2,000,000 a year from maintenance fees.  Wow.  This is all quite a handful. On the surface, you could say professional oversight would be expected. Oh yes, we have an elected HOA of uncompensated Directors and Volunteers who have taken on all this responsibility.  Hmm.

More to come . . .  

More on this Covid-19 Vaccine

Controversy continues with the Covid-19 Vaccine.  Here are some reported facts that you will not hear or see from the mainstream media.

The following do not have a mandate for their employees to be vaccinated.

  • The World Health Organization (WHO).
  • The National Institute of Health (NIH).
  • The Federal Drug Administration (FDA).
  • Pfizer Pharmaceutical.  BTW – the CEO hasn’t been vaccinated, i.e. Albert Bourla .
  • Center for Disease Control (CDC).

The alleged “vaccine” is considered an emergency procedure, which technically cannot be mandated as an official vaccine; however, today the FDA will have it approved as an official vaccine.  What is disconcerting about this action is that, according to FDA guidelines, the vaccine testing should demonstrate at least a 50% success rate for virus prevention.  The current Covid-19 Vaccine’s success rate is in the 30% range. It appears medicine and science are again politicized or maybe weaponized for a forced agenda.

Hmm.

Notes – above information sourced from x22report.com and Dr. Robert Malone (See previous post).

Remember, do your research, and make the choice that is best for you. We live in a country where there is freedom of choice for ourselves and for our families.