Meadowlakes OKs new restaurant operator
Hidden Falls Restaurant can hire a third-party operator following the Meadowlakes City Council’s approval at a special meeting Thursday, June 10. The decision was made in the hope of limiting $85,000 in annual losses from the currently city-run restaurant, located at 220 Meadowlakes Drive.
“I must say, it’s been a long, hard struggle to get to this point,” Mayor Mark Bentley said during the meeting. “I think it will be good for the city. It’ll stop some of the bleeding we’ve been seeing with the restaurant losses.”
The restaurant was previously owned and operated by the city through the Meadowlakes Public Facilities Corp. In May, the city voted to postpone action to allow council members more time to study the proposed agreement.
Further details will be determined during a PFC meeting scheduled for Friday, June 11. According to Bentley, the PFC will determine the timeline of when the new restaurant operations will begin.
Thursday’s decision allows the Public Facilities Corp. to enter into a commercial agreement with an outside operator, which was subject to council approval.
“The whole motion is based on the city leasing the restaurant space to the PFC, which is a standalone entity,” Councilor Garrett Wood explained after the vote. “The PFC is going to be the tenant, and they’ll be able to hire an operator to run the restaurant, subject to terms and conditions the council has reviewed.”
Since May, the city has been pursuing a contract with Al Redzematovic, owner of Mambo Italiano Ristorante in Bertram.