The restaurant has been closed because of massive underperformance.
Here are a few quotes from the Blog in April. STC this blog site told you so.
“Do they not remember that they could not even successfully run the ice cream kiosks on the beach”
“we ate there at the week end, we wont be goin back”
“By the way it wasn't the kids menu I was looking at because there is no kids menu, an odd omission for a family facility”
Before setting up this restaurant:
Did Councillors do any marketing research?
Did they ask anyone in the local catering industry?
Did they take a trip to the Village Inn at Ulwell?
Its all very well saying the restaurant is part of a profit making whole, but even top hotels generally don’t try to run their own restaurants anymore, they let a dedicated professional take on the franchise.
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9 comments:
Worse still the opportunity has been lost to get a really good rent for the area. It's a pity there isn't an accountant on the local council...
Far be it from any of us to comment on the decision making powers of the Town Hall brains but you do wonder when a caravan site which advertises in the Sun and the Mirror develops a restaurant pitched at what used to be called the broadsheet reading classes.
Why is Swanage the last bastion of municipal socialism anyway. The tory party decided to sell off all possible public assets a generation ago. Somehow this did not appeal to Swanage Conservatives (Swancons?) Didn't they think privatisation was meant for them?
Ironically the one thing Swanage really needs is a top quality restaurant but it needs to be in the right place,
Got it!
Make the Town Hall a restaurant.
Storm the Bastille and get the council out of its castle. Build some offices on the industrial estate or even on the caravan site to take the staff and have a shop in the town centre for public contact. Hold council meetings in the community room at the Mowlem so we meet our masters on neutral ground and there might even be a higher level of public interest.
Fat chance.
Actually that is an idea that has been mentioned by certain persons of power before. Why is such a small council with limited powers occupying such a grand building anyway. Restaurant downstairs, small office units upstairs and hey ...why not charge for the parking, everyone else has to pay
museum upstairs above farmers market area
I spoke to a lady the other day who takes her family away on a caravan holiday twice a year. She said that she wouldn't even consider the muni because of the lack of childrens facilities. She specifically quoted no swings, no flumes, no play area.
"they couldn't run a car park let alone a caravan park..."
"When local government tries to run a business the only people to get richer are the employees"
Two quotes from people (with no axe to grind) in the pub last night.
Echo online Monday 26 September
Staff problem forces bay restaurant to shut
by Paula Tegerdine
AN upmarket restaurant launched as the centre-piece of a half-million-pound refurbishment of Swanage Bay View holiday park has been closed down for the winter because it is losing money.
Swanage Bay View is one of the country's few council-owned caravan parks and the restaurant, with its panoramic views over the bay, was opened in April.
Problems recruiting permanent staff and the desire to protect the overall financial performance of the park are cited as reasons for the closure.
The caravan park overall made a net surplus of £280,000 in the financial year 2003 to 2004 and a net surplus of £238,900 in 2004 to 2005.
The restaurant will reopen in March 2006 but four permanent staff who were due to continue over the winter months have lost their jobs.
Swanage Town Council clerk Alan Leeson explained: "An extraordinary meeting of the council resolved unanimously we should close it as we get to the end of the summer season for economic reasons and because of staffing difficulties.
"There are problems getting staff at this time of year and it was losing us money, therefore it was an economic decision," he added.
Residents have expressed concerns about the costs of the refurbishment but town mayor Cllr Tony Miller has stated his hopes that in four or five years' time the park will be earning enough money to do away with the council tax precept.
First published: September 26
So the Mayor looses his personal dining room…
It’ll be back to the Bird’s Nest Buffet I suppose then?
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