59°
The restaurant, like the golf club, is owned and operated by the city. The castle had a late opening this year, and its revenues are down due to a decrease in the number of catering and banquet events booked this year. Part of that deficit is offset by the golf club seeing increased attendance at its events, according to Peter Marshall of the Golf Club Strategic Committee. However, the city is looking to get out of the restaurant business and have another company take over the management of the castle.
The city is contracting with a consultant in the food and beverage industry to help find a new manager for the restaurant. A request for proposals has been drawn up, which the Golf Club Commission will be sending out this week. Marshall said that the plan is to receive all proposals by mid-December. The plan is to select a candidate and have a deal in place so that they can take over operations by March or April.
If an organization is selected to run the restaurant, the city and golf club would act as a landlord and collect rent. It would not be part of the operation of the restaurant.
"We're excited by some of the people that are on the target list, from the catering and restaurateur side, that would be a nice addition to the community," Marshall said.
The city is also in the process of hiring a new general manager for the golf club. The previous manager was fired after he was accused of misappropriating funds and having a conflict of interest. The city has contracted a consulting service to help find candidates to run the golf club.
The general manager for the golf club would have oversight of the restaurant even if an outside contractor is brought in to run the day-to-day operations of the restaurant, according to City Manager Scott Pickup.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Rye and receive free news updates.
