In the Friday, January 7, 2022, Eblast, The Hot Springs Village Property Owners’ Association stated, “Greg Jones, CEO/Managing Director of Xplore Restaurant Group, has informed the Hot Springs Village POA that his company will discontinue operating restaurants at three golf courses: DeSoto, Isabella, and Granada. ”
Click here to read this letter from Mr. Jones.
The POA notice went on to say, “DeSoto Club will be closed for the remainder of January. Snacks and drinks will be available for purchase in the DeSoto golf shop. All events scheduled at DeSoto through January will continue as planned. If you have scheduled any events at DeSoto for February 1 or later, contact Greg Jones.”
“Our restaurant location at Isabella is closed through January 13 and will reopen under POA management on Friday, January 14. We will offer a limited menu to Isabella as we explore opportunities for new vendors to operate this location.”
“The Blue Elephant Grill at Granada will continue operating under the management of Jennifer and Joseph Stansel.” (Please see the Dining Digest below for more information on POA restaurants.)
Hot Springs Village People reached out to all the Board Directors and Interim General Manager, John Paul for comments earlier today. At the time of publication of this article, no one had returned the email. This article will be updated if we find out more information.
HSV Dining Digest Pages 1-2, January 7, 2022
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Tom Blakeman
01/08/2022 — 6:35 pm
Subsidizing POA restaurants to the tune of +- a half million dollars per year didn’t get the job done; spending $2.5 million to renovate the DeSoto club didn’t get the job done; giving free rent to operators didn’t get the job done. Food service surveys, committees, town meetings and focus groups didn’t get the job done. Operating Isabella under “POA management” won’t get the job done either. What will?
These chronic failures have gone on through multiple general managers and multiple boards of directors over many years, decades even. All that has been accomplished is extraordinary cost to the Village property owners. Perhaps total change to a governance system which has permitted, allowed and endorsed these failures is the answer.
What say you, Board of Directors?
Kirk Denger
01/09/2022 — 11:11 am
Back room under the table agreements rarely turn out well.
You can be sure something is terribly wrong when Board members are asked to vote on a contract that they have not seen.
When the BOD approved this contract, I was the only Director who voted not to enter into this contract.
I am impartial as to the quality of any Xplore eateries because I haven’t eaten there.
Tucker Omohundro
01/09/2022 — 6:51 pm
Kirk can you explain what was done under the table? Also explain how anything done under the table could have caused this to happen? Also explain what gain would any board member or staff gained by Greg running the three restaurants? You make statements that you feel will gain you support. Please explain to the people you want to support you how your claim could have caused this result. Your supporters are listening.
Kirk Denger
01/09/2022 — 8:40 pm
Tucker, when a contract is on the table at a HSV BOD meeting, it is above the table. When it is not on the table and still asked to be voted on and is voted on, it is under the table, as in underhanded and dishonest.
I did not mention anything about anybody gaining anything from it, explain why someone gaining something from it seems to have struck a nerve with you.
Are you a stockholder of CCI or Xplore?
Tucker Omohundro
01/09/2022 — 10:05 pm
See I love your response’s. They have no validity but you just put them out there like you know something. I guess you truly believe people are that stupid. Just a heads up, they are not. Good luck Kirk and just so you know. I will be calling you out on all of your bs.
Kirk Denger
01/10/2022 — 1:31 pm
Tucker, you did not answer the question, are you a stockholder of CCI or Xplore?
Don Heffron
01/10/2022 — 1:21 pm
What specific contract did the board vote on without seeing contract? Who was responsible to present contract and did not?
Who called for the vote without the contract being available for inspection?
Kirk Denger
01/10/2022 — 11:41 pm
Don, One of the unseen contracts voted on at a secret from the Property Owners meeting, was the Xplore/POA three resturant contract. The contract was not made available to the Directors by JP, who designed it along with his assistant Heffer, to the liking of Jones.
Look up the ratififation of the meeting at the minutes of the march 2021 Board meeting as to who presented the motion, who seconded and what the roll call vote was. I certainly could not vote to enter into a contract that I haven’t seen. Dick, Pam, Joanne and Tucker voted for. and I voted against. The majority got what they wanted, and what is in this article is the just the beginning of the end result.
DAVID S COHEN
01/10/2022 — 8:30 am
We have lived here over 14 years and tried out most of the restaurants in the village while they were in business. The problem I have found is a lack of consistency in food quality and portion size not to mention price.
Ask yourself why Home Plate has done so well for so long, consistency and reasonable prices and they are outside the gate. Locals in Jessieville, Mountain Pine and other communities outside the gate do not frequent these places.
Imagine if we had a Hooters, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Cheesecake Factory or Bonefish Grill in Desoto Club. I don’t think they would have any trouble attracting clientele but then we would have to deal with all the traffic.
With Covid-19 everything has suffered as we can’t live it up like it was 2019!
When we first moved here the 19th Hole was a gold mine and Pegasus was an amazing restaurant, I miss them.
Ruth Ratcliff
02/23/2022 — 2:05 pm
And yet there is no where to go for entertainment. We have a very expensive building sitting empty when it use to be packed. Please explain why?
LLOYD SHERMAN
01/10/2022 — 12:25 pm
Restaurant operations nationwide have to be one of the toughest to run. The reality is that the Village has too many restaurants to fit our demographic. I have done consulting work for two restaurants in the area since I moved here and neither of them could make it for most of the reasons pointed out by David Cohen above. During the pandemic crisis it has become even more difficult. Consistently providing quality food and service is difficult at best, but the reality of pleasing the Village demographic is a nearly impossible task. On any given day, at any given restaurant, you can have a situation where a cook didn’t show, or a wait staff, or your food order was late or didn’t have what was requested. You name it and it can go wrong. When any negative situation happens at a restaurant, the very next thing that happens is someone fires up the social media sites and a one-off incident becomes a reason not to go to the restaurant again. And let’s face it, we have a very critical and demanding population. As an example, let’s take The Blue Elephant. This is the footprint that most of our golf course restaurants should be following, but because you have to go to a counter to order your food, many don’t want to go there. Fair enough but how do property owners expect businesses to stay in business if they won’t patronize them? The one thing I have become convinced of is that the POA should not even attempt to be in the restaurant business. We know the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Well, that adequately explains the restaurant business in the Village. Even subsidizing them hasn’t worked and we have proven that process more than once. It’s way past time to close or significantly reduce what is available at golf course locations and if they can’t be run by people who have been in the business, the POA should not attempt to fill that void. Please stay out of the restaurant business. It’s hasn’t worked and nothing you can do will make it work.
Tucker Omohundro
01/10/2022 — 4:44 pm
Lloyd you are correct. We have proved for years we didn’t need to be in the restaurant business. We may have to man them for a while until we can hopefully get an interested party in but they will be very small operations. Kirk I am sorry I didn’t answer your question. I thought you were joking. The only stock holders at Cooper are family members. I am not one. I am not sure why you would think I would invest in explore or any other restaurants in HSV. No I am not a stockholder in explore either. Of course you knew both of those answers. You probably made some people wonder though. That’s what you are good at. Creating negativity. What is your next plan in doing so? I will be waiting.
Kirk Denger
01/11/2022 — 9:36 am
Tucker, the only way I would be joking is if you were joking when you asked how a Board member would gain from Greg running the restaurants. It continues to be a loss for everyone.
I am sorry if the truth creates negativity for you. I have always only wished the best for you and your family, our community and our neighbors. We can each help each other reach our goals of the pursuit of happiness. Dictatorships and the narcissism to control others are so passe in America.
After being with Coopers all of your life, it is curious how you would know that only family members are stockholders, without being one. John Jr’s sister married a Tucker and was one of the founders of HSV.
Susan Posner
01/11/2022 — 7:18 pm
Oh for pete sake! You and Kirk. No way two you could have built anything together with hammers you’d have smashed each other. No not all of CCI is family stakeholders. Those clubs were not designed for restaurants kitchens were small for simple stuff, more for catering in. We did have a couple past sitting board members and GM who did have investments in restaurant in here and they should of recused themselves from voting on anything regarding the restaurants but didn’t. Again the self dealing and conflict of interest that can cause association some real trouble. Mr Jones having his own places is one thing, but in our golf clubs well liability issues. Grease fire can cause great damage as you may well know we sure don’t want that risk. Anyway separate restaurants owned, housed separate from POA buildings and liability to the restaurant owner is fine, but not placing members properties into the danger of lawsuits is your fiduciary duty. Catered event in them is fine. After golf go to a restaurant not on POA property or find a food truck. Not everyone wants to eat in a golf club atmosphere. Those places just outside that have stood the time test are where people want to go. It’s a pleasure to escape the village, don’t want spend every moment in here. That’s true even if you live in a subdivision, live there. but dinning out means just that. Variety is important as fair prices are. Locals with kids definitely not going out to eat around here be a waste of time and money, kids like Sonic and McDonald’s. Not healthy to eat out a lot, loaded with bacteria, fried and fat and salt.
Dave Sintich
01/13/2022 — 11:01 pm
I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t rehire Johnna (?) But why doesn’t someone go to the Culinary school along US 30 in Little Rock and put some feelers out since the POA will no doubt go back into the restaurant business at least in the Desoto location. Hire some cooks who can cook some normal everyday food with out ridiculous prices and operate their kitchen without any POA management looking over their shoulders making everything cheaper. Just an idea.