Chairs up

SUN CITY – Sun City lost one of its best-known amenities as Walleye Grill hosted its last guests under Twelfth Night Catering and closed Sunday, October 17.

The restaurant closed following a material breach of contract between operating company Twelfth Night Catering and the Sun City Community Association Board.

“If we had to do it all over again, we wouldn’t have signed the same contract,” owner Brian Jason said.

Jason explained the economic recession took a toll on the restaurant’s business and they were unable to thrive, as residents were spending less.

Walleye Grill and Parker O’Riley’s Pub, constructed during Jason’s tenure, were popular gathering places for Sun City residents.

“It provided a sense of community,” Jason said. “When we built the bar for them, it became a place to hang out and talk, and they didn’t have that before.”

The reaction to Walleye Grill’s closing was fast and supportive.

“I haven’t added them up yet, but I can safely say I’ve at least gotten two- to three hundred supportive emails and, on top, a countless number of phone calls,” Jason said.

The abruptness of the Walleye Grill’s closing took some residents by surprise.

“Because of the nature of a community like Sun City, there aren’t very many secrets; the grapevine runs wild, so I was surprised that this wasn’t on my radar at all,” Matt Crow of Neighborhood 23 said.

The Community Association Board is being advised by legal counsel, and Bill Brandt, Vice President of the Board, declined to comment on the situation.

The Board held a meeting in Drendel Ballroom Wednesday, October 27 to address the issue publicly.

“Bill [Brandt] requested that the members of the community understand that the action was not taken lightly and … [after] lots of careful consideration and certainly in the best interest of the community,” Crow said.

Crow said many Sun City residents respect the board’s decision and understand the contract was broken but wonder if a better solution was possible.

“I think the question is what was the harm in allowing Twelfth Night to continue serving the community until they got somebody else in place?” Crow said.

The timing of the closing falls right before the holiday season, which may leave parties without destinations. Jason said Twelfth Night is allowed to cater in Drendel Ballroom and will handle reservations on a case-by-case basis.

Gift cards to Walleye Grill are being accepted at one of Jason’s other restaurants, The Barley House in Algonquin.

The economy took a turn for the worse in the winter of 2007, months after Twelfth Night signed the contract in August.

“Like all restaurants, we’re all competing, we’re all discounting,” Jason said. “There isn’t a restaurant out there I don’t think that doesn’t have a discount right now on something.”

One effort Jason noted was a Walleye Grill card, which allowed residents to save 10 percent on their food. Unfortunately, these efforts could not help Twelfth Night fulfill its contract.

The recession also struck workers, and Jason said he has been persistent about finding Walleye Grill employees jobs at his other restaurants or providing recommendations for them as they search themselves.

Jason said that looking back, he would never have signed the same contract and would love to work in Sun City again.

“We’d love to be back. We miss the community. We miss everything about it,” he said. “I wouldn’t take away the three years of friendships and relationships we’ve built up, too.”

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