The crumbling economy has claimed at least two substantial casualties in Ponte Vedra.
As of this past weekend, Ponte Vedra staples Aromas Cigar and Martini Bar and Mackenzies Restaurant and Piano Bar closed their doors to the public.
Management from Aromas were busy coordinating their move out from their Ponte Vedra location on Monday morning, and stated they had officially closed Saturday, and that Monday was their last day to move out. Aromas celebrated its third anniversary last month.
“I’d like to think it’s more of a consolidation back to our store on Southside (Boulevard),” according to a woman who identified herself as a manager but declined to give her name. “Business has been going down for about a year, and the owners just decided this would be better.”
“One or two nights of action can’t support the other five or six nights of the week,” she added. “This is the best decision though, the (Southside) store has been supporting us and we’ve been dragging them down, so now we’re consolidating to start making money again.”
Officials at Mackenzies revealed last week that the popular restaurant, which opened in March 2004, would be closing its doors as well, although it’s unclear as to if or when a reopen might occur.
As of Monday, managing partners for Mackenzies were unavailable for comment, but a sign was posted on the restaurant’s doors claiming they were “closed for vacation.”
The shrinking economy has also forced several other area restaurants to reconsider their cost-related business strategy or to consolidate operations, as more and more Ponte Vedra residents are choosing to dine in.
While a majority of the customers for the restaurants at Sawgrass Marriott are hotel guests, restaurant staff and management have begun implementing changes in their offerings to appeal to a wider-range of potential customers, from the usual hotel guest population to Ponte Vedra residents as well.
The hotel’s Café on the Green, a casual dining restaurant, will no longer offer its Italian-based dinner shift.
Instead, the hotel’s fine dining restaurant, the St. Augustine Room, will feature an updated menu to appeal to a wider customer base, effectively absorbing the dinner clientele from Café on the Green’s former dinner shift.
Hotel and restaurant management decided it would make more business sense to consolidate the number of offerings to guests, but insisted that the move wasn’t a direct response to the economy.
“In-season, we provide about 10 different options to customers,” said Jeff Mayers, general manager at the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort and Spa. “We’ve been looking at the possibility that we’re offering too many options, and we don’t anticipate any displacement of business because there will still be several different options.”
“It’s more from a business standpoint,” he added. “But as far as the economy is going, it’s tough but we’re doing OK. It’s just a smarter approach for us.”
In the public consciousness only a few days, the recent restaurant closings have kicked-started a vigorous rumor mill, the most popular being that Ponte Vedra’s Twisted Martini has closed as well.
“That couldn’t be further from the truth,” said owner and partner Doug Znidar.
While Twisted Martini has felt some pressure from the at-home drink and dine phenomenon, they aren’t closing, according to Znidar, who met with the other owners Monday afternoon to discuss possible alterations to their business strategy.
The recent closings may have provided the most visible reminders of the declining economy, but as the compression continues, restaurant owners should evaluate their business practices and monitor their costs, said Aqua Grill General Manager Cary Paige.
“It’s sad for the community and now there are nearly 100 people out of work, so it’s hard for everyone,” he said. “We’ve been pretty steady, even a little up from last year’s figures, but with such a small community, you really rely on their support and it’s easy to get in trouble if you don’t have all your costs and figures in order.”
