Letters
to
Editor
Can HLR
Residents
SAVE the
Fore
Seasons?
Do we
have the
customer
base?
What is
wrong
with the
Fore
Seasons……………….Nothing.
It is
not the
food,
not the
prices,
not the
service
and not
the
décor.
HLR is
predominately
made up
of
retirement
age
residents.
We have
approximately
1700
homes
here and
approximately
3500
residents.
There is
no
breakdown
on how
many are
full
time
verses
week-enders.
However,
let us
say for
discussion
10% or
350 are
weekenders
and 3150
are full
time and
let us
say most
of us
are
retired.
These
3000+
people
are the
backbone
of your
customer
base.
Being
retired
means,
for the
most
part, we
are on
fixed
incomes.
When I
think
about
going
out to
eat, I
consciously
think
about
when was
the last
time we
went and
how much
did we
spend.
As I sit
here
writing
this
letter I
am
thinking
about my
neighbors
and
friends
around
the
Ranch.
What
comes to
mind is
how few
eat out
regularly,
especially
in the
evening.
The Fore
Seasons
is open
Wednesday
through
Saturday
evenings
and at
noon on
Sunday,
about 18
hours a
week. We
have
friends
that are
on
special
diets,
prefer
to eat
at home,
do not
want to
take the
time or
energy
to get
ready to
go out
in the
evening,
and just
plain
don’t
eat out
that
much. In
addition,
some are
not able
to drive
at
night.
To the
person/s
that ask
me how I
justify
driving
to Tyler
or
Longview
to eat
out….. I
DO NOT!
If I eat
in Tyler
or other
places,
it is
usually
lunch,
which is
cheaper
than
dinner,
AND is
in
conjunction
with a
doctor’s
appointment
or
shopping
trip but
in our
house it
is still
considered
“going
out to
eat” and
counts
towards
the
number
of times
we can
afford
to eat
out. We
have
never
made a
special
trip to
Tyler or
Longview
just to
eat.
Besides,
there
are
other
places
to eat
that are
not as
far as
60-70
miles
away… In
addition,
consider
this as
well…..if
you are
going
out for
lunch
(or
dinner
on
Monday
or
Tuesday)
the Fore
Seasons
is not
an
option.
Trying
to
rationalize
eating
at the
Fore
Seasons
by using
government
mileage
cost
figures
for
calculations
to Tyler
or other
distant
eateries
is not
the
concern.
However,
the
government
recognizes
three
categories
for
expense
mileage,
1)
necessary
for
business
@ $0.485
mi., 2)
medical
or
moving @
$0.20
mi., 3)
charitable
work @
$0.14
mi. The
highest
figure
includes
the
expenses
associated
with
owning
and
operating
a
vehicle.
The
other
figures
are
based on
the fact
you
already
own a
personal
vehicle.
Therefore,
I hope
this
answers
the
question
and
comments
I have
heard
about
what it
cost to
drive
outside
the
Ranch to
eat. To
those
that do
drive
off the
Ranch,
the
additional
expense
is
evidently
not a
factor…
I do not
know
what
percentage
of HLR
fulltime
residents
eat at
the Fore
Seasons.
I have
asked
but the
figure
is
unknown
to
management.
Are HLR
residents
purposely
avoiding
the Fore
Seasons?
I do not
think so
or at
the
least,
not to
the
extent
that it
would
make a
major
difference
in sales
to the
restaurant
[see
below].
We have
a
customer
base
that
just
does not
eat out
that
much in
the
evening.
We are
on fixed
incomes
and
eating
out is a
luxury,
not a
necessity.
As
another
reader
pointed
out, we
simply
did not
do our
homework
before
we built
the Fore
Seasons.
WE DO
NOT HAVE
THE
CUSTOMER
BASE TO
JUSTIFY
THE
RESTAURANT
and the
sooner
we
recognize
that and
close
the
restaurant
the
better
off we
will
be….
Here are
some
figures
for you
to
consider
in
regard
to the
Fore
Seasons…We
lost
$36,000
in
August
and
$237,000
year to
date.
Through
August
2007, we
have had
roughly
$350,000
in
sales.
Our
sales
would
have
needed
to be
about
$850,000
to
break-even,
2½ times
better
than
they
were. To
generate
$850,000
in sales
we need
over
3500
people,
each
spending
about
$30 a
month,
every
month,
at the
Fore
Seasons.
Divide
it any
way you
want
to….more
people
less
spending
….more
spending
less
people.
Can we
reduce
expenses
and
increase
revenues
to
arrive
at a
break-even
point or
even
come
close?
I do not
think we
can!
Are we
going to
sit idly
by and
watch
“OUR”
restaurant
drain
all OUR
Initiation
Fees,
all OUR
Road
Assessment
Fees,
and some
other
revenues
month
after
month
and year
after
year
just so
a
minority
of
uninformed
people
can say
“it can
be a fun
experience”?
Be open
minded
enough
to look
farther
than the
dinner
plate in
front of
you….look
at the
facts
and
figures.
It takes
a larger
population
base
than we
have and
a more
diverse
group
than we
have to
make a
restaurant
successful
in this
area!
Regardless
of how
you feel
about
the Fore
Seasons,
whether
you are
content
with the
losses
or if
you are
fed up
(no pun
intended),
you need
to
advise
HLR
Management
and our
“B”
Board. I
have
suggested
that we
vote on
whether
or not
we want
to
continue
to pay
these
losses
or shut
the
restaurant
down.
To date
there
has been
no reply
to that
suggestion.
I urge
each of
you to
contact
HLR
Management
and the
“B”
Board,
their
personal
e-mail
addresses
are
listed
on the
HLR web
site,
www.hollylakeranch.com,
or their
phone
numbers
are in
the
directory.
LET THEM
KNOW HOW
“YOU”
FEEL.
Bill
Orrender
