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Barbecue coming to country club's menu

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By KENNETH KNIGHT

kknight@tampatrib.com

Published: July 8, 2009

NEW TAMPA - Heritage Isles Golf & Country Club is ready to inject some Southern flavor and casual dining into its floundering restaurant.

In less than a month the smell of barbecue will waft through the clubhouse at the golf course community north of Cross Creek Boulevard. Smoked pork and slabs of ribs will replace hot dogs and cold sandwiches on the menu.

On July 30, Kennedy Barbecue will become the latest enterprise to open for business in the clubhouse restaurant at 10630 Plantation Bay Drive.

"This will be the only restaurant on a golf course in the area with authentic barbecue as its niche market," said Ernest Kennedy Sr., co-owner of Kennedy Barbecue.

The move is considered a win-win situation for Kennedy and his son, Ernest Jr., who operate a successful barbecue stand at Cross Creek Boulevard and Morris Bridge Road, as well as for beleaguered Heritage Isles, a public golf club community that has struggled since its beginning to turn around a money-losing restaurant.

The Kennedys are excited about the potential of expanding their business to indoor space with a kitchen and a neighborhood clientele.

"We have to change the culture to make sure everybody comes in," said Ernest Kennedy Jr., who lives in Hunter's Green.

But nothing will change for customers who prefer to pump a tank of gas and grab a slab of ribs to go. The barbecue stand in the Shell parking lot on Morris Bridge Road will remain open, he said. That is where all of the meat will be smoked.

The Heritage Isles Community Development District board of supervisors, the taxing authority body that approved the three-year deal with Kennedy Barbecue, is hoping an established neighborhood business with a sizeable following will be the ticket to get the restaurant out of the red.

"I want them to be successful," Chairman Dan Barravecchio said. "They have a quality product. I feel it complements the golf course facility."

Heritage Isles is in danger of defaulting on its bonds. The golf course and underperforming restaurant, which were built with tax-free bonds, have taken a toll, preventing the district from meeting its financial obligations to the bondholders.

Most on the five-member board of supervisors said they had visited the barbecue stand and were impressed by the fare of smoked pork, beef, chicken and ribs served in sandwiches and meals. Supervisor Frank Camara described himself as "a regular" at the stand.

The Kennedys said resident support in Heritage Isles has been tremendous and was a contributing factor to their interest in the restaurant. They hope to draw diners from as far away as Tampa Palms, West Meadows and Wesley Chapel.

"A lot of people are excited about us moving here," said Ernest Kennedy Jr. recently, sitting with his dad in the main dining room.

No renovations are planned for the restaurant, which includes an open-air tiki bar, exterior seating and nearly 5,000 square feet spanning three dining halls and a kitchen. They plan to replace the wall-mounted, big box televisions with new, high-definition flat-screen models in the main dining room, where the bar is located.

The restaurant will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. Offering a full breakfast menu will be essential to the restaurant's long-term success, Ernest Kennedy Jr. said.

"The primary reason is you got golfers getting to the course early every single day," he said.

The tiki bar next to the community's pool will be open all day through the summer, offering a children's menu that includes chicken tenders, French fries and ice cream.

The Kennedys, who confessed to being jazz music fans, plan to book live entertainers to perform on weekends, giving area residents an option to the entertainment spots on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and encourage them to stay closer to home.

They plan to pipe in gospel music to compliment the Sunday "soul food" menu with traditional Southern dishes such as fried chicken, ox tails and collard greens.

Ernest Kennedy Sr., a Tampa native, said he is aware of the risk of taking over a location with a shaky past, but he and his son are prepared for the challenge.

"The previous management group didn't have any risk involved," the Thonotosassa resident said. "The risk financially is on my son and me, but we have confidence in the people of Heritage Isles that the place is valid."

Until recently the golf course community had been working with Dempsey Resorts Management Inc. to manage the restaurant and golf course. DRMI also operates Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel.

During DRMI's tenure, the management team tried to rework the menu and improve the food to draw more customers. Unable to make it work, DRMI closed the restaurant in June 2008 and began serving food and drinks from the tiki bar.

The losses mounted. By November the kitchen closed, but DRMI reopened the restaurant, offering a limited menu of hot dogs, sandwiches and beverages. The restaurant bar and a golf course beverage cart also continued to operate.

This spring, district supervisors reached an agreement with the management team to end the contract.

DRMI officials had said if Heritage Isles could find someone to lease the restaurant the management company would work with the district for a smooth transition. The district and DRMI agreed former general manager Shaun McCormick would stay on three months to help with the change over.

"I'm glad that it's finally coming to fruition and will generate some business," said supervisor Steve Stark, who credited Barravecchio with making the restaurant deal happen.

Supervisor Sherry Parrish said she was pleased the board was able to strike a deal with the Kennedys, whose barbecue fare and casual dining environment would likely attract a lot of families. She said it would likely make for a better fit than a sports bar, which also had been suggested.

"They seem like a nice group," she said. "That will be a wonderful addition to this community."

Reporter Kenneth Knight can be reached at (813) 259-7413.

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