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09/11/2023 12:41 PMThe concession at the town marina will once again have a new owner. The current operators of Liv’s Dockside Grill have informed the town they will not renew their lease.
At a Town Council meeting on Sept. 6, Town Manager Karl Kilduff informed the council that the operator of the dock concession stand, JR Restaurant Group, opted not to renew its lease. In April 2021, the town approved JR Restaurant Group for a three-year lease with an extra two years as an option. Per the agreement, rent paid in the first year of the lease was $1,500 per month, which then increased in years two and three of the lease to $2,000 per month. The third year expired this year.
“Instead of putting another bid in and dealing with re-occurring staff shortages, we decided to focus on our established core businesses,” said Robert Marcarelli, director of operations for the business.
In addition to the concession stand, JR Restaurant Group is the operator of the popular Liv’s Oyster Bar and Liv’s Shack in Old Saybrook.
“We are thankful for all the support and friends we made during the past three years, especially our neighboring businesses. It’s such a beautiful location right on the water; we were lucky to be there, and we wish the new tenants all the best,” Marcarelli said.
Kilduff told the council that the town will need to seek proposals from new potential operators, but first, he recommended the council schedule a workshop to outline what realistic expectations for the stand should be.
Over the last five years, finding consistency at the concession stand has proven to be a bit of a frustration.
Prior to JR Restaurant Group running the stand, it was called the Clinton Harbor Grill and was operated by Evan Johnson. However, Johnson asked out of his lease in 2021 due to uncertainty with the food service industry following the COVID-19 pandemic and some personal life changes.
For many years, people have come to the stand to grab a quick bite to eat and enjoy lunch with a water view. For a decade, the stand was known as Sal D’s, and it was operated by the Voss family. However, that era came to an end in 2019 when the family chose not to participate in a town bid process that could have returned it for an 11th season.
That year, the town’s Board of Selectmen and then First Selectman Christine Goupil opted to substantially increase the stand’s rent to make the town money. The rent rose from the $200 per month that the Voss family had paid to $2,000 per month.
However, speaking at the Sept. 6 meeting, the council seemed in agreement that rethinking the rent philosophy was needed. Council member Dennis Donovan called the marina area in general “a gem” and said part of maintaining that area was making sure the concession stand was operating smoothly.
Council member Chris Passante referenced the town beach concession stand where the town opted to look at the stand as a service, not a significant revenue stream. Passante said that the same approach should be followed for the town dock area.
“I think we need to shift away from trying to make money there,” Passante said.