The Huntington Town Board voted Tuesday to award S&J Food Services a contract to run the restaurant and snack bar at the Crab Meadow Golf Course.
“During the RFP process, S&J Food Services proposed the best financial offer to the Town and exhibited the most knowledge and enthusiasm for investment in the facilities,” said Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci. “The restaurant at Crab Meadow Golf Course has been closed since November 8 and this timely approval will ensure they are up and running for the start of our busy golf season.”
The vote was 3-2, with Lupinacci and Councilmen Edmund Smyth and Gene Cook voting for the award, while Democrats Joan Cergol and Mark Cuthbertson opposed it.
“After listening to the testimony at the public hearing, and understanding the prior economic and operational challenges at the Crab Meadow Restaurant, I continue to have questions about the S & J proposal and whether the numbers cited are realistic. As a result, I felt I could not support this contract award but I do, of course, wish them the very best,” Councilwoman Joan Cergol said.
The three-year contract will bring the town $280,000 in revenue, the highest offer proposed to the Town during the proposal process. The board had voted unanimously in November o terminate the contract with Gelucci Brands LLC, which had been awarded in March 2017. That contract replaced one with Integrity Golf, which was rescinded in 2016.
Cuthbertson said, “I think the proposal we chose was unrealistic and when I questioned the proposed operator at the public hearing I did not get satisfactory answers. Given the difficulties we have had at this site, we should have cast a wider net to try and get better proposals. While I hope this individual succeeds in spite of that, I am not optimistic.”