Whatever Happened to those Restaurants?
The Good The Bad and the  Ugly
Where to Eat in Coral Springs
by Gallop Gor May

Sept 7 2007:  More restaurants have closed the last few months in Coral Springs.  Road House Grill which has been around since 1990's closed its doors.  A lot of people used to call this Road House Kill, referring obviously to the quality of food.  "What was that we ate, Fred?". "I think it was chicken , but I am not sure" .  

Then there is the seafood fast food joint called Shells.  I remember going there, and getting sick.  There was another restaurant in the Publix shopping center on the corner of Coral Springs Drive and Royal Palm.  I think it was a Mexican restaurant or was it Cajun. It used to be a bagel joint called Nesters. It wasn't good as a bagel place and looks like it didn't make it as a upscale down sized sort of Cajun, American something or other.  I ate there too, just to when it was open.  I was there twice at the same time.  The first and the last.

J.J. Mugs closed. Not sure if anyone really cared much.  I didn't see anyone protesting or something. 

Marinos was good food but it couldn't compete.  Dan stopped going there, even though he moved here.  Then there was Tony Roma's. Couldn't make it either. A few other restaurants tried as well, including Europa where Ted Mena made a full of himself telling the on the way out owner, that he was a big shot in Coral Springs. Now we are about to get Forgery's. Anyone know what this restaurant is about? Why would someone want to invest in a place that has always failed? Maybe this building is on the wrong side of the street. 

Grains of Old closed as well. This was a fantastic family run bakery where you could get bread that you used to get before you moved to Coral Springs. It is quite possible that the rent at The Walk , go to them as the owners of the development experience the reluctance to reduce large rents to tenants that bought into the concept that they would be able to get the customers coming through the door. High rents are always a killer for restaurants.

Hops used to be here.  So was  Kansas City Steak House. Closed.  Maybe its the high winds we get here.  You know, you plant a tree and it blows away.  A lot of people invested a lot of money in Coral Springs. millions.  Only to have it blown away.

Whatever happened to Kenny Rogers Chicken was great! they closed. Now we got Chicken Licking. I remember when there where more chicken places than hamburger places. 

Now we got Mexican restaurants coming to Coral Springs.  Spicy food for those white bread coral Springers living here no doubt. Opened already is Chapolte Grill. Now we are about to get Tijuana where Dan Marino used to be. Tex MEx? We need Flo-Mex.

What is the problem with keeping restaurants open in Coral Springs?  Clientele. Coral Springers are what many would call mortgage rich and cash poor.  How the landscape of the city has changed over the past several years since Marino's was opened.  More apartments have gone up and the average income in the city has gone down, all through the help of our previous city commissioners which allowed WCI, the main developer in this area a free hand with  land zoning changes.

The good news is that good restaurants are here to stay.  They are always busy and unless the management is poor, or they decide to gamble the money they make at the race track, we can count on them.  There are a few that are owned by locals, and some of the popular chains. What you can be sure is that they are here because they offer good food at a good price.  That is what the White Bread Coral Springs Residents like.

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