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Zach Colick
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| Joined: | Mon Jan 15th, 2007 |
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Posted: Mon Jun 8th, 2009 10:56 pm |
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Editor's note: The following story appears in the June 11 Town of Paradise Valley Independent. Post comments by hitting reply in the upper right-hand corner. Comments will be posted in an upcoming issue of the Town of Paradise Valley Independent.
Fresh Food Concept
Smoketree in talks for new restaurant
By Zach Colick
Independent Newspapers
Although Valley chef Robert McGrath’s famed and hoped-for REM Restaurant is no longer planned at the Smoketree Resort, discussions are in the works for a new dining concept at the longtime shuttered restaurant off Lincoln Drive.
Residents and passersby may no longer have to look at the boarded up, vacant building in front of the Smoketree Resort, 7101 E. Lincoln Drive, as the resort’s family owners say a new group could soon be on board to open a new restaurant.
The letters REM on the restaurant’s sign were recently replaced by the letters TBD, as in “to be determined.”
Sources close to Mr. McGrath, a James Beard Award winner and the founder of Roaring Fork, say he stepped away from the project that never materialized to pursue other projects.
Colin Williams, the resort’s general manager, said Mr. McGrath’s decision to step away was based on economic factors and his inability to deliver his new restaurant in the now vacant 8,000-square-foot pad, which he believes was too large for Mr. McGrath’s concept.
Mr. Williams said in telephone interview last week that he believes he will have a lease signed in the next few weeks for a new ownership team to come on board. His family has agreed in principle to terms on the business proposal, but chose not to disclose who the new owners are and what concepts they have in store.
“We feel really, really good about the group that we’re working with,” Mr. Williams said. “We’re very excited about the future.”
The future looks bright for the famed Smoketree Resort, which has been operated by the Williams family for more than 40 years.
In 2007, the Williams family was unsure about the future of the property built in the 1950s. The Other Place restaurant closed its doors in June 2007 after the Smoketree Resort opted not to renew its lease. In a March 2007 edition of the Independent, Mr. Williams said his family was unsure if they would sell the resort.
Decisions to sell it were contemplated, but were later dropped. Instead, the family decided to renovate and upgrade the 5-acre resort’s 26 rooms to make it more appealing to guests while still retaining its small, historic feel.
Carpets and tiles were replaced, walls were repainted and furniture was updated, Mr. Williams explained. Around the resort, sidewalks were replaced and some of the overgrown oleanders were removed.
The inside of the restaurant facing Lincoln Drive was also updated, but fixtures such as older fireplaces remain.
“We’ve done a lot to bring up the level of the resort. The resort has sort of gone through its transformation,” Mr. Williams said. “Unfortunately, we were set back on the restaurant not materializing. With that said, the new group coming is A-plus, and we’re really excited about the future.”
Renovations to the Smoketree Resort were small — town officials decided changes were small enough and did not require Planning Commission approval; it simply went through an administrative process since square footage was not increased.
Mr. Williams said updating the resort still meant maintaining great customer service for guests, along with providing a quiet, serene and retreat-like atmosphere.
Guests are taken directly to their room, with their bags carried, before tours of the resort are given; they are not simply given a room key and pointed down a long hallway.
“With the exception of one night per week, when you come to the office of the Smoketree Resort, there is always somebody with the last name of Williams there — myself, my wife or my brother,” he said. “We continue to occupy that little niche in the town that just seems to be what people want. Today’s traveler seems to be seeking out places that are of good value, and that’s what we think we are.”
With the slow summer season looming, Mr. Williams said his family is trying to attract as much business as possible. The resort has been thriving recently, despite the once hoped-for REM Restaurant never materializing, and is not getting lost in the shuffle with the InterContinental Montelucia Resort and Spa coming on board in November 2008.
Despite a struggling economy, Mr. Williams said the Smoketree Resort had a banner winter season.
The resort garnered a number of accolades from Trip Advisor, a free travel guide and research Web site that hosts reviews from users, as well as other information designed to help plan a vacation.
“Once the front restaurant is opened, we think that will give us even more exposure and raise the prominence of the Smoketree Resort even more,” he said. noting the vacant restaurant is to the resort’s disadvantage as many believe the resort is also under longterm renovation. “We’re about to expose that to the world.”
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