Cafe Gardens owner Steve McKinney met with landlords Monday to discuss rent negotiations that will determine the future of 33-year-old restaurant.
“We had a good meeting,” McKinney said, adding that those involved did not want the press to know details.
According to McKinney, Cafe Gardens could see the cost of its rent jump by 472 percent, based on calculations in a letter he received from Trimark Properties, the property's manager.
While trying to dispel rumors about the future, McKinney said he has been talking openly with employees about the situation.
“The staff knows what’s going on, and I keep updating them and letting them know how we progress. Hopefully this can all get worked out and is just a bump in the road,” he said.
After sending an e-mail to friends and family, his inbox has been flooded and his cell phone battery drained from the barrage of responses, he said.
“People are upset. I think the café is the oldest independent, unchanged restaurant in west Gainesville,” he said.
Located at 1643 NW First Ave., Cafe Gardens has served the Gainesville community since 1976.
In 1975, a couple of recent college graduates ventured from Georgia to Gainesville wanting to open a beer and burger joint in a college town. They included McKinney in their plans, taking him on as their chief executive adviser. By April 1, 1976, their dream had become a reality, and Cafe Gardens opened for business.
By 1979, the business had traded hands but found its way back to McKinney.
“I often say Cafe Gardens wasn’t really planned, it just evolved. In where it is and how it fits, and the courtyard and everything — it’s very nice,” he said.
“I’ve been working there for three years, and people come in all the time [who] were past employees or used to go here when they were in school,” said Alex Gilwit, a waitress at the restaurant. “It would be really sad if Cafe Gardens closed.”
Calls to Trimark Properties agent John Fleming were not returned as of Monday night.
Correction: The Alligator incorrectly reported that Trimark Properties owns the Cafe Gardens property. Trimark Properties is acting as a manager for the property.
