Regulars rally to save Gables diner. But Burger Bob’s battle is still uphill | Opinion

A few weeks ago I wrote a column about Burger Bob’s, a popular eating place situated on the edge of the Granada Golf Course, which was facing closure.

The news of the impending shutdown of the popular diner — a 27-year institution in Coral Gables — hit the regulars real hard, and efforts were made to halt its closing.

It wasn’t going to be easy; the city had already accepted an unsolicited bid on the venue from Rodney Barreto, owner of Barreto Hospitality, a diversified food and entertainment company that partners with high-end chefs and event professionals.

The die was cast. Rita Tennyson, manager of the diner for 26 of the 27 years that the property had been leased to Robert “Bob” Maguire, didn’t seem to have a chance at keeping the diner. It was a terrible blow to Tennyson, who also runs her catering business from the diner.

The scenario reminds me of the Hallmark movies where the big restaurant owner wants to put the small business owner out of business in order to “upgrade” the space and make it more modern. In the movies, there’s always a happy ending. The little business person wins out, and a way is found to keep traditions and culture in place.

As I wrote about Burger Bob’s dilemma, I hoped for that sort of fairy-tale ending. But this is real life, and big money almost always wins. To bring the space up to date would take about $800,000, money Tennyson doesn’t have.

All is not lost, though. Not yet.

Lease extended for a few months

At a city commission meeting of July 13, the Coral Gables City Commission voted to extend Burger Bob’s lease until Dec. 31, and after then, the venue will be leased on a month-to-month basis until a permanent solution for the diner’s future is found.

It was Commissioner Kirk Menendez who put Burger Bob’s as a “pocket item” on the agenda.

“I asked the commissioners to extend the lease to the end of the year,” Menendez said. “I did that as a result of the community’s outpouring of support. I’ve been a resident of Coral Gables all my life, and I am very sensitive to the importance of having a place like Burger Bob’s, where people can come together as a community. I’m very sensitive to those kinds of pillars in our community. Burger Bob’s is a place where people come together, not only to share a meal, but to catch up on life with family and friends.”

Menendez said the people who can help Tennyson have the opportunity to stay in the venue should reach out to her to help level the playing field — that is, to show her how to bid and how to put her best food forward.

“I’m hoping for a win-win solution for all involved,” Menendez said. “If we come together and discuss it, we will find a way to move forward. There is a solution out there. We just need to find it. I’m trying to bring everyone to the table to try to preserve what is valuable and get this problem resolved in a good way.

“If the right people come to the table with good ideas, we are bound to find the right solution.”

People coming together to help

As Menendez spoke, I had visions of people helping people. Kind of like the barn-raisings of years gone by. I felt his hope for Tennyson and for Burger Bob’s — kind of like a light at the end of the tunnel.

Kind of like the end of a Hallmark movie.

But as I said before, this is real life, and for Tennyson, the extension simply gives her a little more time to get her bid together.

“The community has been amazing,” Tennyson said after the meeting. “There are some really good people who are rallying around me, trying to find ways to help.”

“Things are really happening quickly,” said Bonnie Bolton, who seems to have inherited her mother’s fighting spirit. “The city has rejected Barreto’s proposal, and Chase Howard, a young Gables resident, has been circulating a petition to save Burger Bob’s. So far, he has about 1,000 signatures.”

Like many of the lovers of Burger Bob’s, Howard has special reasons to want to save the diner.

In a recent article in the Gables Insider, he said, “I have been going to Burger Bob’s my entire life. I know the staff there and they have seen me grow up. When I heard that they were in danger of closing, I knew I had to give back to the establishment that had been such an institution in my life.”

Last week, I met longtime friend Connie Crowther at Burger Bob’s for a late breakfast.

I hadn’t been there since I was there with the late Roxcy Bolton. It was her favorite eating place.

Connie lives within walking distance from Burger Bob’s. And like many of the people who regulars there, she likes its down-home, folksy atmosphere.

As we sat on the diner’s patio, several people stopped by just to say hello and to ask how we were doing. It’s that kind of interaction with the people who frequent the diner that Connie, and those who want to save Burger Bob’s, likes.

Bea L. Hines can be reached at bea.hines@gmail.com.