A new general manager is trying to right the ship at a recently renovated country club in The Villages.
Drew Webb, who previously worked at McAlister’s Deli and Beef O’ Brady’s prior to that, in November was named general manager at Hacienda Hills Country Club.
November was a tough month at the restaurant, formally known as Hacienda Hills Bar & Grill. It was forced to close its doors on Nov. 16 after a health inspector discovered roaches and unclean surfaces at the restaurant. The closure came less than a week before Thanksgiving, a time when the restaurant was to offer a holiday buffet. The restaurant was allowed to re-open on Nov. 17, but word about the forced closure had already spread in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown. A reader of Villages-News.com called the restaurant and was told the closure was due to a “ventilation” problem.
The “issues” were referenced in a Nov. 25 post on the Hacienda Hills Country Club Facebook post.
“We can guarantee that previous issues involving our kitchen, and our dining room is well taken care of and in good hands. We can fully assure all our guests that we will only be producing quality meals in a fantastic and clean environment,” the post read.
The restaurant, owned by Maheesh Nomula who also runs World of Beer in Spanish Springs Town Square and Brownwood Paddock, shut down Aug. 28 for a full interior renovation. It was closed for much of September, before re-opening its doors.
In 2016 and 2017, numerous times when the health inspector came calling, followup inspections were required, according to records on file with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
This past Dec. 3, an inspector found repeat violations of equipment in poor repair on the cooks line and “wet nesting” in which pans were not properly air dried. The inspector also found grease on a receptacle and encrusted material on a can opener blade.
Earlier this week, a man involved in a collision on Morse Boulevard told the Florida Highway Patrol he had been drinking at Hacienda Hills Country Club prior to the crash. He was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence.
