Tuesday, January 29, 2013
 
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New management being sought for Palms Grill

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[January 29, 2013]  ATLANTA -- Late last week Bill Thomas of the Atlanta Public Library and Museum board sent out a news release announcing that the board is currently seeking a new manager for the Palms Grill.

With the news release he added a cover letter explaining why the committee is conducting the search and what is going on at the Palms in the meantime.

In addition, he answered a question before it was asked: What will become of the famous Palms Grill pie?

Here are excerpts from Thomas' cover letter, and following that is the official news release.

Cover letter

(Copy)

The Palms Grill Café' currently operates on what the Library/Museum Board considers to be too-limited a schedule. It's days/hours of operation are: Tuesday-Sunday, 8am-2pm. The Board would like to see if a different manager can expand the days/hours of operation, and in general, more fully leverage the potential of the Palms Grill Cafe.

As this message begins to circulate, please help us ensure the following items are also communicated:

1. The Palms Grill Cafe is not closed and does not plan to close. We, the Atlanta Library Board, are simply opening up the opportunity for someone new to lease/manage The Grill. The current lease expires 4/30/13, with the new lease beginning 5/1/13. Please contact me if you are interested in this unique opportunity.

2. Most importantly - the pie we all know and love that is currently served at The Grill, will continue to be baked & served regardless of who holds the lease/manages The Grill. The recipe is mine and, just as I did with the current leaseholder, I will train whomever assumes management of the place, how to bake our great pie. Let me know if anyone has any other questions. Thanks for all your support!

Bill Thomas

___

News release

(Copy)

The lease for the Palms Grill Café on Historic Rt. 66 in Atlanta, Illinois is now open to interested parties wishing to manage this unique small town café.

Step back in time at The Palms Grill Café—one of the Mother Road's premier Rt. 66 attractions. Opened in 1934, "the Grill" served up home-cooked meals, BINGO games, and weekly dances in its backroom. The Grill then closed in the late 1960s.

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Now restored to its circa 1935 look, the Palms Grill Café reopened in April of 2009 and once again began serving its blue-plate specials to Rt. 66 travelers and visitors. Bus tours, senior groups, Red Hat Societies, and individuals young & old from across the country and globe, have all been welcomed to the Palms Grill Café over the past several years. The Grill has a loyal and enthusiastic following on such travel/tourism review sites as: Tripadvisor, Yelp, Yahoo! Travel, RoadsideAmerica.com, and Mamabzz. The Route 66 Dining & Lodging Guide describes the Palms Grill Café as "a very special must stop" place on the Mother Road.

The Palms Grill Café is a turnkey operation. It is fully equipped and will only require a new manager to supply an initial inventory of food and hire his/her staff to operate it. The Grill seats 47 in its main dining area, which includes a counter with 11 stools. Its backroom seats 60. The building is approximately 1800 sq ft.

Leasing/Managing the Palms Grill Café is an excellent opportunity for the right person.

The following timeline details the steps to take for anyone interested in applying for this opportunity:

March 20, 2013 – Business Plan/Proposal due. [Click here for a PDF copy.]

March 27, 2013 – Business Plan/Proposal Presentation to Board of Trustees

April 3, 2013 – New Leaseholder/Manager of the Palms Grill Cafe Selected

May 1, 2013 – Palms Grill Café lease begins and property available to move into/begin operations

The Atlanta Public Library owns the Downey Building in which the Palms Grill Café is located, and acts as the Landlord of the property. The lease for the Palms Grill Café runs from May 1st through April 30th, with an annual option to renew.

For more information, contact:

William Thomas, Treasurer
Atlanta Public Library
Post Office Box 166
Atlanta, Illinois 61723
wthomas@teleologic.net
217-648-5077

[LDN with text copied from from files received]

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