Spurrier's restaurant in Celebration Pointe

Double Gator Dad

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I agree about then vs. now where sports journalism is concerned. Too much of it today IMO sounds like MSNBC's reporting. Sounds dumb to some maybe, but I always felt like I could trust the the sportswriters from the T/U and the Sun (had to drive to Tallahassee during the football season to find a copy in order to see what they said about UF in the old days). Heck, even Bill McGrotha of the Democrat gave a better recap of UF/F$U than most of these bozos nowadays. I may be wrong, but like we read about on Chatter from time to time, I think a lot of sports journalism is just plain lazy with not much depth.

I have to admit that I have found one source for sports insight that includes complete candor and honesty the likes of which I haven’t heard in decades.
The bad news is that they cover the noles exclusively. Corey Clark and Ira Shoffel of Warchant pull no punches and they wear no garnet shaded glasses when they candidly assess precisely what they are seeing from the FSU football program.

I have watched them for several years now and wondered what it would be like if there was anything resembling these two covering the UF program.

It’s like stepping into a time machine back to the days of candid journalism.
 

NovaGator

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Last but not least, it was nice of them to hire some old retired guy to stand there and announce the nightly specials. ;)
I suspect old "Spur Dog" has enough money stashed away that we will never see him working as a 'greeter' at Wal Mart.
 

G. Gordon Gator

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I suspect old "Spur Dog" has enough money stashed away that we will never see him working as a 'greeter' at Wal Mart.
Well now he has a little more money, although a little less more than he hoped. He just sold his oceanfront house in Crescent Beach, which he initially listed at $6 million, for $4.4 million.

I really hope SOS got paid to license his name for that restaurant as opposed to the opposite, sinking his own money into it. I've never seen any report of the financial arrangement between him and the restaurateurs who operate it.
 

Double Gator Dad

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Anybody been to this place yet or what??

I have been planning to go for several months now but still haven’t made it there.
I have continued to receive mixed reviews on the food, service, and the overall dining experience.

I still wonder if this place will last
 

soflagator

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I have been planning to go for several months now but still haven’t made it there.
I have continued to receive mixed reviews on the food, service, and the overall dining experience.

I still wonder if this place will last

I've eaten there twice, including this past Saturday. I was actually really impressed with what they did with the place. I was expecting them to half-way it, both in menu/bar and in decor, with it being in Gainesville and knowing the crowd it would draw regardless. But they didn't, imo. Busy both times I was there. I'd be surprised if it doesn't last.
 

Towels 'N Sporks

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I ate there for brunch on Saturday a couple of weekends ago. We just got some ships with buffalo chicken dip and split the breakfast burger with fries, so obviously we didn't get anything that fancy. The burger was good and perfectly cooked to medium (usually when we ask medium, we get medium well or well done).

I had a couple of cocktails that was a twist on an old fashioned. Used whiskey with coffee/nutty flavors rather than the typical old fashioned. It was tasty.

Unlike sofla, I would actually be surprised if it lasts for a long time. Even though the food seems to be pretty good and the atmosphere and service are great, I just don't see how they are going to turn a profit with the amount of employees they have. Hopefully I'm wrong and they get enough returning customers over the next couple of years to keep it open. Gainesville continuing to build west will also help.
 

jeeping8r

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My little Sis works at Infotech and think she gets a few % off when she goes there.
We went when CBN had his get together up at the rooftop bar.
Bit high priced for me but I live in the sticks and cracker barrel is fine cuisine for us :)
 

soflagator

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I ate there for brunch on Saturday a couple of weekends ago. We just got some ships with buffalo chicken dip and split the breakfast burger with fries, so obviously we didn't get anything that fancy. The burger was good and perfectly cooked to medium (usually when we ask medium, we get medium well or well done).

I had a couple of cocktails that was a twist on an old fashioned. Used whiskey with coffee/nutty flavors rather than the typical old fashioned. It was tasty.

Unlike sofla, I would actually be surprised if it lasts for a long time. Even though the food seems to be pretty good and the atmosphere and service are great, I just don't see how they are going to turn a profit with the amount of employees they have. Hopefully I'm wrong and they get enough returning customers over the next couple of years to keep it open. Gainesville continuing to build west will also help.

The employees things is correctable. I think it's critical at this point due to the size of the place to ensure the experience factor is there. To me, the greater concern is the potential increased space costs as Celebration phases out any initial incentives over the next few years. I watched several restaurants get crushed when City Place(in WP) took off. But as you said, they're definitely banking on the push west, as are Prime and Pearl and all the other businesses there. As long as that continues, I think they'll be ok. Between gamedays in the fall, and other special events, plus just the people going to Celebration, they'll at least keep the traffic.
 

AuggieDosta

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I always enjoyed Lamm's sports musings (Lamm at Large, etc) and I know he had an in with SOS. The name escapes me, but there was a joint he and Lamm would show up at after home games later in the evening for cold beer and wings. A buddy of mine happened to be at the establishment after a win over USCe when SOS came in wearing a 'Cocks cap with the faux Taneyhill mullet...

15594


...with Lamm in tow. SOS theater at its best.

I plan to give the restaurant a shot and among the memorabilia I hope there will be some James Bates art work...

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(even though he has a 'Cock visor on, the second is a personal favorite and besides, SOS always was quite the 'Cock wherever he was)

Up in the bar, named Visors, is a private dining room and the entire room is lined, wall to wall, with paintings/portraits by "Batesy".
 

AuggieDosta

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Tebow isn't on the Spurrier walk of fame?

There is not one thing of Tebow in the building that I could find. Probably because he did not recruit Tebow.

Basically, this place is a shrine to SOS and so you will find things in there about other teams (ie SCAR, his high school, the Argonauts, etc.) and it is not UF centric, though UF is prominent.
 

AuggieDosta

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Screenshot_20220207-171803_Gallery.jpg

The bathrooms have his plays all over the wall. This one stood out to me because I was at the game in Knoxville and a TN buddy of mine swears, to this day, that it wasn't a catch. :lol:
 

rogdochar

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There you will see that famous cup "The glass that's seen as half-full & also half-empty, I see as twice as big as needed."
 

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