Daytona Beach News-Journal:
Fish City Grill failed to open its doors New Year’s Day after two years at The Trails shopping center in Ormond Beach.
The sudden departure “shocked and disappointed” Sam Jaffe, executive vice president and director of leasing for Jaffe Corp., which owns the lifestyle center on North Nova Road.
“They had some internal difficulties with their management, which resulted in a consistency that was not up to par with what we like to have here at The Trails. Sales suffered for it. It was a great concept but had operational problems,” Jaffe said. “We tried our hardest to work with them to stay. We had every assurance they would stay and they ended up basically sneaking out at night.”
Neighborhood Ventures of Addison, Texas, owns eight and had franchised 14, including the Ormond Beach location, of Fish City Grill and Half Shells Seafood Grill restaurants, mostly in Texas, said founder and CEO Bill Bayna.
“The Ormond Beach franchisee signed a lease two years ago to move into the renovated part of the shopping center because there were pledges that stores like Gap and Victoria’s Secret and even a Banana Republic would be tenants, also,” Bayne said. “With the economy tanking, just then, development stopped and those tenants did not move in.”