Brookline Votes Not To Keep VineRipe Grill At Golf Course

BROOKLINE, MA — For the past 13 years, VineRipe Grill has served hungry golfers and visitors to the Robert T. Lynch golf course, and catering special occasions and donating food all over town to everyone from the senior center to schools to the food pantry.

But that's about to end.

The grill's owner, Brookline resident Lisa Wisel said she found out that the town's Park and Recreation Commission will not be renewing her contract to work in the space, and that the department voted for someone from Cambridge to take the grill's space.

But no one has told me yet

"We thought for sure we'd be there for another year," Wisel said. "And they didn't even tell us, they still haven't told us we didn't get it. And we have to be out March 30. It's horrible it's just horrible."

When the grill's contract set to expire in the space owned by the town, the commission, asked for proposals as they have done when the municipal contract lease comes up. She turned hers in two weeks ago, and an official told her they'd have a vote shortly. She waited, but has heard nothing from them, despite reaching out to them.

Tuesday night the commission voted to go with a different vendor.

But she said she's gotten no indication of why the other bid won. And she said, as of Wednesday evening, no one had contacted her to tell her officially what has happened.

"It's been outrageous," she said. "It's really just crazy."

Patch reached out to Director Leigh Jackson, who did not immediately return a request for comment.

Jackson said during the meeting three vendors submitted quotes, and were all interviewed. She said that the interview team were most impressed with Chris Yorty, who has experience with business at Time Out Market, and "his customer philosophy."

"He really connected with our future vision with the golf course," Jackson said, describing him as "very talented."

Skeptical

Wisel said she wished someone had reached out to her to tell her when the vote was, or at the very least told her the result of the vote right after it happened. In the meeting commission members said they told Yorty his bid had been chosen to be recommended ahead of time. In the same meeting they indicated they would not be telling the Grill it had lost, until the vote was finalized.

She said if they'd just explained they wanted to make a change after 13 years, she would have accepted that.

But because they haven't, and because this isn't the first time she's run into issues with the commission and bids for the space —back in 2011— it makes her suspicious of the process. She said she would like to know what went into the decision and why they would choose someone from outside of Brookline, rather than someone who has been a committed part of the community.

Survived pandemic, now this

"It is most shocking that in the time of a pandemic where most communities are fighting to keep local businesses alive, I'm being sent to the street,"Wisel said. "I just didn't want it to have to end this way."

When catering, which accounted for a large chunk of the business, was shut down amid pandemic the restaurant improvised with curbside. But even with business down about 70 percent, they made sure to pay the rent and were able to keep paying most of the staff, and she's proud of that.

She now has to cancel catering events, and has begun thanking customers for their support over the years.

"I have just loved the last 13 years there, we've met so many great people," she said, rattling off a list of events she's helped cater for or donate to at the library, the senior center gala, food pantry gala, the thanksgiving every year. "All of that is what I will miss the most: That connection."