Business & Tech
VineRipe Grill Closes Amid Controversy After 13 Years
The Park and Rec Commission voted not to reconsider its previous vote, despite an outpouring of support from the community to keep it open.
BROOKLINE, MA — VineRipe Grill, which has served lunch and dinner from the Robert T Lynch municipal golf course for the past 13 years, is officially closed.
The restaurant's closure comes despite backlash and accusation that the town commission acted improperly and unprofessionally when it voted against having the popular restaurant stay another year last month.
The Park and Recreation Commission reiterated during a meeting April 5 that it believed the process that lead to the vote last month to go with a new vendor, rather than VineRipe Grill was legal and fair. The Park and Recreation Commission apologized for a not having enough room on a Zoom public hearing on March 18, but voted to keep the original vote on the golf course concession vendor.
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"Each provider was given the same opportunity," said Park and Recreation Commission Chair John Bain.
On April 2, two days before the commission was scheduled to reconsider a March vote given community pushback, the grill's owner walked into the restaurant to find the town had already begun cleaning it and packing stuff up. The owner, Lisa Wisel said that came as a surprise.
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What happened
With the municipal golf course food vendor contract nearing its end, the Park and Recreation Commission advertised a request for proposals, including specifications it would like to see in a restaurant on the site. Wisel said the commission's asks, which included raised rent, renovation of the space and deep discounts for all golf course were too steep to meet during a pandemic, so she was unable to apply. No one else applied either. The commission then sent out a less specific request for quotes for a year-long contract, and three vendors applied, including VineRipe.
The commission voted unanimously on March 9, to award the new one-year contract to Chris Yorty, of Bisq Meats & Sandwiches, who is based out of Cambridge.
A day later no one on the commission told the VineRipe Grill owner or explained next steps, Wisel said. When neighbors and customers found out, they pushed back and asked for clarification. On March 18, the commission held a public hearing during which it spent a couple minutes outlining how they got to the vote.
More than 100 people decried the results, expressed concern and confusion regarding the process and the transparency of the decision. During that meeting the commission said before they awarded a contract it needed to go to the Select Board for approval. This week Select Board chair Bernard Greene said it was not the select board's decision to make.
Bain told the Select Board at a meeting last week he wanted the town to make the golf course restaurant “a preferred destination" for both golfers and the general public.
"To accomplish this, we need to rethink the operations and business practices of this facility," he said. "Without changing our thinking, there would be no progress whatsoever."
But Wisel told Patch previously that no one ever approached her about a wanting a change, despite her good relationship with the course. She said it was only recently that she began to feel pressure to give deep discounts to golf staff, something she said she couldn't see feasible amid the pandemic.
The new vendor, the commission said, was more aligned with new goals, outlined in a previous request for proposals to offer year-round food, discounts and more revenue to the town.
Wisel on questioned the optics behind the commission's decision given her experience, accolades and dedication to the community.
Previously: Brookline Votes Not To Keep VineRipe Grill At Golf Course.
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