After falling shy of qualifying for the Tour Championship and Graeme McDowell enticed PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem along with Jacksonville-based PGA Tour players Russell Knox, Billy Horschel and David Lingmerth on hand to celebrate the opening of his Nona Blue Ponte Vedre restaurant.
It is the second restaurant bearing the Nona Blue name after McDowell’s initial foray into the restaurant business at Lake Nona and located just wedge shot from the Lake Nona Resort where McDowell resides.
In fact, it was two-time Super Bowl winning coach Tom Coughlin who was asked to cut the ribbon and with McDowell passing on a $15,000 cheque donation to the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation raised during our Practice with a Purpose.
Tim Finchem and his wife at the opening of Graeme McDowell’s Nona Blue Ponte Vedre bistro.
But the former US Open winner, and as good friend and colleague Gary Smits from the Florida Times Union newspaper now takes the story, says that second time around in the restaurant game McDowell’s a lot more in tuned with what the public seek from this new Nona Blue.
“I feel like my eyes are open this time,” he said during a packed VIP reception at Nona Blue Ponte Vedra Beach, which had its grand opening today (Wednesday).
“I’m taking it all in, more excited about it. The first [Nona Bue Modern Tavern in Orlando] was a shot in the dark. This one, I’m more intrinsically involved with the location, the system, how it all works. I’m loving this one. It’s been a lot of fun.”
McDowell’s first restaurant is at the Lake Nona development in Orlando, home to numerous PGA Tour players. It’s no accident that he and business partners Joe Davi and Bill Bona decided to come to the gates of the TPC Sawgrass for the second edition of the upscale bistro.
Graeme McDowell and his Nona Blue business partners but not a sip seemingly taken from any of the three beers!!
“The PGA Tour, the TPC Sawgrass and Ponte Vedra and Jacksonville people have all given us so much support,” McDowell said, observing a room on Tuesday that contained most of the PGA Tour brass, plus fellow players Horschel, Knox and Lingmerth. “The level of support has been amazing from everyone. I don’t remember being this excited the first time around.”
The original plan was to be open in time for last May’s Players Championship but McDowell said that was “a bit of a pipe dream.”
The delays involved items such as re-permitting and upgrading the structure for the outdoor dining and bar area. However, Nona Blue has opened in time for football season and the holidays, and, more importantly, opened without the glitches that can accompany a restaurant fast-tracked to launch at a certain date.
“We were frustrated in the end on how long it too us to get open,” McDowell admitted. “But as it turned out, the delays were for all the right reasons. Plus, with the Stadium Course closed during the summer, not being open at that time wasn’t such a loss of revenue. When it does open in November, we will be more established. Sometimes the stars align.”
PGA Tour’s Kelly Hawkins getting the low down from Graeme McDowell on his new Nona Blue bistro.
McDowell said that while there are ample numbers of TVs to watch college an NFL football, Nona Blue isn’t being marketed as a sports bar.
“We never wanted to position ourselves as a football-watching venue,” he said. “It’s going to be a nice bonus but we want to make it approachable for families coming here on Sundays for brunch. We want to cater to everyone but we don’t sell ourselves as football. Of course we have a lot of TVs. I love football and I’m well aware of the power of the NFL and college.”
McDowell also is trying to hold onto the perspective of how difficult the restaurant business can be.
“In golf, you don’t want to set expectations too high … that’s dangerous,” he said. “I know this team is phenomenal and can execute and give this area what they want from a product point of view.”
