“You’ll love this restaurant, Dave. It’s been closed for six months. They are asking $2.2M including all the furnishings, fixtures and equipment. Everything is new. It’s a great opportunity for someone that knows the business.”
“I remember this place. What happened, Fred? This place looked like it couldn’t miss.”
“You’re right, Dave. Oyster Bay had everything going for them. Good location, waterfront frontage, outside seating for a 100, live music on weekends, a great indoor dining room that seats 200, with a view, a nice bar; Everything! But they broke the cardinal rule in the restaurant business; you need to serve good food or the people won’t come back!”
“The owners had success with other restaurants that catered to a different clientele; a lot of fried food and potatoes. Their menu here didn’t fit the younger crowd that was attracted by the water, outside music and this area of town. Not enough salads, fresh fish and that type of thing. The food was too heavy, and wasn’t that good.”
“They also had some bad luck including a weak economy, competition and the rain from El Nino. It rained four consecutive weekends last summer, which killed their outdoor crowd and live music. There are also several new restaurants in the area; Copeland’s of New Orleans and Tuscabellas in particular. The competition, combined with their poor food, was the killer. El Nino was the knockout blow.”
“How much?”
“I’m pretty sure they will take $2M including everything you see, plus another $750,000 for renovations. I want to open up the indoor restaurant so that half the tables have an outdoor feel. They will be covered with large, sliding glass doors to protect against the weather, but I want to cater to a young, Tampa crowd that doesn’t have the time to drive 45 minutes to the beach. Envision a giant Tiki Hut and a T-shaped pier with a portable arch for weddings.”
“What did your bank say?”
“In a nutshell, they said no. Despite my experience with Shells, they don’t like restaurants unless they are a major chain. The most they will lend is 50% of the cost, which means I would need $1.5M. I don’t have that much, and I would really like to do this without going to Mario.”
“We could probably get you a 75% loan, 80% if you are eligible for an SBA loan. You might be making too much from your Shells franchises to qualify as a small business. How much cash can you come up with?”
“I can scrape together $750,000 if necessary, but that’s about it. Will this cover your fee and closing expenses?”
“$750,000 will cover everything. I usually charge 2% on this size deal, but I’ll agree to one percent if that’s okay with you. I’ll draw-up a simple fee agreement and give you a list of the information we need.”
“Sounds good, I had a feeling you would be able to help me.”
As they drove back to Shells to pick up Dave’s car, Bradford reflected on his good fortune and the opportunities that lay ahead for his company.
The Par 5 sixth hole was only 525 yards and reachable for the long hitters. Buzz’ drive was long and straight. He would have only 235 to the green.
Dave hit his drive perfectly, but still came up 30 yards short of Buzz’. Without a strong tailwind, this was a 3-shot Par 5 for Dave and he knew it. Ken taught him to play his own game and not to let his opponent change his thinking or approach.
Dave could hear Ken’s words. “Club players get intimidated and start over swinging when they are matched up with long hitters. It doesn’t help to try to out drive them. You might occasionally hit one five yards farther, but it will seldom pay off over 18 holes. A player starts to lose tempo, and make mistakes. The worst part is that over swinging off the tee impacts other parts of your game, particularly your irons where the easy rhythm is most important. Once you lose tempo, you are in for a long day.”
What Ken doesn’t understand is how good it feels to be the long man off the tee once in a while. Every short hitter knows that one long drive and one poor drive, feels better than two average drives. It’s a fact. It might not reflect on your scorecard, but it should.
Dave hit 5-wood and laid up to about 115 yards. Buzz’ 3-wood drifted a little right and landed pin high on the fringe. Advantage, Buzz.
Dave was between clubs. His easy pitching wedge traveled 100-110 yards and his nine-iron 120-130 yards. He could either ease up on the nine or try to hit the wedge a little harder. He decided on 9-iron and took a smooth, lazy swing. The results were all too predictable. He caught the shot flush and flew the green by five yards and rolled down into a collection area; a testimony to the theory that you hit the ball farther with a smooth swing and good timing. He was still away and had a tough up and down. His Mickelson-like attempt with a lob wedge ran past the hole leaving 15-feet for par.
Buzz’ birdie chip from the fringe came up a foot short, and was conceded. Dave’s par putt never made it to the hole. He was two down after six holes.
The DEA sting operation was the culmination of three years planning involving several agencies. Joe Martinez, Assistant U.S. District Attorney for the State of Florida, was in charge. Day-to-day decisions were made by Chip Mathews, DEA Florida Bureau Chief.
Since 9/11, Chip’s job became much tougher. While an estimated 70% of cocaine entering the United States still flows across the 2000 mile US-Mexican border, the Caribbean is rapidly becoming the major artery that it was in the 80’s before Crockett and Tubbs put a stop to it. The floodgates have been reopened.
There are several reasons for this. To be successful, the DEA depends upon resources and information provided by other agencies. Since 9/11 the FBI is chasing the money trail of terrorist groups that support El Qaeda, rather than the money laundering trail of the drug groups. The Coast Guard is protecting our ports and harbors against terrorist acts, rather than intercepting drug shipments. DEA agents have been designated to airport security or assigned as sky marshals rather than drug interdiction.
At the same time, heightened security along the Mexican and Canadian borders has made smuggling through these traditional channels more costly. Drug seizures are up along the border, and smugglers are looking for alternative and safer routes into the U.S.
Supply has also increased despite U.S. efforts to eliminate production at its source. Efforts to convert Latin American cocoa and opium poppy fields were initially encouraging, but as the price of coffee has fallen, farmers in Bolivia, Columbia and Peru reverted back to the traditional and more profitable crops. U.S. subsidies were not enough.
Chip was excited when the anonymous tip had come in last week. He saw this as an opportunity to make a major bust and possibly a way to get a lead on the organization that was responsible for distribution in Florida and many of the Eastern states. The informant had provided the time and exact location of the “drop” and a description of the pick-up boat.
Chip decided to wait for bigger fish. His plan was to take advantage of the 3-hour window that the drugs would be floating in the water, steal the drugs and then wait for the crew of the pickup boat to make a mistake.
Chip anticipated that the boat crew would panic when they didn’t find the drugs. They knew that suspicion fingers would point at them and they would be scared. Their first instinct would be to immediately report the missing shipment to their boss. The longer Sam and Ron waited, the guiltier they would look. It was a good plan.
Cell phone frequencies had been monitored. Wiretap authorizations were obtained for the three pay phones at the marina and the phone at the marina counter. Sam should have waited until he was at a secure location, and reported through normal channels designed to protect the identity of the man he called. But, instead he used the number he had been cautioned to use only in an emergency. This was an emergency.
Chapter 7
Par 4 – 415 Yards
Tampa Bay Buccaneers