Pegula’s Selling 716 Restaurant

[4_kidd_4]

57 minutes ago, Doc said:

Good.  Focus on the most important investment by far: the Bills.  Sell the Sabres if need be and if they move, oh well.

 

Was having this conversation earlier. 

 

Where could/would someone move this franchise?

 

 We have one of the consistently top US hockey markets when it comes to TV ratings.  

 

A lot of NHL franchises are losing money, including Islanders and reigning champ TB Lightning. 

 

Seattle & Vegas just got expansion franchises.

 

If anything, the league is currently oversaturated. 

 

If Sabres can ever  field a contender, the cash would easily follow in this town.

[Doc]

2 hours ago, 4_kidd_4 said:

Was having this conversation earlier. 

 

Where could/would someone move this franchise?

 

 We have one of the consistently top US hockey markets when it comes to TV ratings.  

 

A lot of NHL franchises are losing money, including Islanders and reigning champ TB Lightning. 

 

Seattle & Vegas just got expansion franchises.

 

If anything, the league is currently oversaturated. 

 

If Sabres can ever  field a contender, the cash would easily follow in this town.

 

Houston or KC are potential options.  And all it takes is someone to think they're better markets.

[BillnutinHouston]

Almost always had disappointing service there, which I never understood as I most often went there at off times.  Wait staff standing around looking bored while you had to work to flag them down.

[Buftex]

So dumb question...but the article says they are "handing over operations to STBC".  Does that mean they are selling it to STBC, or is STBC simply operating it for them?

Edited March 2, 2021 by Buftex

[Buftex]

4 hours ago, Doc said:

Good.  Focus on the most important investment by far: the Bills.  Sell the Sabres if need be and if they move, oh well.

They don't need to sell the Sabres...they need to hire real, experienced hockey people to run the franchise. 

 

I am not knocking the Pegulas, and I really appreciate what they have done, or have tried to do.  But, as they finally learned with the Bills, write the checks, and step aside... owning a professional sports franchise isn't something you can learn overnight.  They simply don't know what they are doing with that hockey team... I am not sure who the right answer would be, but get someone there to add some good, hockey fundamentals to steady the franchise, let them work.  Buffalo will support the Sabres as any other market would...but 10 years of "asleep at the wheel" management isn't going to cut it.

[Cheektowaga Chad]

Honestly them selling 716 may very well have been their plan all along

 

Its not unheard of that the guy who owns the land/building gets something started to entice a buyer then steps back and collects rent.

 

This gives them first hand knowledge of how much the rent/lease will be as well as an idea how much southern tier makes

[4_kidd_4]

1 hour ago, Doc said:

 

Houston or KC are potential options.  And all it takes is someone to think they're better markets.

 

Fair, but imo I don’t see the league going for that before moving teams like Arizona or Florida out if those dead end hockey markets. 

 

Crazy how many NHL teams currently lose money, Buffalo being one of them. I don’t see Pegulas selling. Field a winner and that revenue will bounce back.

[Marv's Neighbor]

No frackin way!

[Saxum]

3 hours ago, Buftex said:

They don't need to sell the Sabres...they need to hire real, experienced hockey people to run the franchise. 

 

I am not knocking the Pegulas, and I really appreciate what they have done, or have tried to do.  But, as they finally learned with the Bills, write the checks, and step aside... owning a professional sports franchise isn't something you can learn overnight.  They simply don't know what they are doing with that hockey team... I am not sure who the right answer would be, but get someone there to add some good, hockey fundamentals to steady the franchise, let them work.  Buffalo will support the Sabres as any other market would...but 10 years of "asleep at the wheel" management isn't going to cut it.

 

Zzzzzzzz......

[Doc Brown]

8 hours ago, ChevyVanMiller said:

I also was unaware that they sold the Tim Horton’s at Harborcenter last year as well.

It's not that uncommon.  You set the foundation, sell it, and then all you have to do now is sit back and collect the rent.  The 716 should only get better.

Edited March 2, 2021 by Doc Brown

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

The Pegulas found out a 'Bruss Randon' had applied for an assistant manager position at 716, and they were having none of that.

[GunnerBill]

8 hours ago, Buftex said:

They don't need to sell the Sabres...they need to hire real, experienced hockey people to run the franchise. 

 

I am not knocking the Pegulas, and I really appreciate what they have done, or have tried to do.  But, as they finally learned with the Bills, write the checks, and step aside... owning a professional sports franchise isn't something you can learn overnight.  They simply don't know what they are doing with that hockey team... I am not sure who the right answer would be, but get someone there to add some good, hockey fundamentals to steady the franchise, let them work.  Buffalo will support the Sabres as any other market would...but 10 years of "asleep at the wheel" management isn't going to cut it.

 

The thing is they got the right person with the Bills when they hired Sean. If they had turned the keys over to the wrong person it would be a different conversation.

[May Day 10]

1 hour ago, GunnerBill said:

 

The thing is they got the right person with the Bills when they hired Sean. If they had turned the keys over to the wrong person it would be a different conversation.

 

They got McDermott, who seems to be a great person to build a football program and install a positive and winning culture.  Brandon Beane seems to have been selected by mcDermott and they work in unison.

 

The problem is, the Pegulas seem to think that approach is the same with the NHL.  It is much more difficult to rebuild an NHL team because you are scouting all across the globe from the age of 16 in leagues that are comparing apples to grapefruit.  You have an in-house development system.  You also have the cap/guaranteed contracts.  An NFL team can overhaul an organization in like 2 years and grab like 8 starters from the draft and UDFA in a good year if they are building.  

 

The Pegulas like kruger and have bought into his philosophy, much like McDermott.  That coach-centric model doesnt work in the NHL and that assumes Kruger has any clue how to do NHL.  Adams seems to be a 'smart' guy they had in house who is willing to be controlled by Kruger and the Pegulas (because he wouldnt sniff a GM position elsewhere otherwise). His first act was to sheepishly fire pretty much the entire hockey department.   

NHL you need much more of a President/GM centric model, and with a few exceptions, head coaches are temporary mercenaries, to be discarded for a variety of reasons.  

[Buftex]

2 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

The thing is they got the right person with the Bills when they hired Sean. If they had turned the keys over to the wrong person it would be a different conversation.

That is what scares me, a little, about the Bills. Suppose McDermott and/or Beane were to leave, will the make the same mistakes of the past? Or, did they learn anything from the past?  

[Greg S]

2 minutes ago, Buftex said:

That is what scares me, a little, about the Bills. Suppose McDermott and/or Beane were to leave, will the make the same mistakes of the past? Or, did they learn anything from the past?  

 

Didn't they give both McDermott and Beane contract extensions. I think the Pegula's know they have the right people in place to run the Bills. They need to keep signing the checks and let Beane and McDermott continue to lead the Bills.

 

[May Day 10]

This is going to be great

 

https://stbcbeer.com/buffalotaproom/

[Doc]

11 hours ago, Buftex said:

They don't need to sell the Sabres...they need to hire real, experienced hockey people to run the franchise. 

 

I am not knocking the Pegulas, and I really appreciate what they have done, or have tried to do.  But, as they finally learned with the Bills, write the checks, and step aside... owning a professional sports franchise isn't something you can learn overnight.  They simply don't know what they are doing with that hockey team... I am not sure who the right answer would be, but get someone there to add some good, hockey fundamentals to steady the franchise, let them work.  Buffalo will support the Sabres as any other market would...but 10 years of "asleep at the wheel" management isn't going to cut it.

 

No offense as I've heard this many times before and from others, but what are they doing with the Sabres that they're not doing with the Bills?  They're not stupid and you'd figure they'd see that the Bills are working great and would want to replicate that with the Sabres.  Meanwhile when they took over the Sabres, they kept the same GM and HC who had been taking the team to the playoffs annually, gave them blank checks to improve the facilities, roster and scouting...and they proceeded to suck.

 

 

[Orlando Buffalo]

1 hour ago, Doc said:

 

No offense as I've heard this many times before and from others, but what are they doing with the Sabres that they're not doing with the Bills?  They're not stupid and you'd figure they'd see that the Bills are working great and would want to replicate that with the Sabres.  Meanwhile when they took over the Sabres, they kept the same GM and HC who had been taking the team to the playoffs annually, gave them blank checks to improve the facilities, roster and scouting...and they proceeded to suck.

 

 

I think part of the problem is we don't have an agreed upon identity from GM to coach to top players. Beane, McDermott and Josh all agree on what they are. If those 3 are not aligned then a lot of work gets wasted going in different directions.

[Boxcar]

18 hours ago, ChevyVanMiller said:

I also was unaware that they sold the Tim Horton’s at Harborcenter last year as well.

Good move. Tim Hortons is awful.

 

BTW, Canadian logic, there's actually no apostrophe in Tim Hortons. It doesn't make any sense, but neither does buying burnt coffee or baked doughnuts that aren't really doughnuts.

 

How did they market to New Yorkers anyway? Here it's just "hey, patronize us because Canada Canada Canada" and like little lemmings, off they go to get their burnt double doubles, eh. Can't imagine marketing the food is very successful.

 

Sorry I just really hate Tim Hortons.

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

31 minutes ago, Boxcar said:

Good move. Tim Hortons is awful.

 

BTW, Canadian logic, there's actually no apostrophe in Tim Hortons. It doesn't make any sense, but neither does buying burnt coffee or baked doughnuts that aren't really doughnuts.

 

How did they market to New Yorkers anyway? Here it's just "hey, patronize us because Canada Canada Canada" and like little lemmings, off they go to get their burnt double doubles, eh. Can't imagine marketing the food is very successful.

 

Sorry I just really hate Tim Hortons.

For years, the brand was 'Tim Horton's', but steps were taken in the last few years to exorcise the apostrophe.  Good write up at Wikipedia over who owned the chain.