The owners of KC’s River Stop are organizing a petition drive next week in hopes that an overwhelming community response will aid their quest to continue running the business beyond 2010.
As the contract between the business and the city ends next year, city officials have decided to put the property, located at the Cape Coral Yacht Club Pier, out to bid.
KC’s owners, who are eligible to bid on a new contract, are worried that 16 years of building their business will be for nothing.
“I just think it would have been nice to give us first right of refusal,” said owner Betty Serrago. “We did what we were supposed to do. We kept it family friendly, kept it as affordable as possible for all the people that come down here.”
The restaurant and gas station have become something of a yacht club landmark over the nearly two decades that Serrago has owned the business.
She said cheap prices have helped KC’s endure, especially during the economic downfall, offering families an affordable place to eat while at the beach.
Serrago hopes to channel that customer loyalty into a positive force behind the petition drive.
Yet, if that dogged loyalty is not enough to draw people to the petition drive, KC’s will offer $1 draft beers and hot dogs starting at noon Wednesday and Oct. 15.
They have 600 signatures on the petition, but Serrago is hoping to make it 1,000.
“We built something here they didn’t have before us,” she said. “I built the clientele, made sure they were coming back.”
Parks and Recreation Department Director Steve Pohlman said Serrago and all of KC’s staff have done a wonderful job over the years.
He added that a potential change is not about the job they have done, it is about exploring the city’s options for one of its premier destinations.
“They’ve done a fine job, but the climate in today’s economy is to determine what your best opportunities are for the city to generate revenue for what is a tremendous asset in the city,” Pohlman said.
Serrago plans on presenting the petition and signatures at the Cape Coral City Council’s next meeting at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 19 in council chambers.