NEWPORT BEACH : Beach Concessionare Retains Contract

The longtime operator of Corona del Mar beach concessions won a contract to continue running the snack stand despite a bid by a company promising better food and more money for the city.

Council members sided unanimously with Gordan Kilmer, president of Kilmer Enterprises, saying the operator had a proven track record of 22 years. And they scolded the competitor, TG Inc., for launching a negative campaign to discredit Kilmer’s business.

TG partner Jack L. Griffits launched an assault on the current beach food stand operator during a public hearing on the contract, complaining about the quality of the food, the prices and what he called lackadaisical marketing that resulted in low revenue for the city.

His company promised new foods, such as barbecue items, low-fat yogurt and fresh sandwiches, along with lower prices and better advertising to bring in more revenue. He also guaranteed 48% of gross sales to the city, higher than the 45% Kilmer offered.

Terry Tuchman, the other partner in TG Inc., operated food services for the Santa Ana Unified School District during the 1970s.

Griffits compared the current concession operation to “a squirrel putting his head in the hole of a tree and looking for that one nut. I don’t think it takes an astronaut to run a beach stand and provide good, quality food at competitive prices.”

But Councilman John Hedges criticized TG for not knowing basic details about the area, such as the fact that visitors pay $5 to park in the beach lot and are not able to leave and re-enter the lot without paying the fee again.

“They may be good at school district restaurant operations, but I don’t know if that transfers to the beach,” he said.

And Councilwoman Evelyn R. Hart questioned whether the coveted beach environment should be subjected to a bigger concession operation, which probably would generate more pollution and commercial activity.

A few Newport Beach residents at the hearing spoke in favor of Kilmer, a soft-spoken man known widely in the community for running the beach stand. They told of experiences they had working at the stand during teen-age years, or of their children’s experiences in competing for the $100 savings bond Kilmer gave every summer to the best employee.

“I want to put my two cents forth and say that . . . it’s something I feel is important to the community,” said Don Swanson, whose child once worked for Kilmer at the stand.