Colonial tournament changes leave Tim Love concessions out
Officials at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial will unveil a handful of consumer-oriented tweaks at this year’s PGA Tour stop, May 18-24 in Fort Worth.
Two notable changes were confirmed Tuesday: Celebrity chef Tim Love is out as the on-course concessions provider, replaced by Spectrum Catering and Concessions. A new primary park-and-shuttle area for fans, called Rockwood Lane, will replace the parking lots at TCU that have been used in past years.
The event also will unveil Colonial Main Street, an open-air walkway that will connect several fan-related amenities located near the ninth and 10th fairways.
But the highest-profile change involves going back to Spectrum Catering, a Conroe-based company that handles on-course food preparations at multiple PGA Tour events and served as Colonial’s on-course provider for several years before the 2014 switch to Love.
Love is best known as the chef/owner of Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Woodshed Smokehouse, Love Shack and Queenie’s Steakhouse, among his collection of restaurants in Fort Worth and surrounding areas. He co-hosts the TV show Restaurant Startup on CNBC.
But last year’s event, Love’s first attempt at catering a golf tournament, was marked by long lines and shortages of selected items at about 20 on-course public concession stands. Similar issues surfaced in efforts to meet the food demands in more than 50 on-course private hospitality venues for tournament sponsors.
During off-season deliberations, Colonial tournament chairman Bobby Patton and other club officials opted to go back to a provider with more experience in handling the unique food service needs of a golf tournament.
“Tim did some good things, particularly with the menus and the presentations,” Colonial tournament director Michael Tothe said. “But the Colonial Country Club board made the decision to go back to Spectrum. That’s their level of expertise, to manage an event of our magnitude.”
In a Tuesday text message, Love wrote: “I wish Bobby Patton and his world class team all the best at this year’s Colonial. It’s a longstanding Fort Worth tradition that’s great for the fans, the players and the entire city.”
Because of ongoing construction at TCU, the primary parking area for fans at the 2015 event will be Rockwood Lane, a large paved lot near Rockwood Golf Course. The venue will hold more cars than the TCU lots, with shuttle buses available to and from the course.
Park-and-ride lots also will be available at Farrington Field, as in years past. There will be a premium parking option at TCU for the tournament but spaces are limited. Colonial tournament manager Dennis Roberson said the switch to the larger venue at Rockwood Lane will avoid a repeat of last year, when large weekend crowds caused an overflow situation with the TCU lots.
“There’s no way we can fill up these lots at peak times,” Roberson said.
The Rockwood lots, used to park horse trailers during the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, can hold 1,200 to 1,500 cars per day. Colonial officials already are selling parking passes in the new lot, along with tournament tickets, online at CrownePlazaInvitational.com.
The primary stop along the new Colonial Main Street will be the Crowne Plaza Grill, where fans can track the action on high-definition televisions. Another consumer-related switch for this year will be the timing of post-round concerts in Frost Park, where most fans catch shuttle buses to off-site parking lots. Musicians will begin playing at the conclusion of the round, rather than waiting for an appointed time.
Jimmy Burch, 817-390-7760
This story was originally published March 24, 2015 at 6:36 PM with the headline "Colonial tournament changes leave Tim Love concessions out."