Council approves concessions, alcohol agreement for Greenville Municipal Auditorium with first-right-of-refusal tweak

The Greenville City Council approved an agreement for concessions and alcohol sales at the Greenville Municipal Auditorium (GMA) with Gardner Jones LLC, owner/operator of the Ashen Rose, after staff explained the proposed vendor arrangement and council negotiated changes to exclusivity language.

Michael McVay, identified in the meeting as the community development director, said the city sought a way to professionalize concessions without taking on TABC licensing internally. He said the proposal calls for Gardner Jones LLC to operate concessions and alcohol sales, collect sales data for six months, and then negotiate a rental rate at six months and again after one year.

"The Ashen Rose, which is owned by Gardner Jones LLC, stepped in and they started to come in and provide alcohol for our shows on a periodic basis when that made sense," McVay said, describing informal prior arrangements.

Councilors discussed an exclusivity clause that would give the vendor authority to decide whether anyone else could sell concessions. To preserve municipal control, council members removed language granting vendor control and approved a change to give the vendor first right of refusal while allowing the city to designate a secondary vendor if the primary vendor declines or it is otherwise appropriate.

A council member moved to approve the contract subject to those changes; the motion passed unanimously.

Why it matters: The agreement lets the GMA offer more consistent concessions and alcohol sales at most events without the city obtaining a TABC license and hiring new staff; the vendor will provide sales data so the city and vendor can negotiate appropriate rental terms.

What’s next: City staff will finalize contract language incorporating the agreed change to section 3(c) before the final execution.