Darien Country Club Battle Gets Bitter

DARIEN, IL – The owners of the two businesses at Carriage Greens Country Club in Darien don't get along. But they continue to work near each other.

A couple of months ago, the owners of Carriage Greens Country Club tried to force out the company that runs the Sandtrap Grill and banquet facility at its club.

In August, employees of the company, Carriage Greens F and B LLC, were told that the operators of a new restaurant were taking over.

But Heidi Revelis, the owner of F and B, has yet to leave, saying the club is breaching its contract with her. Now she is seeking a contract extension through 2029.

The country club's owners, Brian and Adriana Broderick, are mincing few words about their view of Revelis.

In a statement to Patch on Monday, they said they were "embarrassed" to be associated with the restaurant and banquet department as they currently stand. They did not give specifics.

Through a public records request with the city of Darien, Patch obtained the country club's lawsuit last month to evict Revelis as well as her counterclaim. (Darien became involved because of a liquor license dispute between the parties.)

Both sides claim the other owes hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In an affidavit, Revelis contended the Brodericks have sought to undercut her business.

She accuses them of eliminating information about her services on the club's Facebook page and on a major wedding planning website.

Revelis also said the club has allowed golfers to bring their own food and beverages and use her leased premises. And she asserted the club has redirected customers away from her reservation system and booked events in competition. She provided a document in which the club appeared to do just that.

Her lawsuit also revealed a letter sent in late August to her company's employees. It said the operators of a new restaurant were "excited" to announce that Sandtrap was transitioning to On Par Sports Bar & Grill.

On Par's representatives asked the employees to fill out paperwork and informed them they could continue wearing the same uniform.

"We apologize for the abrupt change, but due to legal reasons, we were not able to communicate with the current staff until now," the On Par representatives said. "Most importantly, all of you will remain employed if you choose while we make the transition and get to know each other."

In their statement to Patch, the Brodericks said, "It is of utmost importance for readers of this article to know that the point of this eviction is to upgrade the facility of Carriage Greens and the management to levels never seen before."

The club's lawsuit said Revelis has been "unjustly enriched" with $658,433, including for rent, sales taxes, website costs and interest.

Revelis' counterclaim said the club owes her company $608,378 and that she does not owe for rent.

She pointed to offsets on the rent such as $42,000 in food and beverages that she provided to the Brodericks, their family and friends. She also noted $550,378 in charges that the club collected for the restaurant's food and beverages for golf outings.

Revelis' lawsuit also contended the country club pocketed net video gambling proceeds in violation of the lease.

She further alleged the club falsely informed vendors she was going out of business. In a letter included in the lawsuit, one vendor said club owner Adriana Broderick notified the vendor on Sept. 1 that Revelis would leave in 30 days.

In recent times, the lawsuit said, unusual things have happened – computer cables cut, police called to evict Revelis, urinals clogged with cement, bathroom water pressure turned off and destruction of a printer delivered to the pro shop.

Revelis' lawyer, Fred Roth, told Patch that club owner Brian Broderick at one point offered Revelis $15,000 to walk away.

"She doesn't want to entertain that," Roth said in an interview. "She believes that she is owed money and wants to continue the operation. She appreciates the support from the community."

He said the club keeps changing its story on what it claims Revelis owes.

"We have been consistent with the information that we have provided," Roth said. "We think their attempts to interrupt or interfere with the business is a violation of the terms of the lease."

In their statement, the club's owners said they would never disappoint or cancel any events regardless of who booked them.

"We have been doing this since 1980, and we plan on keeping the tradition going strong," the owners said.

No trial date has been set.