New Country Club Restaurant Tenants Plan $135,000 Renovation

The Westborough Country Club restaurant's new tenants will invest $135,000 into a total renovation, including expanding the kitchen and the deck, redesigning the bar, Town Manager Jim Malloy told selectmen Tuesday night.

Selectmen then voted to award the restaurant lease to course Superintendent Michael Hightower's Golf Course Management Inc., which will run The Grille at Westborough Country Club.

Hightower's company will pay $1,200 per month in "gross" rent, with "a 'recoupment' of $1,080 per month for a net rent of $120 per month," Malloy said. The lease expires on March 1, 2023.

The Grille will replace Mulligan's Taverne, which has been at 121 West Main St. for 10 years.

Mulligan's lease expires on Sept. 15, Malloy said.

Malloy said he sought to “find somebody who would have an incentive to make an investment in the property, make a much nicer restaurant” when he requested lease proposals in June.

He said “the town doesn’t really make a lot of money from the lease arrangement on the restaurant." Mulligan's lease generated $16,800, he said.

Hightower's company was the lone bidder, Malloy said.

The lease's new ending date means "it would not occur during the golf season," he said.

However, "it is likely the restaurant will be closed for the remainder of the golf season to open in the spring" because Hightower needs the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission's approval for an alcohol license, Malloy said.