Gator Cove — Restaurant in Homosassa Springs

I’ve been a loyal customer of Gator Cove for a while now and usually love the place. It’s one of the best spots in Citrus County for the price you pay and the quality of food you get. It’s a bit of a hidden gem, and I’ve always enjoyed the atmosphere—my son especially loves the gator theme, and we both appreciate being able to sit outside near the pool.

Unfortunately, my experience has gone downhill whenever Kim Floyd has been working. One issue happened when I was there with my son and girlfriend. Someone I have a restraining order against showed up and tried to cause a scene. Instead of helping us, Kim sided with him and refused to call the police. Another customer had to help walk us out, which was more annoying than anything else. That incident led me to file the restraining order because I didn’t want to risk running into him there again without protection.

More recently, I tried calling to place an order for takeout, but no one answered. When I went in person, I mentioned it, and the response was, “If they could find the phone, they’d answer it.” Not exactly what you want to hear, but I moved on and placed my order. Kim didn’t bother writing anything down, and her lack of focus made me uneasy. Sure enough, the order was completely wrong.

It’s the second time in a row my food was wrong, but this time Val stepped in and made it right very quickly, which I truly appreciated. She seemed like she valued me as a customer, and her effort was refreshing compared to Kim’s dismissive attitude.

The restaurant wasn’t even busy, so there’s no excuse for the carelessness or rude behavior. It’s clear Kim doesn’t value all customers—only her regulars—and treats everyone else like a bother.

Gator Cove is usually a fantastic place with great food and friendly staff, but I’ll be avoiding it when Kim is working. She creates an unwelcoming environment, and it’s disappointing because everyone else has always been kind and helpful.

Edit: I was messaged by Kim after leaving the review and am positing the messages from her. She never apologized until the review and then proceeded to gaslight...

We have been here several times before but this time the service was terrible. It took at least 20 minutes to be acknowledged, and then it seemed we were an inconvenience. There were two working on the evening of Oct 22nd and they both had to be flagged down every time we wanted to order another drink.

When our food came the bartender tossed our appetizers at at us so aggressively that some of it spilled out and onto the table. No apologies.. just walked away!

I just don’t get this terrible way of serving your guests when they tip you according to your service.

There were 4 of us that night that are former bartenders and would have made their night worth coming in on just us alone. However they missed out on great gratuity because of their...

We have been going there for 20 years. We know most of the patrons and the workers. There is one thing that everybody should know. We witnessed a patron rolling silverware in napkins at the bar. In a matter of 5 minutes she sneezed seven times on the silverware and into her hands. Never washed her hands or did anything proper. Continued rolling silverware. For your own safety don't eat there with their silverware. I believe only the workers should be handling silverware. UPDATE: 2 years later and the patrons are still handling the silverware while they are drinking and eating food. We don't eat there and I suggest other people should not eat there. The bar and the tables never get wiped...