The Hideaway at Saratoga Lake: Same Great Views, Elevated Experience
The Hideaway in Saratoga is officially under new ownership! Tim Jones, a longtime fixture at the restaurant who has served in multiple positions, chatted with us alongside Events Coordinator Courtney Docherty, about what’s new and exciting at The Hideaway since he’s taken over the helm. The goal is not to reinvent the wheel (or change what people love about the restaurant), but to enhance the experience for new and returning guests.
You can look forward to staple menu items, familiar faces, gorgeous golf course views, and the same welcoming atmosphere that regulars have come to know and love. While the core identity of The Hideaway remains the same, what’s new is an elevated menu, a renovated event space, a new logo, and a strategic partnership with the Saratoga Lake Golf Club, which the restaurant overlooks.
From Manager to Owner: Tim Jones’ Natural Next Step
Tim describes going from Manager to Owner as moving from “hectic to really hectic.”
“I’ve been here for so long that even before I was manager, I was a cook, then I was marketing, and I’ve had just about every role here.” His day-to-day is much the same, only at a deeper level - looking at the big picture, seeing where the money goes, and where he’d like to see the restaurant go.
“I was already in the mindset of building to get where I knew it was going,” he told us about the changeover. His goal is to advance what the restaurant has been doing for the past seven years, and use it as a jumping off point to the next level. They’re on solid ground, but looking to expand even further - take what’s good and make it great.
Number one priority? The customers. “You go places, you remember the food, if it was good or bad, but if you get great service you’re going to remember that forever."
When asked what he knew he’d be keeping the same as owner, Tim’s first priority was keeping Events Coordinator Courtney Docherty - her, and certain menu items.
Menu Staples Are Here to Stay - But Might be Renamed or Enhanced
The Hideaway’s most loved dishes are staying put! Tim called out the Fried Chicken Sandwich and Cobb Salad as a couple of the favorites that have a permanent fixture on the menu.
“I could never change the Cobb Salad,” Tim said. “I changed the name of it on the menu, to make it more golf related.” Returning guests can be rest assured that the Clubhouse Cobb is only named as such as a result of the partnering with the golf club - the salad itself is exactly the same.
There are actually three different types of Fried Chicken Sandwiches: Americano, The Parm, and Hideaway Style, pictured above.
And, fans will be happy to know, it’s the same people back in the kitchen cooking up those meals The Hideaway patrons crave. “All of our cooks stayed the same,” Tim told us. “All of our servers stayed the same. All of the management stayed the same. We’re in the exact same place, just going in a slightly different direction.”
Tim’s approach to the menu, much like the restaurant as a whole, has been largely to take what’s there and give it a boost. For instance, they still have their famous chicken wings - available as bone-in or boneless - but now they’re making their own buffalo sauce.
“The kitchen staff is making all their own fresh sauces. They have the freedom to try different things so they can be our own, and we can be proud to serve it.”
Gluten-Free Options & an Elevated Brunch
While some items might be more scratch-made than before, The Hideaway has always been good at offering gluten-free options - just ask!
“We have not been the best about labeling what can be gluten-free on our menu,” Tim admitted, “because that’s pretty much everything. We’ve always been good about having gluten-free bread, gluten-free rolls, gluten-free pasta. A good percentage of the menu can be made gluten-free.”
The Hideaway also offers vegetarian items, creative cocktails, mocktails, and of course, brunch, which has always been a major draw. Served Saturdays and Sundays from 9am to 2pm, brunch remains one of the busiest part of the week.
“We went from more of a ‘fun’ menu with stuff like Fruity Pebbles on it and things like that to more of an elevated menu, where we’re making a chocolate ganache to go over French Toast, Bananas Foster…things like that.”
A Happening Happy Hour
Tim has been working on a new menu for Happy Hour, but he's expecting $2 off all beers, $2 off all wines, and $2 off all bourbon drinks. "Food-wise, we've been offering our $10 chicken wings. So instead of the wing night everybody does, it's on our Happy Hour menu."
They do all-day happy hour on Mondays, and 2pm to 5pm on the other days. The menu will include a Cocktail of the Day.
Events: Creative, Fun & Always Evolving
Special events have been a foundation of The Hideaway from the beginning, with live music, bingo, trivia, and more. The “the same but elevated” theme under the new ownership expands to events, as explained by Courtney.
“We always try to be the one who’s creating events and being a leader, not a copier,” Courtney told us. She’s been asked about “Girls Dinner” in the past couple of weeks, but noted that this is something everyone is doing. “We’ve been so creative on the things we can bring here, and we just want to keep moving forward to be creative and bring things to the table people haven’t seen before, or aren’t in this area.”
The Hideaway has hosted Harry Potter nights, Taylor Swift-themed events, Music Bingo, and even “Trivingo.” Live music happens in the dining room every Monday and Tuesday, with local favorites like Rich Ortiz or Jeff Brisbin. Occasionally you’ll find live music on other nights, and they’ve also done a Candlelight series.
Private Celebrations Customized to You
When it comes to private events, weddings can be tough, as they’d have to shut down the entire restaurant, and possibly the golf course as well if the ceremony is on site. However, The Hideaway is perfectly suited for smaller celebrations like retirement parties, graduation parties, engagement parties, and pretty much “any other event you could possibly think of.”
The Hideaway has even become a trusted venue for funerals, wakes, and memorial gatherings. While these types of celebrations of life tend to come together at the last minute, understandably, the restaurant team is uniquely equipped to step in and handle these logistics so the family can focus on being together.
Regardless of the event, Courtney emphasized that they’re incredibly open to hearing ideas and customizing an experience for the guests - and that includes a custom menu. “I won’t force a menu on them. I’ll just ask if they have an idea or a budget in mind.” Tim added, “Our goal is to make any event special for somebody.”
Those looking to use The Hideaway as an event venue can expect a seamless experience from beginning to end. “From when they call or email and chat with me, to when they leave and pay their bill. . .from start to finish, we want it to just be a really great experience for them,” Courtney said.
The space itself is as flexible as the staff - the Barn Door Room can host an intimate event with 15 to 20 guests, and they also have the patio downstairs, with one of the best outdoor dining options in Saratoga.
A Catering Menu With a Wow Factor
Speaking of private events, the catering menu came up in conversation. While they do pride themselves on customizable menus for events, the signature catering menu has evolved over the past few years. With Tim and Courtney having already been working on this aspect of the restaurant prior to the ownership change, they’re in a great position to put this feature forward.
“These are not your cookie cutter buffets,” Courtney said. “We really want to have more action stations and chef-manned stations - we’ve been doing Eggs Benedict stations and people have been loving those.” “That’s not something you see everywhere,” Tim added. “We’re trying to think outside the box like that and deliver.”
Courtney said they’ll probably be rolling out the new catering menu within the next two to four weeks.
A Refreshed Space & New Loyalty Program
Along with the menu tweaks and new, creative ideas for regular and private events, the other major change at The Hideaway is with physical renovations. Holes in the wall, peeling paint, new steps, new chairs - that’s all been taken care of since Tim took over.
“We decided to bite the bullet and closed down for the day so we could tear everything out of the kitchen and really give that a fresh clean. We’re not sacrificing sales to make sure that things are where they should be.”
Finally, we’d be remiss not to mention the new loyalty program at The Hideaway. Although they’re using the same program the prior owner used, they needed to start from scratch. Although they were unable to transfer over points from the prior program, Tim has been doing his best to accommodate those affected. “We tried to make it up to them. If they said they had 500 points on their account and they reached out to me, I’d send them 500 points.”
They’ve also honored outstanding gift cards, even though that was “a bit of a juggling act.” It’s worth it to keep dedicated customers happy and returning!
That’s a Wrap: What’s New & What’s the Same
If you haven’t visited The Hideaway since the change in ownership, which took place in early 2026, here’s a quick cheat sheet on what to expect:
- Long-time manager Tim Jones is the new owner
- Partnership with Saratoga Lake Golf Club
- More made-from-scratch items in the kitchen
- A new catering menu and loyalty program
- A refreshed, renovated space
The stunning golf course views, friendly faces of the staff, signature dishes, and a welcoming event space for anything from trivia and live music, to baby showers and corporate parties, is all staying the same - except elevated.
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