News :

Café strikes out on insurance

RUTLAND — A popular gathering spot for post-Little League game revelry and year-round camaraderie has closed its doors, a casualty of the Dec. 11-12 ice storm.  The Grand Slam Café at 24 Pommogussett Road (Route 56 north) was fully insured, owners Len and Cherylann Gengel said, so they weren’t concerned after they depleted their inventory by emptying out their refrigerator and freezer to feed workers who were helping the town reconnect its electrical power, removing debris and performing other post-storm activities.

But just weeks shy of its eighth anniversary, the Gengels said, their insurance company is disputing their claim for loss of business and loss of wages for full-time employees, although it paid $2,000 on a $5,000 loss-of-food claim. “We were told that we weren’t covered for those other losses,” Mrs. Gengel said. “That doesn’t mean that we’re not going to get a check in six months or a year, but we couldn’t reopen without the reimbursement. After some long, hard discussions, we decided we couldn’t string our 20 employees along and cut our losses while we could still be fair.”  The restaurant traditionally was closed the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, but it closed Dec. 16 after the food being served to emergency workers was depleted. It did not reopen and the Gengels decided to close the restaurant permanently.

Gift certificates bought last year can be redeemed for cash at Mr. Gengel’s other business, C&S Builders, at the same address as the restaurant. According to the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, for the last 14 months, the restaurant business has declined to the point that expenses exceeded revenue. “Earlier in 2008, I would hear from owners that business was not too bad, but they were not making any money,” said Peter Christie, president of the association. “The entire 2008 year was like a tsunami wave building up and came crashing in the fall, economically. “The December storms were horrific,” he said. “To be without power in the holiday period, especially the weekend before Christmas, the busiest weekend of the year, for the poor hard-working family in Rutland, it was like, ‘Just how much can you pile on here?’ ”

In nearby Princeton, owners of Sonoma Restaurant, The Mountain Barn Restaurant, Wachusett Mountain’s Black Diamond Restaurant, and The Harrington Farm also served meals at the town’s emergency shelter. Combining the prime rib, lobsters and other high-end foods just in for holiday parties and catered affairs that were canceled because of the storm, workers and townspeople alike ate well. None of those restaurants has gone out of business, but they took a hit nonetheless. “The fire chief in town had never heard of a shelter getting what was on the menu,” said Bill Brady, Sonoma Restaurant’s chef and owner. “We lost about $15,000 in food that we served,” Mr. Brady said. “The insurance company said they would need pictures of the rotten stuff, but I said, ‘People need this. I’m not going to let these people go hungry.’ ”

“Usually December is the time you squirrel away the nuts that get you through the bad times,” he continued. “I don’t think there’s any restaurant in a position now that is able to eat a week or two of nothing coming in.” Despite the economic downturn last year, there were no indications that The Grand Slam Café was in trouble before the ice storm. According to Robert Bliss of the state Department of Revenue, there are no tax issues prior to Dec. 10. “This business has been a model taxpayer,” Mr. Bliss wrote in an e-mail after looking into The Grand Slam Café’s history. The baseball-themed restaurant and ice cream stand opened Feb. 1, 2001, as a family-owned and operated business. Through the years, it was involved in most of the town’s community events such as donating food to senior lunches or events at The Devereaux School.

Anyone could bring their old baseball team photo to the Gengels and, even if it was 30 years old, it would be framed and hung on the wall. Later, the Gengels’ older children, Britney, 19, and Bernie, 17, held different jobs there and their youngest son, Ritchie, 14, spent a lot of time there as well. “We wanted it to be like a combination of ‘Cheers’ and Disney World,” she said. “A place where everybody knows your name, but the kind of place you can bring children. If you wanted an intimate place, you didn’t come here.” In addition to the Red Sox Nation paraphernalia that decorated the restaurant, special events featured David Ortiz, Trot Nixon, Doug Marabelli and Kevin Youkilis who slipped into town once a year to hold free autograph sessions at The Grand Slam Café.

Local players got a lot of attention, too. After playing games at the field across the street, the winning teams were treated to free ice cream at the “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” outdoor service counter. “We’re sad that it’s closing,” said Johnna Carlson. “It’s definitely an icon in the town for a lot of reasons. Our kids played ball over at the field and it was a great place to go after a game and grab a quick meal. It was just a great place to go as a family. We always took for granted that it would always be there.” Addison Redfield’s children are grown, but when his grandchildren visit him in Rutland, they visit The Grand Slam Café at least once. “It was really upbeat. You could tell that the people who owned it loved baseball and especially the Red Sox,” said Mr. Redfield. “It was quite a surprise and a very sad affair to have them close.”

Despite the restaurant’s fate, the Gengels say their best memory will be serving meals last month to emergency workers who came to their town’s rescue from Canada, Texas, California and Alaska. “It was beautiful seeing all these nice, nice people working so hard,” Mrs. Gengel said. “Originally, we just opened up for the DPW, police and all these guys coming from all over the country, but people in town didn’t have power, so we said anyone who needs a hot meal can come down.” The Grand Slam Café served 250 meals Dec. 15 and 450 Dec. 16 until it ran out of food.

“I wouldn’t change anything we did,” Mrs. Gengel said.

Source:http://www.telegram.com/article/20090116/NEWS/901160676/1008/NEWS02