Concord’s Red Blazer vows to pay 96 employees give back during COVID-19 crisis
Business owner Sarandis Karathanasis is no longer steering a cargo ship. He says he is just trying to stay afloat on a rowboat until the day he can fully reopen the Red Blazer.
The restaurant and pub's general manager coined the metaphor when attempting to articulate just how severely the coronavirus has affected daily operations at the restaurant and pub on Concord's Manchester Street. Not long before Gov. Chris Sununu had signed an executive order on the eve of St. Patrick's Day calling on restaurants to suspend all dine-in services, the Red Blazer had marked its 20th anniversary.
In the week that followed, the restaurant experienced a 95% decrease in business. Karathanasis made the difficult decision to temporarily shut down and suspend takeout services to regroup and chart a new course.
"We never imagined there would be a shutdown," he said in a recent interview. "That first week was complete turmoil."
An annual fundraiser held every St. Patrick's Day to support the Boys and Girls Club in Concord was canceled last-minute. Still, the Red Blazer made its annual contribution of $4,000 in support of the nonprofit organization's programs without hesitation.
Even with the restaurant closed and uncertainty ahead, Karathanasis made a solemn commitment: He would continue to fully pay his 96 employees, many of whom have worked for the restaurant for a decade or more.
"When I wrote the checks out manually this past week and saw the stack of them, it really hit me. This all humbles you very quickly," he said on Wednesday.
"We did all the right planning even though we never imagined anything like this," he continued. "We put out the full payroll and we plan to do it again Friday."
After being closed to customers for about one week, Red Blazer launched in recent days its new takeout menu. Although a pared-down version of its original, the menu still includes some classics, like homemade chicken tenders, fettuccine alfredo and steak tips. The restaurant is now open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch takeout and from 4 to 8 p.m. for dinner takeout.
The employees working those shifts due so on a voluntary basis. Karathanasis said he has encouraged employees who are considered "high risk" to stay home, while some others have chosen not to work either shift for fear of exposing their families to COVID-19.
Red Blazer's revamped menu includes family packs that feed four to six people and features locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. Karathanasis said he feels a sense of obligation to support area farms and businesses so they too have a future beyond this crisis.
"From a responsibility standpoint, we have to reopen ourselves while also protecting the food supply chain," he said. "We need our customers just as much as they need theirs."
Red Blazer has long partnered with Windswept Maples Farm in Loudon for some of its meats and will continue its normal procurement schedule despite the circumstances brought about by COVID-19, Karathanasis said. Unfortunately, he said, the restaurant has had to cut back on its milk order from Contoocook Creamery in Hopkinton because with orders down the extra supply would spoil.
"We had a meat shop here and we're trying to get that back up and running," he said. "We will soon be selling steaks that people can cook at home."
On Sundays, Red Blazer staff prepare bagged lunches for staff working extra hours at Associated Grocers of New England in neighboring Pembroke. The warehouse supplies supermarkets, grocery and convenience stores and is a vital business during this time, Karathanasis said.
Karathanasis, a Concord native who now lives in Loudon, said he doesn't easily get emotional but the stories of those struggling to stay afloat during this pandemic have been difficult to hear. He said he is trying to do his part to keep traditions alive and spread happiness whenever possible.
That is why when the restaurant's annual St. Patrick's Day fundraiser for the Boys and Girls club was canceled, Karathanasis didn't think twice about gifting $4,000 to support the organization's programs.
"With raffle items and all last year, they probably raised $10,000 in all. It was the least we could do was give our part," he said. "People still have bills to pay, staff to support and they need it now more than ever."
Chris Emond, executive director of the club, said Thursday that he couldn't find the words to thank Karathanasis and the Red Blazer family.
"You know they also don't have the revenue coming in and for them to say, 'We felt it is important to still give the same amount and we're going to give despite all of this,' that was truly unbelievable," Emond said. "They could have easily picked up the phone and said, 'We can't,' and we would have completely understood."
Under normal circumstances, the money would go toward student financial aid and scholarship programs, Emond said. But it's now helping support the day-to-day operations of the club, which just reopened last week to provide emergency child care for parents of local first responders, including firefighters, police officers, nurses and doctors.
"We normally accommodate 200 kids and now we have 50," he said.
The club, although open on a restricted basis, has completely redesigned its programs to ensure the safety of both its staff and the students it serves, Emond said.
Witnessing so many people come together and do what they can in this time of crisis has been humbling, Karathanasis said.
"A good customer friend of mine came in right after they announced restaurants would close and purchased $1,000 worth of gift cards and wanted us to put a $10 one in every takeout bag until they're gone," he said. "Others have come in and dropped off donations for our servers who now aren't getting tips.
"This is real tear-jerking type stuff," he continued. "It's been remarkable."
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