Fresh food, cold beer, a friendly staff and a great location are the main ingredients in the success of the Gardner Ale House, according to owner Rick Walton.<\/p>\n
When asked what separates the Gardner Ale House from the competition, he noted \u201cOur food is prepared fresh, not frozen or processed and we make our own beer. Our staff is super friendly and our location in downtown Gardner feels like the center of action \u2013 a Main St. kind of feel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Founded in 2006, Walton\u2019s popular establishment at 74 Parker St. in Gardner now employs 85 people and is a thriving part of downtown Gardner.\u00a0 He feels one of the most special aspects of doing business in North Central Massachusetts is that customers don\u2019t have to deal with large crowds or noises of the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur modest size city is just right for our restaurant and the people in the area; some coming from a bit far away,\u201d he said. \u201cNorth Central MA is just more laid back. COVID didn\u2019t hit us as hard as it hit the cities because of our lower population density and more spread out living situations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walton noted the Ale House is very involved in many community activities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe pretty much involve ourselves in anything going on in the city (Gardner IS a city, by the way.),\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cAnd the city and it\u2019s organizations come to us for beer, food, donations of gift cards, senior center activities. We pretty much do it all. And we put on the biggest party for the city called Oktoberfest & the Chair Luge. So much fun! The list goes on\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
While COVID may not have hit the Ale House as hard as other establishments, Walton still said it forced them to change how they operate the business.<\/p>\n
\u201cCustomers are harder to come by so we have to become even more attractive than we already are,\u201d he said. \u201cThat means more consistency with food and service. It means tightening our belts, reducing waste even more \u2013 getting the most out of every dollar. It means making it easier to get food for takeout. We need to be like the chains with takeout!\u201d<\/p>\n
Walton added they are improving lighting, music, furniture. \u201cThe whole vibe is nicer,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cWe were forced to take our already excellent restaurant and brewery and make it even better! And it is working, but it is a slow climb. The future looks bright because we are so much better than ever before.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also noted the Ale House\u2019s staff is a very important part of why they are even better.\u00a0 \u201cEverybody in the company is important and listened to. Condescending to another employee just doesn\u2019t happen and is not allowed. We aren\u2019t too serious: The culture is to respect each other, work hard and enjoy your job. We can\u2019t be 100% in this, but we try. It might sound dreamy, but we believe you shouldn\u2019t be in a job you don\u2019t like. So, our culture puts employees first. In that way, customers get the best possible service and experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
When he is hiring staff, Walton looks for \u201chonesty, a good work ethic and a willingness to learn.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cIf you can be like that, he said, \u201cwe\u2019ll teach you the rest!\u201d<\/p>\n
Word of mouth is a critical way for The Ale House\u201d to promote itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe promote ourselves through our community involvement, through Word of Mouth, heavy use of social media and through collaborations like the Brew Barn and Cidery at Red Apple Farm in Phillipston,\u201d Walton added.\u00a0 \u201cI think Word of Mouth builds our customer base reliably, but social media gets the word out to that base and that is critical.\u00a0 We also have a rewards program and a newsletter in which I am allowed to be a bit silly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walton said he listens to everyone for ideas.\u00a0 \u201cWe casually take in the competition to see how they do things,\u201d he noted. \u201cWe aren\u2019t too proud to borrow! A very big influence is each other. So many people in this company have left their mark on us with ideas, methods and best practices.\u201d<\/p>\n
He concluded the biggest influence of The Ale House is the guests\u2019 input.\u00a0 \u201cGuest feedback is largely positive,\u201d Walton noted, \u201cwhich gives us the impetus to continue along our way and negative feedback is critical to improving our way forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Fresh food, cold beer, a friendly staff and a great location are the main ingredients in the success of the Gardner Ale House, according to owner Rick Walton. When asked what separates the Gardner Ale House from the competition, he noted \u201cOur food is prepared fresh, not frozen or processed and we make our own […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18441,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,129],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-member-spotlight"],"yoast_head":"\n