Golden Corral construction in full swing, ready to start hiring

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Business partners Lenny Abreu, left, and Steve Leary, next to the massive flat grill hood, have been overseeing construction at the new Golden Corral, coming soon to South Willow Street. Photo/Carol Robidoux

MANCHESTER, NH – While most people are thinking about avoiding crowds these days, those in the business of crowd-pleasing are staying the course and looking ahead to an eventual reprieve from the current wave of closures and quarantines.

Lenny Abreu and Steve Leary are among those too busy with the task at hand – construction of a 344-seat buffet restaurant on South Willow Street – to get caught up in the negative side of the news.

New Hampshire’s first Golden Corral is still on track for opening late spring or early summer, says Abreu.

A walk-through at the 11,000-square-foot eatery last week at the Shoppes at South Willow means an encounter with large stainless steel objects, like the impressive flat grill hood turned on its side, exposing a row of lightbulbs the size and shape of jumbo mason jars.

“I call that the doo-dad, or jiggamabob,” says Abreu, who maintains a sense of humor, despite the monumental task at hand.

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A jigsaw of sheet metal components are roof ready. Photo/Carol Robidoux

There are stacks of sheet metal that right now are a ventilation-system jigsaw ready to be installed on the roof, and steel beams jutting up from the concrete, a roadmap to the various sections of the open-concept buffet restaurant yet to take shape. Bathrooms in the back, beverage station here, cold bar there, and a function room next to the front window that will seat 50-60 for special occasions.

He knows how to run a restaurant, but isn’t expert in assembling the pieces of the puzzle from the ground up. Fortunately, he doesn’t have to. Crews from M&M Construction Services of Bedford are bringing his vision to life.

Abreu and his wife Nancy have completed all the franchisee training, and have already hired some key staff who are now learning the ropes at other Golden Corral locations. It’s almost time to start hiring staff – 150 or so, Abreu estimates, to keep things running smoothly.

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The bones of the Golden Corral are in place, sheetrock to follow soon. Photo/Carol Robidoux

“This is the newest design, an open-concept layout,” says Leary of the chain restaurant’s recent upgrade that eliminates buffet lines.

The dishwashing station will process 244 racks of dishes per hour, and the set-up is optimized to make guests feel cozy and welcome, says Abreu. He is a stickler for old-school service – customers are always “guests” and courtesy and service are top priority, up there with the quality of the food.

“If you come in here you’re coming to our house, and we’ll treat everyone like a guest,” says Abreu, who expects to be the best future boss in Manchester.

“In a few weeks all the walls will be up, and the bars will be in place by the end of the month. It will start looking a lot more amazing soon,” he says.

Leary says they are prepared for the challenges of running a restaurant and plan to have a soft opening for family and friends first to work out the kinks.

“Anyone interested in a job, we’re planning to hire about 150 people. We’ll be hanging a ‘we’re hiring’ banner outside the restaurant and on the marquee within the month,” Abreu says.

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Lenny Abreu is getting ready to hire 150 employees for NH’s first Golden Corral. Photo/Carol Robidoux

 

About this Author

Carol Robidoux

PublisherManchester Ink Link

Longtime NH journalist and publisher of ManchesterInkLink.com. Loves R&B, German beer, and the Queen City!