Charlie's Chill and Grill to provide a unique local dining experience

Charlie's Chill and Grill store manager Mark Benassi and CEO of Putnam County Comprehensive Services Chuck Schroeder have worked together on this one-of-a-kind restaurant for nearly two years. The restaurant will provide higher quality fast food items and ice cream as well.

Putnam County residents can soon look forward to a new one-of-a-kind restaurant opening in Greencastle, Charlie's Chill and Grill.

The restaurant has a tentative opening date of March 1 and will offer a variety of sandwiches and ice cream.

It took nearly two years for Chuck Schroeder, CEO of Putnam County Comprehensive Services (PCCS), to make the concept of Charlie's a reality. Charlie's will be a restaurant, which will employ a large percentage of developmentally disabled people

The main goal of the business will be to provide skills to the developmentally disabled PCCS clients. The restaurant will not only provide them with a place of employment, but will serve as a training site for other foodservice jobs.

"I think this has been in the planning for over two years," Schroeder said. "When the economy went bad a lot of the individuals with disabilities were losing their jobs and not having any placements in the community. So, this and most of our placements that we could place individuals with disabilities would be in a fast food restaurant."

Private donations and operating funds were used to start the new business that will be operational as a for-profit, since the facility will be paying taxes.

The restaurant itself will be run in large part with Putnam County Comprehensive Services and will place clients who are capable of doing such work. Charlie's is said to be the first of it's kind and will provide a unique fast food experience that includes some specialty sandwiches for its customers.

"We are a fast food restaurant, but our quality is going to be a little better," said store manager Mark Benassi. "We're offering a few different types of sandwiches that aren't offered at the other establishments."

Though the tentative date for opening is March 1, the staff of the restaurant has already begun training and will be ready when that day comes around. The drive-through will more than likely be open just a week later.

Charlie's will run with the goal of providing a unique experience in fast food, with a different variety of quality food and ice cream at competitive prices in a pleasant and friendly environment.

At minimum, 25 percent of the total workforce at Charlie's will be developmentally disabled people. However, Benassi projected by opening day 42 percent of its 50 employees will be developmentally disabled.

"Naturally, not every individual can run an operation like this," Schroeder said. "Some of them may be very limited and they may be able to only carry trays or clean tables."

The types of things the employees will do are going to depend on their abilities. They first have to meet certain qualifications through the State of Indiana Rehabilitation Services.

"There's such a variety of disabilities," said Schroeder. "There's a large gap of individuals with disabilities ranging from severely disabled to mildly disabled. Depending on their functional level is where they will be placed in the fast food restaurant."

Some may be cashiers, some may clean and others will be cooking.

Charlie's, located on the westside of Bloomington Street, across from Robe-Ann Park, will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. It offers extended hours during the weekend.

"We want to ensure that when we do open we have all the issues worked out," said Schroeder.