Charlie’s set to close Nov. 11

Monday, October 8, 2018
Charlie's, the southside Greencastle restaurant owned by Putnam County Comprehensive Services, will close permanently on Sunday, Nov. 11.
Courtesy Putnam County Comprehensive Services

Charlie’s, the south side Greencastle burger joint owned by Putnam County Comprehensive Services, will close permanently on Sunday. Nov. 11.

PCCS Executive Director Andrew Ranck made the announcement publicly via the organization Facebook page on Saturday morning.

“The restaurant competition has increased dramatically in Greencastle since we opened in March of 2013,” Ranck wrote, “and the board of directors of Putnam County Comprehensive Services Inc. determined we can best serve our mission of employment of individuals with disabilities by working with other businesses to place people in jobs with them.“

The board made its vote to close the restaurant on Thursday, and employees were notified on Friday.

Ranck added that the closure of the restaurant will not lead another vacant building on Bloomington Street, such as the former Kentucky Fried Chicken location to the southwest the Charlie’s building.

“PCCS has a growing population needing services and even with our recent campus expansion, we are still in need of space for programs for the people serve,” Ranck said. “We intend to not add to the vacant building challenge Greencastle has. We will continue to own the building, and maintain the physical property to exceed the expectations of the public.”

Charlie’s is less than a block from the PCCS campus.

The PCCS statement also indicated that employees will be offered a severance package as well as job placement assistance.

Plans for Comprehensive Services to open a business on a former vacant lot at 424 Bloomington St. were first announced in the summer of 2011. Initial plans were for an ice cream shop, though by the time the restaurant opened in early 2013, the model had evolved into sandwiches and ice cream.

The vision for Charlie’s, named after longtime PCCS Executive Director Chuck Schroeder, has from inception been to provide a place of employment for developmentally disabled PCCS clients, as well as acting as a training site for other foodservice jobs.

“When the economy went bad (in the late 2000s) a lot of the individuals with disabilities were losing their jobs and not having any placements in the community,” Schroeder told the Banner Graphic shortly before the restaurant opened. “So, this and most of our placements that we could place individuals with disabilities would be in a fast food restaurant.”

At the time of its opening, the Charlie’s business model — a for-profit business run by a not-for-profit organization with the mission of providing services and employment for individuals with disabilities — was believed to be the first of its kind.

From the beginning, the goal was to maintain a staff that was at least 25 percent developmentally-disabled PCCS clients.

“We are proud of the work we have done, proud of our employees and look forward to still being active in the community by working with you on this closure,” Ranck said. “We have a loyal customer base, and we have been privileged to serve you. You have helped us serve the people we support.”

During its five-plus years of operation, Charlie’s has undergone some shifts to its business model, including a December 2013 rebranding to Beefcake Burgers, the now-defunct burger chain that was the vision of Greencastle entrepreneur Bobby Hopper.

Even after the closure of other Beefcake Burgers locations, Charlie’s continued with the Beefcake build-your-own-burger approach.

Ranck said Charlie’s plans to continue with the same level of service until the close of business on Nov. 11.

“Please, come in. Have a delicious meal and say goodbye to us,” Ranck said. “Our hours and menu will remain the same through the closing date.

“It’s been a great run, Greencastle,” he added. “Thank you for helping us help others.”

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  • I for one am sad to see Charlie’s close. We ate there last night. Probably averaged 3 times a month since opening. Good fresh hot food at a reasonable cost. And the benefit of “ Keeping the green in Greencastle”. Maybe DePauw, instead of trying to own all of downtown, should partner with PCCS to let this continue to be a viable business and employment opportunity for some real community involvement.

    -- Posted by Vernie1 on Mon, Oct 8, 2018, at 12:27 PM
  • This is horrible news! My family LOVES eating at Charlie's. They have wonderful food, great prices, and fantastic/quick/friendly service. What a shame that our town is going to lose this gem of a restaurant.

    It is sad that fast food chains thrive in Greencastle, while truly fantastic restaurants like Charlie's are lost. My family has lived in Greencastle for 18 years and during that time, we have seen so many restaurants go out of business. Remember Chiefs, Sugar Moon, Maggie's, Snappy Tomato, Old Topper, The Monon, Domino's, Anthony's, Long John Silvers, and Sonic??? I am probably forgetting some. Such a shame to see another one go.

    You will be missed Charlie's.

    :(

    -- Posted by vela75 on Mon, Oct 8, 2018, at 5:32 PM
  • One of the primary (but not only) reasons for a business to close is they haven't convinced enough potential customers to view their establishment as vela75 does.

    -- Posted by beg on Tue, Oct 9, 2018, at 12:56 PM
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