2001 Business of the Year: Common Man Family of Restaurants

The name is deceiving: there is nothing common about the successful chain of restaurants developed by Alex Ray. Opening the first Common Man 1971, Ray was both owner and cook of the eatery which originally could seat only 35 people.

During the next 30 years, he created a chain of popular restaurants,

In a business sector that experiences more failures than successes, Ray has endured and overcome hardships. When an arsonist destroyed The Common Man in Lincoln, Ray decided to rebuild and told his employees that anyone who wanted to remain with the company still had a job.

As a new restaurant rises from the ashes, employees have been "lent" to the other restaurants in the chain with their travel expenses paid by The Common Man. They have been wearing pins stating, "I'm loaned from Lincoln," which has caught customers' attention and has allowed employees to spread the word that the Lincoln restaurant was being rebuilt. A grand opening ceremony was held last month.

The loan program has been so successful, Ray decided to expand it. "We're now sending (more) employees to other restaurants because of the cross-training that takes place," Ray explains.

Ray says he appreciates his employees but admits to not saying it enough. He says a national problem is the toleration of the average and the lack of work ethic encroaching on corporate America. He points out that he has a good core of employees. "We have all these people because they are dynamic," Ray says of his employees.

Summing up his philosophy, he says, "Life is a tomato. You're either ripening or rotting. There is nothing in between."

Ray likes to empower his managers but maintains a confidential help phone line employees can use to voice any concerns which they feel are not being satisfactorily handled. He makes sure he addresses employee concerns within a week.

Ray is also proud of his employees' dedication to giving back to the communities they work in. He and his employees have a long history of donating time and money to various causes. In the past decade, the Common Man has given more than $300,000 to Easter Seals. The company puts 10 cents from the sale of every cup of coffee in all of its restaurants towards the charity and has raised $10,000 annually for the past six years through The Common Man Open Golf Tournament.

Ray and his employees joined forces with Conneston Construction of Gilford to supply manpower and $20,000 to build a home for Habitat For Humanity. While such endeavors may serve as an effective marketing tool for the restaurant chain, it is the atmosphere of pride that they generate both in the company and in the community that are now the driving force behind the community service.

"Every restaurant is encouraged to do its own community (outreach) without having to ask us and they do. I'm proud of them," Ray says.

He is also proud of the state in which he lives and conducts business. The Common Man Family of Restaurants participated in the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C., in 1999, representing NH's cuisine and cooking traditions. Ray flew in and housed his own staff, serving 50,000 people during the 10-day event.

"The reason I love New Hampshire is for its excellent openmindedness; it's small in a positive way. We're such an efficient, frugal, communicative state." he says. Ray is concerned about NH retaining its heritage, and he will continue to focus on helping to make the state a desirable place to live and visit.