So Long Bailey's

These are the positings from the old message board !!

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Gary Scharoff
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So Long Bailey's

Post by Gary Scharoff »

The following is an April 10, 2003 article from the Granite News:

Granite State News - Online - April 10, 2003
?2002 Salmon Press, Inc. <BIG><FONT COLOR="ff0000"><CENTER>'Bailey family sells a ?Wolfeboro institution?</FONT> </BIG> </CENTER>
By CHERYL McCARRISTON
WOLFEBORO ?

A tasty summer tradition, established here in the Lakes Region in 1938, has come to an end.

Bailey?s Restaurant, which has been operated by three generations of the Allan E. Bailey family for the past 64 summers, has been sold.

Rick Skelley, a grandson of Allan E. Bailey, and his wife, Maria, bought the business from his parents, Virginia Bailey Skelley and Alan Skelley, in 1996. They sold the family restaurant April 2 to Aaron and Patti Morrissey, but said the Bailey name was not part of the package.

Rick and Maria said the decision to sell the restaurant was to spend more quality time with their family. The couple has two daughters in elementary school and a two-year-old son.
?My family is very supportive of this decision,? said Rick, adding that his parents were behind them 100 percent.

Rick said that, for the past three summers, he has worked seven days a week, for more than 130 consecutive days, and has consequently spent very little time with his children. He said he has been working in the family business for 30 summers, starting out as a dishwasher when he was 11.

Following graduation from Kingswood, Rick earned a culinary arts degree from Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island, and returned to work in the family business. Although he assumed ownership of Bailey?s in 1996, he said he ran the restaurant for the previous 10 years, while his father managed Bailey?s Dockside Restaurant downtown.

?We ran the business hands-on,? said Rick, explaining that a family member was always present.

He said many of the original recipes were still served right up until last summer, including the ?BBB? or barbecue beef burger, the house dressing for salads and of course the homemade ice cream sauces. In addition, a wide variety of ice-cream flavors were served, with some new ones added since his grandfather set up shop.
The generations whose summer memories include the taste of Bailey?s ice cream and the homemade fudge, butterscotch and penuche sauces will still be able to enjoy these treats this summer. Bailey?s Bubble on Railroad Avenue will continue to serve the ice-cream sundaes as part of its menu selections. Rick said he also plans to market the ice-cream sauces via the website: <A HREF="http://www.baileystraditions.com" TARGET="_blank">www.baileystraditions.com</A>.

The Skelleys employed 73 people last summer, most of whom were part-time. Rick said that?s how many people it took to run the restaurant the way he wanted it run. He said many of the employees were ?second generation,? and Maria added, ?Many of the employees were like family.?
Although the restaurant was open officially from 7:30 a.m. until 10 p.m., Rick said they kept the doors open until the last person waiting was seated and had been fed.

Many family members were actively involved in the restaurant business. For the past few years, Rick?s brother Doug was the general manager, and Doug?s wife, Sheila, was the head breakfast cook. Rick?s parents have always been a vital part of the operation, since they became the second-generation owners in 1966. Up until the final season last summer, Rick said his father headed up the food preparation duties. Rick?s mother basically grew up in the restaurant and was still cooking breakfast orders a few days a week last summer.

Although the restaurant has always been a part of his life, Rick said it was the right time to sell the family business. ?It?s a huge relief off our shoulders.? He said the decision to sell was ?not easy,? but he said he wishes good luck to the new owners. ?We tried to keep it local,? he said, adding that the new owners have an attachment to the area.

The new owners plan to open ?The Morrissey?s Front Porch? in early May.



[url=http://granitestatenews.com/041003bailey.htm]Bailey family sells a ?Wolfeboro institution?[/url]
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