Red's May Open Doors in Early Spring

Hungry diners and fans of the original Salem eatery can look forward to feasting at Red’s Kitchen and Tavern this spring when the new restaurant on Route 1 finally opens.

Ward 5 Councilor David Gamache said he spoke with property owner John Kallas late last week, who assured him construction of the 21,000-square-foot commercial building was back on track and nearing completion for a late March, early April opening for the eatery.

“We’re pretty excited about it,” Gamache said, and he wasn't just talking about the food.

He noted Red’s owner John Drivas can begin capitalizing on his investment, Kallas can move on to filling out the rest of the building and the city can soon start collecting additional revenues beyond property taxes.

This new version of the downtown Salem breakfast and sandwich shop would feature dinner options on the menu and seat 175 patrons with operating hours of 5 a.m. - 1 a.m. It also has a full liquor license.

Gamache said another plus to the restaurant’s location on Route 1 is that it’s simple enough for Peabody diners to head up the highway or via Forest Street from the downtown or South Peabody, enjoy their meal and head back home again via Forest Street.

Peabody attorney David Ankeles, who has been representing Kallas before the city on project permits, confirmed that Kallas and Drivas are hoping to have Red’s open within the next three months.

“The owner, landlord and tenant have worked through all of their issues and it looks like everybody’s back to work. Hopefully things will be completed in about twelve weeks, maybe the end of March, first week in April…and hopefully they’ll be able to open up then or shortly thereafter,” said Ankeles.

Originally, Kallas and Drivas were planning on a Summer 2011 opening, but  through the spring and summer when some issues arose between the two.

Gamache said the contention was related to contractors on the job, and noted that the poor economy did not help matters.

Further plans for the site at 129-131 Newbury St. include a convenience store, relocating the existing gas station and auto repair shop on Forest Street along with other retail uses. The truck stop will continue to operate behind the building.

That immediate area of Route 1 is currently seeing a , and Gamache is the first to say he’s glad to see the uptick in commercial activity.

Directly across the highway, , a brand new  recently opened next door (the new plaza also has plenty of vacant space still) and the Carriage House Motel was finally torn down to make way for a new facility for JRM.