Work Slows to Crawl for Red’s Restaurant

Construction on the much-anticipated Route 1 location of Red’s restaurant has ground to a halt, Building Commissioner Kevin Goggin confirmed on Thursday.

The lack of recent activity at the site is nigh evidence enough.

Red’s Kitchen and Tavern, which would be the second location of the breakfast and sandwich shop in downtown Salem, is the anchor business for a new 21,000-square-foot commercial building at 129-131 Newbury St. The site was formerly home to the Bel-Aire Diner, which closed in 2005.

This new version of the popular Salem eatery would feature dinner options on the menu and seat 175 patrons with operating hours of 5 a.m. - 1 a.m.

With shovels hitting the dirt last fall, Red’s owner John Drivas anticipated having construction wrapped up by June 1, according to Goggin.

Now approaching July 1, it’s unclear when the new eatery may be ready to serve the public.

Goggin said his understanding is there are some issues that have arisen between Drivas and the principal property owner John Kallas, which have caused the delay. Goggin said he is meeting with both sides next Wednesday and hopes to walk away with some concrete plans for moving forward.

Goggin said there are no issues on the city’s end.

Neither Drivas nor Kallas’ attorney, David Ankeles, returned phone calls for comment on the current status of the development.

Ward 5 Councilor David Gamache expressed his disappointment last week at the slow going of construction at the site. He contrasted that with work on the opposite side of Route 1 at a site that will house a Dunkin’ Donuts with a drive-through. Gamache said that job started months after Red’s, but will likely be ready to open months earlier than the new restaurant.

City councilors approved a special permit for Red’s last August, which allowed the restaurant to obtain a full liquor license. For $125,000, Red’s purchased the license held by Bertucci’s for its former location at the , according to city records.

When Kallas first informed city officials of his intent to redevelop the site in 2009, those plans included renovating and reopening the Bel-Aire to serve as the centerpiece of a 14,300-square-foot commercial building, which is somewhat smaller than the current structure.

The station and auto repair shop on the other side of Forest Street would have been relocated to the rear of the new building, which was also planned to house a convenience store and other retail uses.

Two years later, with Red’s taking the place of the Bel-Aire, it’s not entirely clear if Kallas stills intend to follow that initial plan. Goggin said he has not seen definite plans yet on the rest of the building.

Gamache likewise said Kallas hasn’t elaborated much on potential tenants yet, but added that likely will emerge once Red’s is finished.

As for the 1950s era diner, the Bel-Aire has been put up for sale, but in an interview with the Salem News last fall, Kallas said he would “shrink wrap” the family business and store it at the rear of the site if a buyer could not be found.