Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/812736
172 NE W HAMPSHIRE: First in the Nation • Profiles in Excellence T he first Common Man Restaurant opened on Main Street in Ashland, New Hampshire in 1971. e bank didn't think too highly of financing the young Alex Ray in this venture, but aer a few doses of the Ray enthusiasm and the dedication of one loan officer, it all came together. e Common Man Ashland could serve all of 35 people in its cozy front dining room. ere wasn't a waiting area or lounge, so patrons would line up outside – even in the winter – and wait for an open table. Ray says he used to run out of the kitchen and peek around the building to see how long the line was. People waiting would look in the door and see customers ordering more coffee. e whisper would then run down the waiting line, "Oh nuts, they're having more coffee." Alex and Jack McCormack were the cooks, and Diane Downing worked in Ashland as a server and bartender. Downing eventually managed Ashland and future locations, and moved into her important role on the leadership team as Vice President. In 1974, the carriage house behind the restaurant was converted into more dining space. Now patrons had a warm place to wait for a table! In 1977, Ray and his young family moved out of the rooms above the main restaurant to a farm in Holderness, and he converted the space into e Step Above Lounge. e comfortable, family room-like lounge is a local landmark. In October of 1985, the old Pollard Family home in Lincoln, NH, was purchased and an old barn was moved to the site, renovated, and attached for additional dining space, to open the second Common Man restaurant in the state. In 1987, Ray purchased and renovated the old Howard Johnson's Restaurant in Concord, NH, keeping the old-style counter service and turning it into a real old- fashioned '50s style diner. e Capital City Diner became a popular local hangout and a must-stop on every politician's tour of the state. In December of 1991, aer much negotiating, Ray convinced the Pike Family to sell the parking lot adjacent to their company headquarters just off exit 20 on I-93 in Tilton. He knew this would be the perfect spot to park the 1952 steel diner that he'd bought several years before, The first Common Man Restaurant opened in Ashland, NH in 1971 and the flagship location continues to serve honest food at honest prices and WOW hospitality today. The Common Man Restaurant