Posted: Monday, April 7, 2008 12:00 am
Paul's Place in Philomath closes its doors for good Sunday after 22 years
By Nancy Raskauskas
Gazette-Times Reporter
"It's been nonstop for the last four days," said Paul Gates as he gazed at the crowds of people in his restaurant on Sunday afternoon.
But although one last great surge of customers and well-wishers was certainly helpful for Gate's finances, nothing was going to change the fact that this was the end for Paul's Place, a local hangout famous for specialty hamburgers, homemade fries and Gates' friendly touch.
"This time it's forever," he said.
Gates figures he has had about 200 employees over the 22 years of on-and-off operation the restaurant has seen at two locations in Philomath.
In the burger business it's almost unheard-of to have such low staff turnover.
"Kids stick here, some staying for eight or nine years," Gates said. "I pay them enough to stay on and because we're together for years and years, we become like family."
A large group of former staff members came back on Sunday to help with the last-day crowd.
Dave Harwood started working at Paul's Place after graduating from Philomath High School in 1998. He worked there for eight years before leaving in August 2006 for a job with Google in The Dalles.
"I was asked in my interview about leadership and team work," Harwood said. "Working here definitely teaches a lot of life lessons."
"The culture that he (Paul Gates) fostered here was the best part," agreed Trevor Sehrer, who also works at Google in The Dalles. "It was better than the food."
"They did not necessarily appreciate it when I was making them work so hard, cleaning the floor or whatever," Gates said. "But, they come back and tell me how it helped them."
T.R. Gregg, a longtime Philomath resident whose daughter Rachel worked at the restaurant during high school, couldn't agree more.
"He expected a lot of hard work, but accepted people for who they were," said Gregg.
Paul Gates is "the heart and soul of this town," he added.
Gregg, his wife, Marcy, and son Ian had stopped by for one last burger while Rachel donated her services working the ice cream counter.
"We've been eating here nearly every Sunday for the past 16 years," figured Ian, who is a senior at Philomath High School.
Some Gregg favorites from the menu are the cheeseburger with Swiss and Paul's famous LaBamba Burger with avocados and salsa.
"Paul really cared about the food, right down to which potatoes to use," said Gregg.
"This is a community gathering place," said Gregg. "Once it goes, what are we left with? A flow-through traffic pattern?"
Gregg was referring to the $11 million Highway 20/34 couplet project, which was completed last fall. Gates has blamed the project for an estimated $30,000 in losses during the construction when traffic was routed away from his business.
He said a slow winter season and the economic downturn finished him off.
"The last year with the construction of the couplet was tough," Gates said. "I just thought, 'I'm never going to catch up.'"
But, he said, there were other influences as well. His four grown children bombarded him at Christmastime, asking when he planned to throw in the towel. And the bottom line is, he's tired of working 18-hour days up to six days a week.
According to Gates, most of his employees were already planning to move on to different gigs later this spring, such as graduate school, before he announced the closure.
The four employees who didn't have other plans have been offered jobs by the owner of a new restaurant that will be opening in the same location, at 1413 Main St., in the next few weeks. But Gates isn't sure of his future plans.
"I'm not really retired," he said, "I'm looking forward to doing something just five days a week."
Photo slideshow
Click here for a photo slideshow of the last day at Paul's Place.
http://gazettetimesnew.mycapture.com/mycapture/folder.asp?event=490442&CategoryID=27129&ListSubAlbums=0
Gazette-Times reporter Nancy Raskauskas can be reached at 758-9542 or nancy.raskauskas@lee.net