Charlie's Chill & Grill hopes to revitalize the 231 area code and help employ handicapped citizens.
The Chill & Grill will employ mentally and physically disabled individuals. Chuck Schroeder, the CEO of the national chain, said of the approximately 50 Greencastle employees, between 25 and 40 percent are disabled.
"We want to train and employ individuals with disabilities," Schroeder said. "That's first and foremost."
Joyce Ramsey works for Child-Adult Resources Services. Ramsey is an employment consultant and job coach. She creates resumes, gathers references for challenged individuals, and puts them in contact with employers. Three individuals from the CARS program are employed by Charlie's.
"I help the employer and the individual out," Ramsey said.
Ramsey said she tries to place the disabled with businesses that interest them, and cites recently pairing a man with culinary training in a restaurant where he could use his skills.
Length of employment depends on the severity of the disability. Ramsey said individuals with a lower level of disability work for the employer and get checked in on once a week. Higher level disabled individuals are employed for three months at a time.
The Putnam County Comprehensive Services is a program similar to CARS. Charlie's employees 14 workers from PCCS.
Charlie's smells like barbeque and french fries. All of the fifteen tables full of customers, with more streaming in the glass doors held open by Schroeder. People crowd around the two registers to order a grilled chicken wrap, or a pork tenderloin sandwich.
"It's pretty hard to compete with McDonald's," said Scott Nauman, who just finished eating a pulled pork sandwich. "But with the freshness of the food I could tell it wasn't sitting back there forever."
The inside of Charlie's has tan tile floors, employees dressed in khaki pants, tan hats and purple shirts underneath white aprons. The ice cream dispenser is tucked away in the kitchen.
A Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza King, College Inn, Carpenter Realtors and Quick Pay Day Loans line 231 South heading toward Bloomington. The storefronts lining the street look tired.
"We want to help revitalize this side of town," Schroeder said. "It's one of our goals."
Benassi, the former general manager of Toppers Restaurant and Schroeder worked together since 1994. He hates the cold, opting to keep his jacket on buttoned to the top while inside. Benassi said he plans to accept Tiger Cards when Charlie's opens officially.
"We can't compete with fast food prices," said Benassi. "But we can with quality. I'm banking on that."