#SavingRyans - Ryans Main Street Grill, Leslie AR

Hi y’all it’s Mary! As a close friend of the Lewis family, I am starting this account. So many gracious people have already started reaching out to Ryan asking for this option and opportunity to help! This fund will be the easiest way to get money straight into the bank account! You can also go direct to the Bank of 1889 in Marshall, AR. Let me assure you that all funds are going directly to Ryan’s Main Street Grill!

Here is the full story…

After graduating from Leslie High School in 2002, Ryan Lewis spent the next decade of his life working in the restaurant industry, starting as a butcher at Texas Roadhouse in Kansas City, Kansas, and continuing with his opening and managing restaurants across the country – from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Key West, Florida. In the summer of 2013, Ryan was managing JJ’s Bar and Grill in Conway, Arkansas, when he received devastating news. His father, Joe Lewis’ health was rapidly declining and the Lewis family’s business, Lewis Grocery, was failing. Ryan knew he had to return to his hometown and help his family. Lewis Grocery, founded in 1945 by Ryan’s grandparents, was not only a piece of his family’s history and their only source of financial support, but it was also an integral part of the community. Ryan returned to Leslie determined to save his father’s business. First, Ryan helped modernize Lewis Grocery with the addition of bar code scanning and inventory management systems. Unfortunately, the upgrades to the grocery store did not have a significant positive impact, and as more businesses left Leslie or closed, Lewis Grocery seemed destined for the same fate. As a final attempt to salvage his family’s business, Ryan proposed a completely new idea to his father. Relying on his previous experience in the food industry, he suggested that they begin serving hamburgers at the grocery store as a way to attract customers. It was a risk - one that required a financial investment into a failing business. But it was the last and only chance Ryan had to save Lewis Grocery, not only for his family, but for the Leslie community, as well. In 2014, Ryan and Joe installed one grill at the grocery store and began offering hamburgers. George McIntosh, owner of Generator George on Hwy 65 between St. Joe and Marshall, donated the first seating for customers- a single yellow booth. The first burger was sold to Lynn Wood, pastry chef at Serenity Farms Bread. Ryan was right - customers began flocking to Lewis Grocery, but not to shop for household goods – they were coming for one thing – Ryan’s hamburgers. Ryan’s food was a huge success. Less than a year later, Ryan was not just selling hamburgers inside the family’s grocery store, he officially opened Ryan’s Main Street Grill inside Lewis Grocery. Ryan and Joe both knew that the Lewis family’s future was not Lewis Grocery, however, Ryan would continue providing the Leslie community with food, just as his grandparents and parents had done. Lewis Grocery closed in the winter of 2015. Although it had started with only hamburgers and one yellow booth, Ryan’s Main Street Grill quickly grew, transforming into both a dining and entertainment destination for not only the residents of Leslie and the surrounding area, but for people from miles away, returning for Ryan’s delicious, hand-cut, aged ribeye steaks, his mother, Vicki Lewis’ delectable homemade desserts, and live local music. Sadly, as business at the restaurant continued to improve, Joe’s health declined. Joe Lewis passed away on May 26, 2019. The Lewis family and the Leslie community mourned the loss of Joe, who is still remembered for his generosity and kindness. After Joe’s passing, Ryan and Vicki continued to dedicate themselves to the restaurant, and business kept growing. Today, Ryan’s Main Street Grill seats 175 customers and serves an average of 1.500 patrons each week, all at the same location where his grandparents opened Lewis Grocery nearly 80 years ago, in the small town of Leslie, Arkansas – population 375. In an industry that less than half of new businesses survive the first six years, Ryan’s Main Street Grill had defied the odds – sales continued to increase, as Ryan’s loyal customers returned for their favorite foods – often for Ryan’s steaks, seasoned with his own house blend and Vicki’s strawberry pie and carrot cake, each made from scratch daily. By all accounts, they had succeeded. However, Ryan was concealing a terrifying truth, determined to protect his mother from the devastating reality – Ryan’s Main Street Grill was failing to generate a profit. Although sales were at their highest, Ryan was unable to maintain a positive balance at the bank. Ryan continued to struggle to keep his business open, asking for support from friends, pleading for more time with his local bank, and praying for answers. Ryan was humiliated. Not only was he unable to provide financial security for his family, but he was also at risk of losing his business – a detriment to his employees and the residents of Leslie. He was embarrassed at the state of his building -unable to replace failing equipment, make necessary repairs and updates, or perform standard maintenance. He wanted to provide an exceptional experience for his customers and the most efficient and comfortable environment for his employees. Ryan felt like a failure – harboring a harsh reality – Ryan’s Main Street Grill would be closing. As a final effort to save his business, just as he had done with his family’s grocery store nearly ten years before, Ryan began searching for answers. What he found, however, was, perhaps, more devastating than losing his business. Ryan discovered that he was not failing. Ryan was being betrayed and deceived by some of the individuals he trusted and relied on the most – his employees. Ryan could not believe the staggering figures. In 18 months, several employees had stolen close to $200,000.00 in cash sales. Ryan had not only been robbed of every dollar of potential profit belonging to him and his mother, but the cost to continue operating the restaurant each month far exceeded the remaining revenue. Ryan had spent months fearing how closing the grill would negatively impact his employees and their families. He had spent countless sleepless nights preparing to tell his mother that the restaurant they had dedicated the last decade of their lives to would be closing. He blamed himself. Accepting the painful truth that a group of his employees, some of whom had worked for him for years, had covertly designed a method to steal his earnings has been a challenge. Ryan, much like Joe, is a kind and generous man. After discovering the truth, one of Ryan’s first statements was, “If they needed money, they could have asked. I would have given them whatever they needed, if I could.” Although Ryan now knows why they were facing the final days of serving his and Vicki’s famous steaks and cakes, the fate of Ryan’s Main Street Grill is still uncertain. Starting this weekend, Ryan’s Main Street Grill will be hosting a “Saving Ryan’s” event. Visit the restaurant for dinner, drinks, and dessert. Special edition “Saving Ryan’s” t-shirts will be available for purchase, as well as appearances by special guests. Please be patient, as the grill will be operating with a greatly reduced number of staff. Show your support, and let’s save Ryan’s.