Rapid Ray's Nominated for Heartbeat of our Community Award

“In 1953, my grandfather Ray first started this business out of the back of a little milk truck. He was a butcher by trade and worked at the mills. In 1986, he bought the building we currently reside in.

I started working here in 1994 when I was 15 years old. After college, I tried to find some jobs utilizing my degree but didn’t find much that interested me. I didn’t like office jobs, and decided I would put all my efforts into my grandfather's business to keep it going. 

I’m third generation, and if someone is going to help the business carry on, it’s going to be in my lap. I love the legacy my grandfather left behind and I find the work fulfilling. I mean, I grew up here. It’s been a constant throughout my life. Even as a little kid, I was here a lot, so it’s really important to me.

Our customers are super loyal to us, and we thank them for their generosity in keeping this business going. When COVID hit, we didn’t have to close at all because we’re take-out only and have no seating inside. Normally, we’re only closed two days a year, so I was pretty worried in the beginning. But everyone has to eat, and we were deemed essential. So business carried on.

We did take precautions, of course. We had to limit the number of people in the lobby, put up plexi-glass, and wear masks. We did slow down a bit as far as our normal production during that time, but orders were still coming in. At the peak of the pandemic, we were just happy to be able to take care of our customers and pay our employees each week. 

While COVID hasn’t disappeared, business has been doing better since. Product is sometimes still hard to come by, and while I have a great crew, there’s always room for more help. I’m proud of my employees for sticking with us through the pandemic. I think it says a lot about their character. They could have left us during those uncertain times, but they chose to stay, and we can’t thank them enough for all they do to keep this business running smoothly.

The pandemic taught me that it's important to take things day-by-day, because you never know what tomorrow will bring. All you can do is do the best you can, and no one can take that away from you. I also learned, to a stronger degree than I’d previously known, the importance of patience and kindness. 

Community, in a nutshell, is one of the most important things to our business. At the end of the day, if it’s not for the customer base, there would be no need for us. Coming together should be a beautiful experience, and we should allow ourselves to open up to others and accept them for who they are.

We all think differently, we’re all unique, we’re all our own person at the end of the day. Kindness and acceptance can go a long way. We’re all in this together, we’re all existing in this moment, and everyone is going through something in life. If you don’t know someone's story, it’s important not to make judgements - and if someone needs to talk, be there to listen and support them.” - Robert Roberge, Manager at Rapid Rays in Saco

Congratulations to Rapid Rays on being selected as one of the winners of our Heartbeat of the Community Award!