July 15, 2010: Troubles for DeLuca's Market

DeLUCA'S MARKET OWNER VIRGIL

AIELLO HAS BEEN AT THE SCENE OF

A FIRE AT HIS CHARLES STREET

STORE SINCE LAST WEEK AND HE HAD

BEEN DIRECTING CUSTOMERS TO THE

NEWBURY STREET STORE UNTIL

HEALTH INSPECTORS SHUT THAT DOWN

TOO.

OUTSIDE ON CHARLES STREET TODAY,

WASTE MANAGEMENT CREWS HAUL OUT

TRASH BAG AFTER TRASH BAG OF

DAMAGED GOODS.

JUICE, YOGURTS AND GALLONS AND

GALLONS OF MILK.

INSIDE, WORKERS CLEAR SHELVES

AND EMPTY REFRIGERATORS.

IT'S BEEN A WEEK SINCE A

FOUR-ALARM BLAZE TORE THROUGH

THE BEACON HILL LANDMARK,

CAUSING AN ESTIMATED $1 MILLION

IN DAMAGE.

THEN ON MONDAY ANOTHER CLOSURE.

BOSTON'S HEALTH DIVISION SHUT

DOWN THE NEWBURY STREET LOCATION

AN A TIP THAT FIRE DAMAGE GOODS

FROM CHARLES STREET WERE BEING

SOLD THERE.

>> CARDBOARD BOXES THAT WERE

SOAKED, THE INSPECTOR WOULD

TOUCH SOME OF THE PRODUCTS AND

HER HAND WOULD COME OFF WITH

SOOT.

>> OWNER AIELLO ADMITS TO MOVING

BOTTLED WATER, BUT SAID THAT THE

PRODUCTS WERE FINE.

>> CANNED GROCERIES IN A BOX

THAT WERE PERFECTLY GOOD, I'D

TAKE HOME TO MY FAMILY TO

CONSUME MYSELF.

>> Emily: AND THERE WAS ANOTHER

MAJOR VIOLATION.

THE MARKET'S SALAD BAR WASN'T

COLD ENOUGH, WHICH THEY SAY WAS

SWARMING WITH FLIES.

>> IT WASN'T JUST ONE OR TWO.

BUT AN INFESTATION.

>> Emily: NO WORD ON WHEN EITHER

LOCATION WILL REOPEN.

AND JOINING ME IS VIRGIL AIELLO.

WELCOME.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Emily: I SAID I COULD STILL

SMELL THE SMOKE ON YOUR JACKET.

>> WELL, IT'S A WORK IN

PROGRESS.

>> Emily: WHAT'S FIRST ON THE

NEWBURY STREET STORE?

YESTERDAY YOU WERE HOPEFUL TO

HAVE IT OPENED BY LAST NIGHT.

WHAT HAPPENED?

>> IT HASN'T QUITE OPENED YET.

WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT IT WILL BE

OPENED TODAY OR TOMORROW

MORNING.

WE ARE TAKING ALL THE STEPS

NECESSARY TO OPEN THAT STORE.

>> Emily: YOU ADMITTED TO ME

YESTERDAY, YOU SAID YOU MADE A

MISTAKE BRINGING THE STUFF OVER,

THE WATER --

>> WE DID.

WE DID.

THAT WAS A MISTAKE.

AND THE HEALTH INSPECTION

DEPARTMENT CAME IN, THESE ARE

FULL INSPECTIONS OF THE STORE.

I WANT TO SAY THAT AS A RESULT

OF ALL THIS, AS BAD AS IT IS,

THE RESULT IS THAT DeLUCA'S IS

GOING TO BE BETTER THAN EVER.

IT WILL BE FRESHER THAN EVER.

CLEANER THAN EVER.

AND BETTER OPERATED THAN EVER,

BECAUSE WE MADE A LOT OF

MISTAKES.

I WAS THE FIRST ONE TO -- YOU

KNOW, I'M THE FIRST ONE TO ADMIT

I MADE THE BIGGEST MISTAKE.

BUT WE ARE GOING TO IMPROVE

THINGS AND BRING THEM TO A

POINT, YOU KNOW, TO A LEVEL THAT

WAS NEVER EVEN REACHED BEFORE.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED

AS A RESULT OF THIS IS THAT MY

PEST MANAGEMENT COMPANY QUIT IN

THE MIDDLE OF THE WHOLE

OPERATION.

AND -- BUT FORTUNATELY, THERE

WAS ANOTHER COMPANY STANDING

RIGHT THERE, ECHO LAB, OUT OF

NORWOOD.

A VERY FINE COMPANY, THAT --

THEY CALL IT A PEST ELIMINATION

COMPANY AND THEY HAVE COME IN

ALREADY WITH A NEW PLAN FOR US

TO ELIMINATE POTENTIAL PROBLEMS.

FOR EXAMPLE, THE SALAD BAR WAS

THE PROBLEM BECAUSE THERE WERE

FLIES IN THE -- AND THE

TEMPERATURE WASN'T PROPER.

WELL, THAT'S CORRECTED BY OUR

REFRIGERATION PEOPLE, BUT ECHO

LABS IS PUTTING IN THESE STATE

OF THE ART FLY LIGHT CATCHERS.

AND THEY'RE ENVIRONMENTALLY

SOUND AND THEY'RE GOING TO DO A

TREMENDOUS JOB.

>> Emily: DO YOU REALLY NEED A

SALAD BAR?

>> DO WE NEED A SALAD BAR?

A LOT OF PEOPLE LIKE TO HAVE

FRESH SALAD AND BY THE WAY, OUR

PRODUCE IS VERY FRESH.

>> Emily: YOU BRING STUFF IN

EVERY DAY?

>> WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE THAT OUR

STORES ARE ONLY LOCATED WITHIN

TEN MINUTES OF DRIVING TIME TO

THE CHELSEA MARKET WHERE ALL OF

THE FRESH PRODUCE FOR THE ENTIRE

REGION COMES IN TO BE SOLD AT

WHOLESALE.

AND WE HAVE PROFESSIONAL BUYERS

DOWN THERE WHO ARE THERE FIVE OR

SIX DAYS A WEEK DOING NOTHING

BUT BUYING PRODUCE FOR VARIOUS

COMPANIES.

THEY BUY FOR US.

>> Emily: I WANT TO GO BACK TO

THE ORIGINAL STORY HERE WHICH IS

THE FIRE.

THAT WAS RATHER SHOCKING.

WERE THOSE CITY PEOPLE TAKING

THAT GARBAGE OUT?

BECAUSE THEY WERE DUMPING THAT

INTO THE STREET.

THAT HAD TO BE A HEALTH AND

SAFETY HAZARD RIGHT THEN AND

THERE.

WHO WERE THOSE GUYS?

THAT WAS DISGUSTING.

>> WELL, THEY WERE PEOPLE THAT I

HAD HIRED, THAT THE INSURANCE

COMPANY I SHOULD SAY HIRED, TO

TAKE THAT DEBRIS AWAY.

UNFORTUNATELY, BECAUSE OF THE

RED TAPE OR WHATEVER,

REGULATIONS WERE IN EFFECT, WE

WERE PROHIBITED FROM ACTUALLY

THROWING AWAY PRODUCT FOR ONE

ENTIRE WEEK.

>> Emily: SO IT WAS SITTING

THERE AND ROTTING AND BLISTERING

HEAT BECAUSE THERE'S NO

ELECTRICITY OR ANYTHING.

>> THAT'S UNFORTUNATELY WHAT

HAPPENED.

>> Emily: THAT IS AWFUL.

>> AS BAD AS THIS IS, THAT

PRODUCT SHOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN

CARE OF --

>> Emily: THE NEXT DAY.

>> RIGHT AWAY.

THE NEXT DAY.

>> Emily: WHY DID THEY MAKE YOU

LEAVE IT THERE?

>> WELL, SUPPOSEDLY, THEY WERE

WAITING FOR CLEARANCE FROM THE

BUILDING DEPARTMENT BECAUSE

SUPPOSEDLY THE BUILDING WAS

UNSAFE.

>> Emily: I SEE.

>> BUT THAT OF COURSE IS

DEBATABLE AS TO WHETHER OR NOT

THEY COULD ACTUALLY GO IN AND

EXTRICATE SOME OF THAT PRODUCT.

>> Emily: HAVE THEY DETERMINED

WHAT THE ORIGINAL CAUSE OF THE

FIRE WAS?

>> THEY BELIEVE IT'S ELECTRICAL,

BUT THEY'RE INVESTIGATING IT

VERY THOROUGHLY I MIGHT SAY.

THEY HAVEN'T COME OUT WITH A

RESPONSE YET.

>> Emily: EVERYONE WHO'S BEEN IN

YOUR MARKET, IT'S QUIRKY, THE

SHELVES ARE LOW, YOU HAVE A LOT

OF ONE THING.

ARE YOU GOING TO REBUILD IT LIKE

THAT?

>> VERY MUCH SO.

WE LIKE TO HAVE A LOT OF VARIETY

IN THE STORE.

IT MAKES IT PROBLEMATICAL

STOCKING THE SHELVES, BUT IT'S

SECOND NATURE TO ME.

THE STORE HAS GROWN A LOT SINCE

ITS SIZE WHEN I WAS 11.

BUT WE'VE ALWAYS NEVER HAD THE

SPACE TO PUT ENTIRE CASES OF

CAMPBELL SOUP, FOR EXAMPLE.

AND SO IT -- BUT JUST THE WAY WE

DO BUSINESS.

WE HAVE TO JOCKEY AND MOVE CANS

AROUND IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO

FIT A WHOLE CASE ON THE SHELF

AND HAVE ENOUGH DISPLAY SO

PEOPLE HAVE CHOICES.

THE WHOLE CONSENT WE HAVE IS TO

MAKE SURE THAT THE CUSTOMER HAS

AS MUCH CHOICE AS POSSIBLE IN

THE SELECTION OF GOODS, WHETHER

IT BE OLIVE OIL OR SALAD

DRESSINGS OR PASTA SAUCES OR

PASTAS.

IT'S THE IDEA TO HAVE AS MUCH

CHOICE AS POSSIBLE IN A SHORT

PERIOD OF SPACE.

>> Emily: WILL INSURANCE COVER

THE WHOLE MESS FOR THIS,

INCLUDING THE LOSS AND THE TIME

OFF FROM THE STORE AND ALL THIS?

>> WELL, THEY'LL COVER IT UP TO

THE LIMITS OF THE POLICY AND YOU

NEVER HAVE ENOUGH INRETROSPECT.

BUT IT'S FAIR ENOUGH THAT WE

WON'T BE HURT AND RECONSTRUCT

AND BRING IT BACK BETTER THAN IT

WAS BEFORE.

>> Emily: YOU HOPE THE WORKERS

CAN CONTINUE AT THE NEWBURY

STREET STORE BUT THEY HAVEN'T

BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT.

>> BECAUSE WE HAVE A GOOD

INSURANCE POLICY WE'LL KEEP THE

EMPLOYEES ON THE CHARLES STREET

STORE AS WELL AND WE'LL MAINTAIN

OUR STAFF.

SOME OF OUR STAFF IS VERY

FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE SOME

VERY TRAINED PEOPLE.

THEY'RE VERY GOOD AT CHEESE AND

AT MEAT AND WINE.

>> Emily: HOW MUCH LONGER BEFORE

YOU CAN BUILD THE CHARLES STREET

OUT?

>> WE WANT TO DO IT QUICKLY AS

POSSIBLE.

I DON'T WANT TO GUESS A TIME

FRAME RIGHT NOW, BUT LIKE A VERY

LARGE BALL THAT WE'RE TRYING TO

START IN MOTION.

AT FIRST, IT'S SLOW TO GET IT

STARTED BUT ONCE IT GETS ROLLING

IT WILL HOPEFULLY PICK UP SPEED.

>> Emily: OKAY, VIRGIL AIELLO,

YOU CAN TAKE THAT JACKET TO THE

DRY CLEANERS RIGHT NOW.

>> I WAS GOING TO SAY OUR SHOP

IS LIKE A PANTRY FOR BEACON

HILL.

WHEN YOU HAVE A PANTRY, YOU PUT

THINGS IN DIFFERENT PLACES.

>> Emily: WE ALL KNOW WHERE IT

IS.

VIRGIL, THANK YOU FOR COMING.

WHEN WE COME, THE BIG LITTLE

SHOW AT THE ICA.