I had a hankering for some Red Arrow poutine and went to their Concord location with plans to satisfy it. The plan was to “go economy,” meaning get just the poutine with no upgrades and order nothing else. As you might predict, I spent more than planned and didn’t get the poutine, but I wound up with some creativity that a Nashua customer might appreciate. You will eventually learn the Nashua significance to Concord menu specials, but first, a story and a kind word for the waitress, Kayla.
I took a seat at the counter without taking a menu, and Kayla greeted me by asking what I would like to drink. I said “water, please” as she placed silverware in front of me and then said “today’s specials are written on the board, above.” I knew what I wanted, but I’m never one to not take a look at something that has “limited edition” status. The cider mimosa got my attention, so I had a barrage of questions (mostly the ratio of cider to Champagne and the size of the serving) when she returned with my water. I was satisfied with her answers, considering the price, and said, “Let’s do it.” I also ordered “Gloria’s Cheeseburger” because it listed a combination of toppings that sounded tasty.
Kayla served the cider mimosa in a brandy snifter with a sugared rim and garnished with a dehydrated, thinly sliced horizontal cross-section of an apple. She swung by a few minutes later to say my burger was on its way and to ask how I liked the drink. I said I liked it and I could picture myself making it in my kitchen (perhaps with a single serving bottle of brut and skipping the whole margarita rim fanfare). She said she chose the apple slice garnish herself, and an interesting discussion ensued.
Because she sounded like she bought it with her own money, I asked several follow-up questions, as I previously thought that all Red Arrows follow a corporate menu special calendar and their distribution center sent them the ingredients on a delivery schedule. What I learned is that each location has its own creative freedom, and she said the drink was a hit last year at this time. She disappeared to wait on other customers and returned with my burger, which did not disappoint! Now, let’s discuss the Nashua connection.
When Kayla later gave me the check, I knew she was part of the creativity behind the whole menu of specials rather than just beverages, so I asked if the cheeseburger was named after Laura Branigan’s song, and she said no. Then I wondered who Gloria was, and she said it’s some cartoon character that I was unfamiliar with. The important takeaway is that I was able to confirm that the special was NOT named after Ms Gloria Timmons, a very nasty public servant well known in Nashua. Had I been at the Nashua Red Arrow, I would have immediately dismissed all possibility of ordering “Gloria’s Cheeseburger” regardless of the description.
I first heard of Ms Gloria when she told the press that the Nashua parents outside city hall protesting the ongoing school closures were “a bunch of privileged white women.” She was also the NAACP chapter chair when Andru Volinsky called Ryan Terrell a token and wouldn’t denounce his comment. She also recruited a BLMer relative to run for alderman in 2021 on a platform of defunding the police. Fortunately, former Alderman Comeau beat him. She also said, “It’s not safe” (to resume having in-person school board meetings) and was caught red-handed by Doris in line at the post office. Doris took a picture of Ms Gloria’s best side as she was clearly less than 6 feet away from the person in front of her and people beside her, so ardent fact checkers can confirm that with Doris, who took a lot of crap from Sonia Prince and her minions for “speaking truth.”
Gloria also suggested that I am a liar when she shouted at me from across Main St. I was in front of Darrell’s Music Hall holding a “Melanie Levesque voted for an income tax” sign(which is also speaking truth) when Gloria stormed out the front door of the Telegraph building during an enemy camp event to ask “why do you have to be a liar?” She also pounces on each and every opportunity to talk about her time in the army. She hails from Connecticut, but talks in “Dorchester Dialect” and I will offer a sound byte of her insulting Laurie Ortolano and all her supporters. Click here to start a video where she has a “Queen Nancy senior tantrum,” tearing up paper. I could go on about Ms Gloria, but you get the picture. Let’s move on to finish up with some good news.
Good news item number one is that Kayla has been at the Concord Red Arrow for 10 years and appears to be happy there and, therefore, unlikely to leave anytime soon. Go there sometime and enjoy some of the tasty regular and/or special offerings. Saving the best good news for last, Gloria Timmons is retiring back to private citizenry in January. That’s something that ALL of Nashua can celebrate, with or without any Champagne product.
