Watertown restaurant Ritcey East to stay open after donations from customers
WATERTOWN - There are those who believe that if you put good into the world, good comes back to you. Max Ritcey is proof of it.
We first met Ritcey, 37, last week when he put out the call for help. His Watertown restaurant, Ritcey East, is on the brink of closing, and he was seeking donations to keep it open. Ritcey East is a staple in Watertown, known for its community outreach and inclusive "come as you are" atmosphere.
Ritcey had taken out loans to help get the business through the pandemic, and those loans are now due. Business, on the other hand, was not strong enough to counter the difference between paying back the loans and standard operating costs. Ritcey started taking donations through GoFundMe. He needed to raise $30,000 by September. He did it in less than a week.
"The whole week has been absolutely crazy," said Ritcey. "Riding a lot of highs and lows, but it has been unbelievable. Someone said to me, you spent all those years giving back to the community; now, I get to watch the community give back to me."
Since WBZ-TV's first story aired on Thursday, Ritcey raised more than $20,000, bringing his total donations to more than $43,000. (Including GoFundMe and personal check donations.) It is far beyond his original goal and will help keep the business afloat.
"We just got a review today that said that they saw us on the news, and they wanted to come in to support us, and they had a great time, and that this place that has to stay," Ritcey said. "There was a donation of $3,000 on there, and there was one for $3, and I hold those donations the same because both of those people gave what they could, and it means unbelievable things to me."