

With Wonderland, which he ran through his Westwood Group, Mr. Sarkis operated first as a thoroughbred track and then for harness racing - all of which he was forced to let go when a judge ruled against his claims in a lease dispute. He waged and lost a legal battle with New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft in the late 1990s over property adjacent to the team’s Foxborough stadium, which Mr. Sarkis nurtured an appealing formula: attentive service, generous drinks, and good meals that avoided the pretentiousness of what he dismissed as “cheffy restaurants” with their complicated fare.
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He knew in his soul how to do it right.”Īt many of his other restaurants, including Charley’s on Newbury Street, Mr. “His true life passion was this business and the hospitality part of this business. Sarkis for 30 years and was executive vice president of operations for Back Bay Restaurant Group. “He was so consistent and so focused that people who worked with him wanted to be as perfect-seeking,” said Escobar, who worked for Mr. I think that was one of the unspoken secrets of his success,” said Ann Marie Escobar, chief operating officer of Legal Sea Foods. Sarkis “had the real ability to affect people with his presence, and his presence lived beyond his physical presence. He wanted everyone to come and have a great meal.” “Charlie wanted everybody treated the same way. He doesn’t have to come back,’ ” recalled his wife, Jolene. If a deferential waiter asked whether his meal passed muster, Mr. When the need arose, he pounded on the table to emphasize a point. Sarkis kept a table for himself offering a view of the kitchen, the front door, and the bar.


Sarkis headed, and it became one of the city’s most successful restaurants, attracting top Boston sports stars or a visiting Warren Buffett to its elegant private dining room. With its dark wood, brass rails, and heavy cutlery, the steakhouse was a cut above the rest in the Back Bay Restaurant Group Mr. At times his commanding presence said most of what he needed to say, as was the case when he presided at Abe & Louie’s on Boylston Street.
