What's the Beef (& Ski)?

A story of two restaurants ... au jus!

Instead of where's the beef, the question is: What's the beef?Longtime Mount Washington Valley residents fondly recall the old days when a night at the former Oxen Yoke or Alpine wasn't complete without a post-dance stop at Beef & Ski, the glorious late night gathering spot for roast beef and fried seafood aficionados from 1976 in the heyday of the Yoke and Alpine on through 1997, when it closed its doors, long after the Yoke and Alpine had.Now comes the beef: Peter Kopoulos one of the three former partners of the old Beef & Ski opened a new Beef & Ski in Bridgton, Maine, three years ago, and is in the process of franchising other Beef & Skis in Portland and Westbrook by the end of the year.The problem is, Kopoulos did not renew the 10-year registered franchise name, Beef & Ski, with the secretary of state's office in Concord until it was too late. It was my own fault when I went there in April to pay the $50 to renew the registered name, I found out that someone else had done it four months earlier! I couldn't believe it who would do such a thing? Kopoulos told the Sun in an interview at his Route 302 Bridgton roadside restaurant, known, as the original in North Conway was, for its succulent roast beef sandwiches, fried seafood and mountain burgers.That's where the recently re-opened North Conway Beef & Ski enters the story. It opened a month ago, at the site of the former Spicy Lime. Its proprietors are Gregg and Chris Laffey, formerly of Massachusetts and now of Jackson, and their son, Dan. KarenSame name, same location, even the same counter as old.The re-opened Beef & Ski even has a cow on the sign, just as Kopoulos' Bridgton restaurant does and just like the original did, but that's where the similarity ends moos, er, cries Kopoulos.My objective is not to bash their business I just wonder why in heaven's name someone would want to take a product a proven product in this case the name, and not have the same goods, says Kopoulos, who makes the commute from Madison on Route 302 to Bridgton every day. I told them that this was going to be very confusing to the public, because I advertise my restaurant in Bridgton in the Conway paper.He says he has met with the Laffeys a few times, and finds them to be a warm, nice family. But he wishes they could have worked out a business franchise deal and he says he was more than willing to make that happen.I realized this was my mistake not to renew the name I just didn't get around to it. I told them that instead of the $15,000 franchise fee, since it was my fault, I would give them a deal and charge them $7,500 and 5 percent of the sales. For that, they would get the products to go with the name: primarily hot-browned roast beef with a secret formula that makes it tender and juicy. It took my long research to come up with it before I opened in North Conway in 1976. And it's not just my roast beef we have a secret frying batter formula for our fresh seafood: our fried clams, fried scallops, fried haddock and fried shrimp. So, said Kopoulos, they could have had the same product. It would have been identical as always; it would have been as though we had never closed at that site in North Conway."Newspaper ads bring the issue to the fore: Duplicate? NO WAY! There's only one original Beef & Ski as you remember it! Only in Bridgton, Maine. Your host Peter Kopoulos. Franchises available.The Laffeys say they appreciate all that, but that thanks but no thanks, they would just as soon as have it their way to borrow a national food franchise fast food burger joint's slogan from just down the street.We have no beef with Peter, we really don't, said Dan Laffey in a recent interview at the North Conway Beef & Ski with his mom, not intending to make such a pun. We are doing our own thing here. We didn't want to copy Peter.Chris Laffey said she and her husband decided to open a business after moving to Jackson a few years ago. She worked as a paralegal in law offices; he owned and sold his National Oak automotive distribution warehouse business (he still does the marketing for the company from his home office). Dan, meanwhile, worked in Connecticut, selling cars. Chris did substitute teaching in Conway schools last year.Greg Laffey has long been friends with Barry Lightbown, the owner of the building and nearby Lickety Splitz. My husband always thought it would be nice to own a business like this, said Chris Laffey.We discussed it with our son, and we agreed that there ought to be a good roast beef place here. We really didn't know about the old Beef & Ski. There were no ads in the paper; God as my witness, we really didn't know about him still living here or that he had a restaurant in Bridgton. When we were working on the restaurant, people kept coming in and telling us about the old Beef & Ski. I thought it was a neat name. So I went to the secretary of state's office and found that the name registration had lapsed. So, I paid the fee, said Chris Laffey.They wish Kopoulos well but they want to stay independent to have the freedom to create their own menu.We opened in early July, and people have been very supportive, said Dan, noting he and the restaurant's two chefs have been tweaking the menu and introduced some new items Aug. 20.We've got roast beef that is very tasty and juicy. We soak it for 12 hours every night. That's why it's so juicy. We also have chicken tenders and wings, Buffalo tenders, ultra thin flat bread pizza and salads. We make our own fries. We're also due to start deliveries [Aug. 21], said Dan, who is engaged to be wed this October to Karen Ballantine, who also works at Beef & Ski.I am just so happy to be living here, and to be part of the valley. Everyone customers and other restaurant owners have been so friendly and helpful, said Dan.He said in the future, he plans to install a large-screen TV in the back lounge and to serve half-price appetizers during Patriots games.Chefs for the North Conway restaurant are Pete Hutchinson, formerly of Merlino's, and John Chapman, formerly of the White Mountain Hotel.They are phenomenal, said Dan.Just for the record, the original Beef & Ski in Bridgton now in Bridgton serves roast beef, barbecue ribs, seafood, beer and wine, and offers takeout, and may be reached by calling (207) 647-9555, The new Beef & Ski at the original site in North Conway may be phoned at (603) 356-3330 (fax 356-3388). So, is a battle looming of the best roast beef sandwiches?I don't even want to go near that. No way! I want to keep it friendly. People come in here and ask if we're affiliated with Peter, and we say no, but we tell them about his Bridgton restaurant and how to get there, said Chris Laffey. Added son Dan, Like I said, we really hope Peter does really well in Bridgton. I would never say anything negative about the guy. I would love for him to come over and have a beef with us.No, we didn't make that up. He really said that.The Oxen Yoke and Alpine of old may be gone ... but Beef & Ski is back. Just in two places. Will the real Beef & Ski please stand up? Customers will be the judge and maybe, just maybe, they'll end up liking both, different as they are.