BREWER, Maine — When Michael and Sharine Kessock purchased the Muddy Rudder restaurant in June of last year, they were given permission to use the Muddy Rudder name for a year.
The 230-seat riverside restaurant has a new name — Schooners — but signage will remain as it has been due to delivery problems, event planner Sarah Courtney said Wednesday.
“Unfortunately, the sign showed up damaged,” she said.
Until a replacement sign arrives, the restaurant will continue to use the Muddy Rudder name.
“Nothing else has changed,” but Schooners is adding some new menu items, Courtney said.
The Muddy Rudder opened in July 2002 at the site of the former Harborside restaurant, and for the last decade has played host to Brewer Winterfest events, a tradition that will continue this year with a bicentennial reception and fireworks set for Friday night and a People’s Choice chili and chowder cook-off scheduled for noon Saturday.
“nothing else has changed” Is that really a good idea for a restaurant that has been on the rocks????
“Nothing has changed,” that is the claim by the new owners ??? Well, I can tell you that we used to drive over an hour to get there for a meal, when it was under original management. Now, I
would choose McDonald’s! The quality is no longer there.
The real challenge is expanding their library.
whent there once too expensive (beer) , too slow and gave me an assistant living feeling very out dated
Kind of glad I am not the only one that felt the same way, not just at the beer price but the feeling of the place. I have not been back.
I was there on New Years, did not handle the crowd well, and the manager was drinking. Bad, bad, bad.
Assisted living feel! You are so right. I’ve been trying to put my finger on the atmosphere there for years and that’s it. It is exactly like an assisted living facility. And lousy food to boot. It looks like the new owners won’t do much better if they can’t get a bloody sign right.
Muddy Rudder Assisted Living. Has a nice ring to it. Well done.
How is a sign that arrived damaged the fault of the new owners?
There will only be one Schooner in Maine – that is the Schooner in Calais!!!
having grew up in Calais I have to agree with HonestMainer
Call and talk to the owner, because they do accept them
Of course they do. They’ve had time to realize how bad it looked.. Still doesn’t changed who they are or what they did.
The waitress said she went to the OWNER. There was no misunderstanding. The owner wasn’t smart enough to realize that 12 dollars cost him a lot more in negative publicity. There was no excuse and realizing they should take them is not good enough.
First impressions last a lifetime.
I will not return to this restaurant. I don’t care what you call it.
You have no clue if your server went to the owner. Just because they said they did doesn’t make it true. As dkenzie stated, call the owner and find out the truth instead of getting all upset.
I still stand by my stance that a new owner doesn’t have to accept the coupon and you should always present a coupon to your server before you order.
Kevin, you are the on that has no cluc. Anyone that knows anything about business will long remember these fateful words….”The Customer is ALWAYS right”. Without customers, you have no need for a business. Most businesses if they want to stay in business will honor a previous coupon so long as it is not out-dated and i cant tell you how many coupons i have used at golf courses that accepted outdated ones as well. Honestly, unless you know this owner personally, and i am guessing that you probably do, in an economy where people are spending much more wisely, peeing off the customers doesnt seem very smart to me….Been there, service was fine, food wasnt…wont be back.
spot on, Jeff
The server in question never took coupon to the owner. Food is great there, ill eat there again
Sorry but the customer is not always right. I don’t care how much you think it is true, it is not. It is one of the stupidest sayings in the business world.
If the new owner wants to honor the coupon that is their right just as it is their right to refuse to honor it. The Subway on the corner of State and Essex does not accept coupons of any kind. I’ve seen plenty of people get annoyed when they are told this but according to your way of thinking the customer is always right then they should go ahead and honor it to make the customer happy.
So stomp your feet all you desire but the customer is not always right.
You ‘should’ present the coupon first, and the new owner ‘should’ accept. It’s called goodwill.
Goes a very long way in business. I know, I’ve owned several that have been very successful. Goodwill is a big part of it; especially here in Maine.
I have spoke to both owners and they stated, server did not ask about coupon. I think someone has something up there sleeve against the new owners, personally i love this place. Thanks Kevin for the comment
A fellow colleague of mine was Chef there for many years under the original Muddy Rudder Ownership. While it was certainly not haute cusine I did find it decent for what it was. After the new owners took over my colleague told myself and others that he was constantly fighting with the new owners over food quality issues related to purchasing. The owners wanted to save money by using FAS Haddock instead of Fresh. The housemade desserts were too expensive and they wanted factory ones to be bought and used instead. When owners try to make or save money by lowering food quality that is a very big red flag. My colleauge works for Sysco now as a salesman.
Truth.
Pennywise, dollar foolish. Good Business sense and willingness to keep or gain a new customer would dictate that you take the twelve dollar loss that time in order to at least have a good word put on the street. If you came back that would be a bonus. That twelve dollar loss could be written off as a promotion or rebate for tax purposes.
Sounds like Chef Gordon Ramsey needs to visit this place for an episode of Kitchen Nightmares!
This is why most restaurants in Maine fail. Once one customer gets poor service they tell 10 people and then those people tell 10 people. It’s too bad really. I personally believe people deserve a second chance, to me that is fair. By the look of these comments I think I am in the minority. Geaghans has upset a lot of people in Bangor too, outdated and full of old folks but now the city is ready to give them a key to the city. I guess if you want to be successful you have to brew some beer. I’ll go to Schooners, I bet they will appreciate my patronage.
Liked because of the second sentence. I personally LOVE Geaghans and the new brews are AWESOME! :-)
Restaurants in Maine (and anywhere) fail because SEVERAL people have bad experiences and nothing changes. Case in point- The new Muddy Rudder. One person doesn’t take down an establishment. That’s foolish.
You can never, ever take back a first impression. This seems to be a lost concept in business today. Just a shout out to the fine people at Tim Hortons in Bangor ( Main Street). Allways friendly and eager to help.
As someone in the restaurant industry I can tell you that when you do things right by the customer they also spread the word to friends and others in a very positive way.
The new owner should not be forced to take a coupon it had nothing to do with. When you have a coupon you should make your server well aware of it before you place your order, not after the fact.
You don’t have a clue about customers and good will do you?
I believe we did approach the issue before the meal . It really doesn’t matter when.
You obviously don’t grasp the simplicity of pleasing the customer. The little it costs is a heck of a lot less then my big mouth off on a campaign, don’t you think?
They showed no class. I’d recommend Wendy’s before this place. You get one chance at a first impression. In a competitive Restaurant market good publicity is huge. Bad pub can sink a business.And it’s no one’s fault but their own.
If you did inform the server before you placed your order it sounds as if you had a terrible server.
You stated she spoke with the owner when it turn she never did according to some other comments because it seems the new owner would have accepted the coupon.
You really should call the owner and speak to them and find out the truth. As for you being upset you are free to tell anyone that will listen but being they took over the place a year ago I highly doubt you telling everyone your story is going to make them close their doors anytime soon.
The new owners need to take a restaurant management course!! Sitting at the bar and drinking the day away is not how you should run a business, and the present owner does just that!! He has fired most of the good employees or they have quit because of the working environment – a business becomes a success because your workers, and customers, are happy. Maybe the new owner needs to look at how his business is running from the point of view of the customer or his workers, not from behind a shot glass.
Exactly my thought – that place has been yuck for years. I eat out all the time and it’s not even on my radar because of it’s consistent shortcomings & mediocre food.
I’m concerned that the new owners are going out of their way to tell us that nothing has changed. If that’s the case, then my interest in going there hasn’t changed either.
Coupon definitely should have been presented before ordering to verify. Also, the restaurant should have just accepted it. Upsetting old people is a killer in Maine because all they do is complain, complain, complain – to everyone and anyone. If not the original person, then somebody in the chain of the story will take it to the next level and make it their life’s mission to inform the world of how a business wronged somebody. Rural old Mainers are crazy.
Bad move. Muddy Rudder way more memorable.
You’re spot on! I do business with people that appreciate the business.
quit spamming
I haven’t eaten there since they gave me a muddy rudder
know someone who interviewed for a job there…made them wait nearly an hour past their scheduled appt. for the interview (and did NOT apologize nor send a staff member out in the waiting area to ask the person if they wanted a cold drink) and then gave them a too short interview…man was sketchy seeming..woman seemed cold…watch for this place to come up for sale sooner or later.