WALDOBORO, Maine — A chef and restaurateur with experience in kitchens from Damariscotta to Greece has purchased the Waldoboro location of Hilltop Stop and plans to rename the business Corner Variety and Pizzeria.
Mario Panagos, of Waldoboro, will use his culinary skills to create a more extensive menu with pasta dishes and salads.
Gary and Jane Gravel transferred ownership of the business to Panagos Jan. 11.
Panagos comes to Maine by way of California, Greece, and Rhode Island.
“I was born in California, but I grew up in Greece and I was in Rhode Island for 30 years,” Panagos said. He owned one restaurant in Greece and three in Rhode Island.
More recently, Panagos managed Romeo’s Pizza in Damariscotta. His son owns the restaurant.
Panagos’ purchase of Hilltop Stop in Waldoboro stems from a friendly rivalry between Gary Gravel and Panagos.
Despite the status of Hilltop Stop in Damariscotta and Romeo’s Pizza as competitors, Panagos was a regular customer at Hilltop Stop. Every morning, Panagos would go to Hilltop Stop for a breakfast sandwich and talk business with Gary Gravel.
“Even though we were competitors, we were friends,” Panagos said.
Panagos was looking for his own business, and one day he walked into Hilltop Stop and told Gary Gravel he wanted to buy his Waldoboro store.
The Gravels had purchased the store at Kaler’s Corner – the four-way intersection of Bremen Road, Kaler’s Corner Street, Main Street, and West Main Street – in February 2015. The building was formerly home to Goodnow’s Variety.
After an extensive renovation, the store opened two months later and has become a popular spot for pizza, as well as breakfast sandwiches, burgers, and steak-and-cheese subs.
“We weren’t really looking to sell it,” Jane Gravel said, but Gary Gravel told his friend they would talk about it. The Gravels met with Panagos at the end of the same week and made a deal.
Panagos has a five-year lease. The Gravels will maintain ownership of the building, which also houses The Bottle King, a redemption center with locations in Damariscotta, Newcastle, and Waldoboro.
Panagos will apply his expertise in the kitchen, while employee Stacie Miller will run the front end. The rest of the staff will remain the same, with the exception of Jane Gravel’s mother, Marcia Mortimer, who will return to the Damariscotta store.
The Gravels are eventually going to expand seating at the Waldoboro store to accommodate diners sampling Panagos’ new dishes. For now, the store has the same menu as Hilltop Stop in Damariscotta.
“Gary was running a good ship,” Panagos said. “I’m just going to expand the menu.”
The name change to Corner Variety and Pizzeria will be complete by the end of January.
Panagos is happy to be staying in Lincoln County.
“I like Maine,” he said. “Even though my roots are in Rhode Island, I’ve lived up here for 2 1/2 years and I like it.”
The Gravels, meanwhile, are content to free up some time to dedicate to other enterprises. In addition to Hilltop Stop in Damariscotta, the couple owns Supplies Unlimited in Damariscotta and other properties in the area.
Corner Variety and Pizzeria is open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday at 4 Bremen Rd. in Waldoboro. To place an order, call 832-PZZA (7992).