LINNEUS, Maine — A new era is dawning for one of Aroostook County’s well-known eateries.
Steve Graham and Lynn Birdsall, owners of Grammy’s Country Inn, said Thursday afternoon that the eatery is under new ownership. The restaurant has been closed since March 2020, when COVID-19 restrictions on masking and social distancing forced many businesses to close.
Built in 1948, the restaurant is one of the best known eateries in Aroostook County and throughout the state. Famous for its monstrous-sized portions, the restaurant is a popular destination for locals and those visiting the area alike.
“It is with bittersweet emotion that we announce new ownership of Grammy’s Country Inn,” the couple said on the restaurant’s Facebook page. “It is hard to put our emotions into words. We have dedicated 32-plus years of our adult life to achieving a successful restaurant. It took a lot of passion to make Grammy’s what it became.”
Terms of the sale were not released, nor were the names of the new owners. The business was listed at $499,900 with First Choice Realty. In 2015 when it first went on the market, the asking price was $1.19 million.
Graham said in his Facebook post that the new ownership plans to continue the Grammy’s tradition.
“It makes us feel good knowing Grammy’s will be up and running again,” the couple said. “Our tradition will live on and new opportunities will open up for our local community. Linneus needs to be back on the map as a destination.”
Graham purchased the business in 1989 and was the one to come up with serving over-the-top sized portions, even if it ate into his profits. The menu featured many traditional home-cooked foods, such as prime rib, turkey dinner, all types of seafood and hamburgers that nearly filled an entire plate.
The eatery also was renowned for its massive desserts, including a large selection of pies, cakes and whoopie pies that could feed up to four people.
Located at 1687 Bangor Road in Linneus, the eatery can also be reached via snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles as it sits near ITS 83 and 105.
According to the entry on First Choice Realty, the restaurant is one of the most well known in the state and has been named a Top 10 restaurants in Maine in several publications. It boasts an average gross sales of $1.2 million from 2011 to 2019 and more than $200,000 combined in profits and salary yearly to the owners.
The couple who made the restaurant famous also thanked the many people who were customers over the years.
“We have had lots of people come in and out of our lives,” the Facebook post said. “They became like our family. We enjoyed mentoring and helping the young minds over the years. We hope we helped you succeed as much as you helped us. You have all touched our hearts in some way.”
Attempts to reach Graham for additional comments were not successful.