Rob DeGennaro stood by the entrance to his new Bucksport restaurant on Thursday as the dinner rush began, joking with diners before walking them to their tables at Stowaways Town Tavern and Ugly’s Bar.
He spoke as if they were all old friends, though the place has only been open for two weeks.
But in that time, the restaurant has attracted far more traffic than he expected – lines were out the door for the first three days – and already drawn repeat customers, with an early record of five return visits in one week.
“We didn’t get a chance to have a soft opening,” DeGennaro said.
The family-oriented restaurant opened this month in the highly visible building at 63 Main St. that had housed MacLeod’s Restaurant for the last 45 years. With a vast menu reminiscent of home cooking, generous portions, lower prices and a focus on a welcoming atmosphere, DeGennaro and his crew of nearly 30 want to create a “wow” factor that keeps people coming back weekly, employees said Thursday.
The new restaurant is among several that have opened or announced plans to expand in Bucksport, which has seen significant turnover in its dining scene in recent years.
Elsewhere on Main Street, My Buddy’s Place recently closed and the Ellsworth-based food truck Salsa Shack plans to move in with its first permanent location; down Route 1, Glenn’s Place was sold to the fast-growing regional bakery chain Sweet Cheeks, which opened a 1950s-themed diner there this month.
DeGennaro, a veteran restaurateur in Hancock County, closed his last venture, Crybabies, in Stonington to do business here with his wife, Anna, in part because “we felt like the vibe was perfect,” he said. He believes the town is continuing its comeback from the closure of its paper mill almost 11 years ago and has supported its business community.
The town is centrally located between Belfast, Bangor and Ellsworth, which has made it attractive to other businesses and drawn new diners from a wide radius. When George MacLeod announced his family was closing their restaurant in March, he said he wanted someone else to make good use of the location and strong customer base.
Now, “We’re pulling people in from all angles, all over,” DeGennaro said. “It’s like the crossroads. It’s really fun to see.”
The space is still recognizable, but has been renovated to bring in more light and features new furniture and decorations. Its menu spans 30 years of specials from DeGennaro’s past restaurants with input from a team of four chefs and room for improvisation.
In an attempt to offer something for everyone, the menu spans steak, pasta, fresh-picked Stonington lobster in a footlong roll, seven types of Reuben sandwich, quesadillas and tacos, burgers, fried seafood baskets, local or unusual fish prepared to order and an array of frozen alcoholic drinks. The “Nana menu” offers smaller portions for older patrons.
So far, popular items have been steak and chicken; DeGennaro is selling 50 pounds of meatloaf a day and plenty of chowder.
The chowder came with executive chef Carlos Guerrero, who won five trophies for it at Ellsworth’s chowder contest under past employers – even the year when he tried to lose, he said.
Phil Lebreton, who previously worked in fine dining with two James Beard award nominations and a visit from the Michelin Guide, said he’s enjoyed the freedom to experiment in a less high-pressure setting. That leads to new ideas like the “lobster cappuccino,” layers of lobster meat and lobster bisque topped with lobster cream.
Overall, the new restaurant leans away from fine dining and toward big portions at reasonable prices, with a goal to get people visiting a few times a week rather than a few times a year.
Employees emphasized the family atmosphere of the workplace – kitchen manager Ryan Hewes, who like Guerrero has opened four restaurants with DeGennaro, said several of his own family members work there – and the satisfaction of watching customers enjoy a good meal.
When MacLeod’s closed, it seemed everyone was talking about what would move to the location, said Matt Paradis, who lives in Orrington and now works in the kitchen as Guerrero’s “key player.” The number of people coming by to see the new operation is impressive and humbling, he said Thursday as the tables began to fill.
The menu will change again soon for the winter, with a focus on comfort food. Stowaways Town Tavern is open from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Sunday.