Lobster Pound shutters, ending long run for midcoast ‘icon’
The 260-seat Lincolnville Lobster Pound's long run perched on sandy Lincolnville Beach, where it debuted in the 1920s with just 60 seats, ended at the close of this season. The restaurant's owners have decided to shut down, and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy last month.
Owner
"The downturn of the economy is of course the beginning of our financial downfall," McLaughlin wrote in an email.
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The Lobster Pound faced mounting operational costs in recent years. Its mandated flood insurance was set at
The restaurant partly funded the
A number of smaller factors compounded to make things more difficult. For example, the restaurant lost 26 customer parking spaces to a state project, meaning fewer open parking spots for patrons and beachgoers in busy summer weeks. McLaughlin also pointed to online restaurant reviews on websites like Yelp.
"Although 70 percent of our reviews are positive, there are some reviews that would cast doubt and cause some patrons who do not know us to pass us by," McLaughlin said.
He also had concerns about the recent passage of
"We can only charge so much and still compete," McLaughlin wrote. "Another good reason we are not the first, and won't be the last. It wasn't a deciding factor for us, but would have been a problem had we continued."
Two years ago, McLaughlin sought to boost business by reimagining the restaurant as a brewpub and entering a partnership with
In spite of those efforts, banks weren't willing to refinance his business. McLaughlin reached out to an
"Most people in town have worked for Dick at one time or another," she said Thursday. "[The restaurant] helped many teenagers and students pay their way through college over the years by busting their butts all summer."
She said the town values the huge waterfront structure at a little over
"It's an iconic landmark, and we hate to see them go," Hanson said.
McLaughlin said he wants to thank his 49 employees for their years of service, as well as the hundreds of other employees who cycled through the seasonal business over the years. He also thanked customers from across the
Though the brewpub has closed,
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