Elm Tree Diner opens rebuilt restaurant with style

Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
SERVICE WITH A SMILE — Jennifer Sewell, a waitress at the newly re-opened Elm Tree Diner, serves a plate to a lunch customer Wednesday. The restaurant, which was destroyed by fire in September 2009, re-opened Tuesday, Aug. 31 to a steady stream of hungry patrons.
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
HOULTON — It has been almost a year since a fire destroyed the Elm Tree Diner in the early morning of Sept. 28, 2009. For a time, it appeared as if the iconic eatery had served its final meal.
    But Gary L. Dwyer was not about to let his restaurant vision go up in flames quite so easily. Construction on a new Elm Tree Diner began before the end of 2009 and is now complete.
    The Elm Tree Diner opened its doors Tuesday morning, once again providing home-cooked meals for its hungry patrons.
    “For over 60 years, the Elm Tree has been in business on the Bangor Road,” Dwyer said. “Sadly, the diner burnt in September 2009 and we were forced to close the doors. Since then we have been focused on rebuilding.”
    After the restaurant burned, Dwyer opened a “sister” restaurant, Elm Tree North, on the North Road in mid-November at the site of the former Governor’s/Atrium restaurant, which opened in late 2009. According to the owners, there are no plans to close the North Road establishment now that the original Elm Tree Diner has re-opened.
    The Bangor Road eatery served residents from both sides of the border for six decades. The Elm Tree Diner, located at 146 Bangor Road, has a statewide (and across the border as well) reputation as “the” place to eat in Houlton.
    Therefore, it stands to reason that now that the new Elm Tree Diner has re-opened, customers can expect the high quality food they have come to love from Dwyer’s crew of workers.
    The Elm Tree Diner opened in 1945 and has been “the” place in Houlton for meals, deserts and coffee for decades. Dwyer purchased the establishment two years ago and expanded the eating area to accommodate more customers.
    Fifteen full and part-time employees were hired at Elm Tree Diner. Some staff members from Elm Tree North will work at both locations.
    The menu features everything one would come to expect for the Elm Tree Diner. Country fried steak, slow roasted turkey dinners, liver and onions, seafood and burgers are staples on the menu. Fridays will also feature the popular “all you can eat” fish fry.
    “For the time being, both restaurants will have the same menu,” said Donna Waggoner of Elm Tree LCC. “We will be working on a new menu for Elm Tree North.”
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
    DESSERT ANYONE? — Amanda Hall arranges the pastry shelf at the Elm Tree Diner Wednesday during the lunch rush. Famous for its desserts, the Elm Tree Diner opened the doors to its new establishment on Tuesday, Aug. 31.
    Dawn Denbow will serve as the head cook for Elm Tree Diner. Denbow, who has been with the company since Dwyer took over the business in 2007, will be in charge of both kitchens.
    A visit to Elm Tree will provide customers with a pleasant surprise as the floor plan has been opened up to provide greater comfort for its patrons. The new eatery can now seat roughly 116 people with a combination of booths and tables. Bar stools at the counter — an Elm Tree tradition — are also included in the floor design.
    Waitress Jennifer Sewell said Wednesday that business has been steady since the restaurant opened its doors. She said many of the customers have commented on the new décor and spaciousness of the eatery.
    One of those customers, Margaret Coolong of Houlton, affirmed those sentiments.
    “I absolutely love what they have done with this place,” Coolong said. “It certainly seems bigger and brighter. The waitresses are wonderful. It’s just so homey.”
    A regular customer of the Elm Tree Diner for years, Coolong said she was saddened to learn that the restaurant was destroyed by fire, but was delighted when Dwyer opened a new restaurant on the North Road.
    “Oh, I’ll be visiting both places for sure,” she said.
    Coolong said she was having the chef’s salad for lunch so she could leave room for dessert.
    Desserts are something that the Elm Tree has been known for, and customers should be relieved to learn that focus won’t change with the new establishment. On Wednesday, the dessert board boasted 11 pies to choose from with apple, blueberry, walnut, strawberry rhubarb, custard, raspberry, pumpkin, banana, coconut cream, chocolate, graham and chocolate graham. And don’t forget the whoopee pies.
    The Elm Tree Diner will be open Sundays through Thursdays from 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Fridays and Saturday from 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information on the Elm Tree Diner, email: elmtree@pioneercable.net or call 532-3777.