Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
OPEN FOR BUSINESS — The Lunch Box, owned and operated by Denise and Shawn Campbell of Linneus, recently opened in the parking lot of Paradis’ Shop N’ Save on the North Road. The takeout eatery features a variety of fried foods for patrons to enjoy. The Campbell family are, from left, Shawn, Alaina, Kylie and Denise.
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
HOULTON — Those traveling along the North Road have a new place to grab a bite to eat, as the Lunch Box is open for business.
The Lunch Box is conveniently located in the parking lot of Paradis’ Shop N’ Save, and adjacent to Walmart. A grand opening will be held Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., weather permitting, which are the normal hours of operation.
Owned and operated by Shawn and Denise Campbell of Linneus, The Lunch Box offers foods that patrons of local fairs and festivals have come to love, such as hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken tenders, steak and cheese subs, lobster rolls, French fries, onion rings, chips, nachos and ice cream, as well as sodas and bottled water.
Not a fan of Jordan’s red hot dogs? Don’t worry, the Lunch Box also offer Nathan’s all-beef brown hot dogs.
“We were looking at ways to make some extra money,” Shawn said. “We have been thinking about this for a few years now.”
Campbell purchased the concession trailer from a man who had kept it spotless and “we intend to keep it looking that way.” he said. “We’re open to new ideas and suggestions. People were requesting ranch dressing for the chicken tenders so we added that. Someone else wanted a pickle with their lobster roll so we’ve added them as well.”
“Shawn attended a food show in Bangor in April and came away with some good ideas,” Denise added. “We’ve had many repeat customers already. We chose this location because of the high volume of traffic. We also felt safe setting up here because of the surveillance cameras Shop ‘n Save have in their parking lot. There’s a lot more than just flipping hamburgers. We’ve had to get numerous permits and take a food safety course.”
The Campbells’ goal is to serve good food at reasonable prices. Their employees are friendly, reliable people and there is also shaded picnic table seating available.
“We’d like to thank the Houlton Town Council for their support and the Paradis Brothers for the opportunity to lease the space from them,” Denise said. “We’d like to also thank everyone for their business and look forward to serving you in the future.”
During the grand opening, a special deal of a hot dog, bag of chips and drink for $2 will be offered.
The Campbells plan to move their booth to the park for this year’s July 4th festivities.
