LINNEUS, Maine — Grammy’s Country Inn is not closing, but the eatery is now up for sale.
Steve Graham and Lynn Birdsall, owners of Grammy’s Country Inn in Linneus, made the surprising announcement over the weekend when they revealed they were putting the iconic restaurant on the market.
“It’s been long enough,” Graham said. “I am losing a little bit of my enthusiasm (for the restaurant) and I don’t want to hurt what we have here.”
Known for its massive portions, Grammy’s Country Inn is arguably one of the most well known, family eateries in Aroostook County, if not the state. Graham and Birdsall purchased the restaurant 26 years ago and turned it into a destination attraction for connoisseurs of fine, home-cooked meals. The restaurant has been lauded by groups through the state and was featured in DownEast Magazine’s February 2014 issue, was named to the 21 Best Restaurant Awards by Bangor Metro Magazine for the past three years and earned a Certificate of Excellence Award from Tripadvisor.com last year.
The business is listed with First Choice Realty and comes with an asking price $1.19 million. Graham said he was willing to work with the new owner through the transition so that all of the recipes remain intact.
When the couple announced they were selling the business on their Facebook page, the response was immediate and overwhelming, coming from both current patrons and past employees.
“People seemed to think that we were already retired or closing the doors and that is not the case at all,” Graham said. “We are just starting the process. It could take years for all we know. We are still open and nothing is going to change.”
Ideally located on 1687 Bangor Road next to snowmobile trails, it is not uncommon to see a large amount of sleds in the parking lot. Graham said he enjoys traveling to other parts of the state for snowmobiling or hunting and often strikes up conversations with people.
“People will always ask where you are from and when I tell them Linneus, they almost always say, ‘Oh yeah, that’s where Grammy’s is,’” Graham said.
He never tells people he is the owner of the restaurant, because he wants to get a truer representation of their opinion of the food and their visit.
As the owner, Graham is not afraid to grab an apron and jump behind the stove to cook meals. He also cuts his own steaks for patrons and recalls one time a diner asked for a 3-pound prime rib, which he happily obliged.
The clientele has changed over the years, Graham said, and with it so too has the menu.
“We used to see a lot of older people that wanted turnip, chop suey and boiled dinner,” he said. “It’s definitely different people now.”
Graham and Birdsall have essentially been together since the age of 13. A native of New Jersey, Graham was 21 years old when he decided to purchase the restaurant. He had eaten at the restaurant a number of times, when visiting the area on hunting expeditions.
“We never had kids because we put all of our time in here,” Graham said. “Really, we have 35-some kids who are our employees. I have always enjoyed helping the young people learn.”
The restaurant is only closed two days a year — Thanksgiving and Christmas. May through October are the busiest times of year.
It was Graham who came up with the idea of offering large portions for his customers, even if it cut into his profit margin.
“It really was something that I just started doing,” he said. “I started giving more food on the plate and making desserts bigger. I had heard before that people want more than they expect and that has always stuck in my mind. I want people to get more than they thought they were going to get.”
