Caribou’s Par & Grill offers golfing opportunity for enthusiasts when weather won’t cooperate
By Lisa Wilcox
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — For avid golf fans, the blustery months of a northern Maine winter can be torture. Unless you are able to spend the long, drawn-out season in warmer parts, blankets of snow and ice make courses unplayable. But one Caribou establishment has just the thing to make up for the lost tee time.
The Par & Grill has been in business for 11 years. Located in the Caribou Shopping Center on Bennett Drive, the restaurant/sports bar offers a family atmosphere. Patrons can find hearty cuisine such as pizza, sandwiches, burgers and nachos, along with a fully stocked bar.
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| Aroostook Republican Photo/Lisa Wilcox Manager Judy Dombroski demonstrates how to use the Par & Grill’s virtual golf game, a popular draw to the restaurant, especially in the winter months. Here she gets ready to hit a ball into the beginning screen of the Pebble Beach course in Florida, one of the 36 golf courses available to play. The computer program features all of the courses on the Professional Golf Association’s tour. The player hits the ball at the screen and the program measures the distance and direction of the ball. Ten to 12 golf league teams of two take advantage of the scenic courses during the winter months when local courses are closed. |
One thing that is especially unique to the Par & Grill is its virtual golf game. According to manager Judy Dombroski, the computer program allows golfers to experience the greens of about 36 courses played by the PGA around the country. Participants tee up and hit the ball at the screen, which measures its distance and direction.
In the winter, the bar features a golf league with 10 to 12 teams of two participating. Members of the league are mostly from the Caribou, Limestone and the Presque Isle area. The course is more active in the winter than in the summer months, but those itching for a round or two will show up to play in the summer when the weather is uncooperative.
Dombroski advises that Canadian patrons have even gotten in on the action with a group that had plans to play outside recently journeying over to the Par & Grill during rainy conditions.
Owner Chris Richards intended for his restaurant to have a golf theme when he purchased the former Pat’s Pizza after it was placed up for sale. It was his first endeavor as a business owner and has proven to be quite successful.
Richards believes in using his business to give back to the community. The Par & Grill provides help to a great deal of golf tournaments, most of which benefit charitable organizations, and they also donate gift certificates for individual benefits when asked.
Par & Grill employees no longer buy gifts for one another at their holiday parties; instead, purchasing items to donate to the Caribou Fire Department’s toy drive.
Over the past couple of years, the restaurant has also introduced a “buck” jar to its customers during the holiday season. In an effort to keep the business family-friendly, anyone caught using inappropriate language is asked to contribute a dollar to the jar.
“A lot of people will donate $10 or $20, even if they haven’t said anything bad,” Dombroski said.
The money from the “buck” jar also goes to CFD’s toy drive.
According to Dombroski, the Par & Grill has a pretty regular clientele.
“We have a great, great customer base,” Dombroski said. “Ninety percent are repeat customers. We have a ‘Cheers’-like atmosphere. Everybody knows your name.”
The Par & Grill also offers musical entertainment once a month and features a room that can be used free of charge for private functions such as birthday parties or bridal showers. The restaurant also offers off-premises catering.
The hours for the Par & Grill bar depend on the crowd, but it is open most weekends until just about 1 a.m. The restaurant serves food until 10 p.m. on weekdays and until 11 p.m. on weekends.
