Winnie’s new owner
finds family business rewarding
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
PRESQUE ISLE – Recognizing that Winnie’s Restaurant & Dairy Bar has been around since before he was born, Mark McKenna, of Mapleton, said he has no plans on changing the business’ name.
MARK McKENNA of Mapleton is the new owner of Winnie’s Restaurant & Dairy Bar in Presque Isle. Long days at Winnie’s are a family affair as McKenna said it helps that his wife, Lisa, and children all work at the restaurant, too. Pictured around the table are, clockwise, from left: daughters Laura, 10 and Katie, 15; Lisa McKenna, son Matthew, 13, Mark McKenna, and son Benjamin, 17. The McKennas officially took ownership of the business Aug. 23 and have a few changes planned including the current construction of a new indoor restroom.
“The name has been around for a long time; it was that name before I was born, so I’m definitely going to leave that alone,” said McKenna, who officially took ownership of the business Aug. 23. “Even people from outside of the area know the name.
“I think it’s a great location; there’s not a lot of competition on this side of town,” he said. “Our family friends are the Leblancs who had owned this business previously, so I met with them prior to purchasing it and got a few tips. We’ve also started selling the Leblanc Lobster Stew, which was another calling card we were able to obtain.”
One obvious change is the current construction of a new indoor restroom. Presently there are two seasonal restrooms outside.
“The seasonal facilities are not winterized, and you have to go outside to access them,” he said. “There’s also a restroom in the basement which is hard for some people to access. The new bathroom will be handicapped accessible and you can enter from inside the restaurant. We’ve heard many, many positive comments about that already and how it’s been long overdue.”
Two hand-washing sinks are also being added to the restaurant – one for the servers in the front of the building and one for the cooks in the back.
“The industry that I came from, I’m well aware of the sanitary regulations and guidelines, and my wife is a nurse by education and training, so cleanliness is very important to us,” McKenna said. “We both attended a ServSafe course recently and we’re sharing that information with the staff and trying to make improvements that way.”
As well as adding the Leblanc Lobster Stew, Winnie’s now features a taco salad that comes in an edible bowl.
“We will also be bringing hard ice cream back in the early spring,” said McKenna, noting that the rest of Winnie’s fare will remain the same.
McKenna said patrons should remember that Winnie’s is not a fast food restaurant.
“The food is prepared as you order it. There aren’t cheeseburgers prepared ahead of time that sit under a heat lamp. There are certain hours of the day on Saturdays and Sundays where it’s particularly busy and people do have a wait, but they should know that everything is made fresh to order,” he said, noting that “there are wait times that are unreasonable and that’s something that I’m working on.”
McKenna said while he puts in long hours, being his own boss is extremely rewarding.
“I’m the first person to arrive and the last to leave. Depending on deliveries coming in, which vary day by day, I’m usually here by 6:30 a.m. and get home between 9:30-10 p.m.,” he said. “It’s difficult; it leaves very little time to do the jobs at home, but my wife, Lisa, and our children [Benjamin, 17, Katie, 15, Matthew, 13, and Laura, 10] all work at the restaurant. I actually see them more at work than I do at home.
“They are all doing something here to help out,” said McKenna. “We believed from the beginning that it would be a family affair. I enjoy having them be a part of the business.”
The new owner is also trying to change the notion that Winnie’s is a seasonal restaurant.
“We’re actually open from 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m. seven days a week,” he said. “Many people aren’t aware that we’re open year-round; we’re working on changing that misconception.”
McKenna had previously been the administrator of the Maine Veterans’ Home in Caribou.
“I became unemployed in January of this year; there were some changes that happened,” he said. “I had been in long-term care for over 20 years, so I was kind of looking for something different. I’ve always wanted to own my own business, and I actually started looking at another eatery in Caribou that was for sale at the time.
“I went to the Northern Maine Development Commission and asked them about a loan package. On the day that I went for my meeting with the loan officer and was walking up the stairs to his office, Winnie’s popped into my head. What I didn’t know at the time was that my wife was thinking about Winnie’s while we had been talking about the Caribou eatery,” said McKenna. “The loan officer was on the phone but motioned for me to come in and have a seat. When he finished his phone call, he asked me what I was there for and I told him I was inquiring about a loan package for an existing business, but had mentioned to him that it was too bad that a place like Winnie’s wasn’t available because it’s closer to home and is open year-round, not just a seasonal business.”
That’s when McKenna’s course took a different route.
“The loan officer was kind of shocked and sat back in his chair and said, ‘You’re never going to believe this but the person on the phone was the owner of Winnie’s and he’s just decided to sell his restaurant,’” said McKenna. “I think that was God’s plan, so I decided I better do that. As soon as I came out of his office I called my wife and that’s when I found out that she had been thinking about Winnie’s at the same time. Our church family and friends had been praying for a while for the right thing to happen for us and obviously it did.”
McKenna said cruise nights will continue in the summer, and he hopes to develop a relationship with the Northern Maine Antique Tractor Club.
“I’d like to maybe have an antique tractor weekend or something like that,” he said. “I also want to have something for snowmobilers, and possibly the motorcycle groups … maybe have a weekend for them where they get a discount on their meal, as well as the opportunity to show off their cars, trucks, motorcycles, etc.”
McKenna’s family ran the 4-H Food Booth several years ago at the Northern Maine Fair, and ironically McKenna decided then that he “really didn’t want to do food service.”
“Now I own a restaurant, do all my own bookkeeping and the payroll, and I’ve even done some of the cooking,” he laughed. “It’s funny how life works out sometimes, but I’m enjoying every minute of it.”
Winnie’s Restaurant & Dairy Bar is located at 79 Parsons St. in Presque Isle.
WORKING SIDE BY SIDE in the kitchen at Winnie’s Restaurant & Dairy Bar are Benjamin McKenna, foreground, and his father, Mark McKenna, who bought the business Aug. 23. Winnie’s has started selling the Leblanc Lobster Stew and have added a taco salad that comes in an edible bowl. The rest of Winnie’s fare will remain, and hard ice cream will be brought back in the early spring.
