Pioneer Times photo/Joseph Cyr
HOULTON — It’s been several years in the making, but the Houlton Pizza Hut now boasts a redesigned dining area, complete with new booths and tables, an improved work flow and flat screen televisions.
“We started the process last July,” explained Chris Carmichael, manager of the Houlton Pizza Hut. “It’s been an ongoing process since that time.”
The first sign of change came last summer when the restaurant replaced its worn red roof with a more modern, black shingled roof complete with a neon sign. New carpet was installed and the curtains and hanging chandelier lights were removed in favor of modern, recessed lighting, which brightened the dining area considerably.
It took a bit more time to get the new booths and tables into the store. The previous seating had been in the store for nearly 25 years.
“The booths all had to be built to Pizza Hut’s specs,” he explained. “The same thing was true for the salad bar and pizza buffet table.”
Pioneer Times photo/Joseph CyrThe newly-remodeled restaurant was officially unveiled on March 14 as a surprise to patrons. According to Carmichael, he and his staff completed the dining room makeover in one night, working into the early morning hours.
“We tore the dining room apart at 8 p.m. and had everything in here and in place by 1:30 a.m.” he said. “We didn’t want to lose any time from being closed.”
The new seating capacity is reduced going from 101 seats to 82, but Carmichael said he felt the redesign would bring more people into his restaurant. The new seating also allows for large groups to be seated together with minimal effort, he said.
