PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Diners and staff at Presque Isle’s Riverside Inn Restaurant are seeing a whole new environment following an extensive renovation completed Friday, March 3.
Closed for three weeks while local contractors worked, the restaurant opened for business once again on Saturday, March 4.
Owners Danny and Sandy Collins smiled as they surveyed the remodeled space during an informal soft opening Friday.
“I’m overwhelmed,” said Sandy Collins. “Everything is brand-new.”
“It’s a reinvestment in the local community,” Danny Collins added. “We used all local contractors: Buck’s Construction, Carlisle Electric, McGlinn Plumbing and M&M Sheet Metal.”
Guests chat and view the remodeled interior of Presque Isle’s Riverside Inn Restaurant during an informal gathering Friday afternoon.
(Staff Photo/Paula Brewer)
In the dining area, painted and patterned wood walls and corrugated trim replace the former knotty pine. New counters, floor and fresh decor complete the look. In the kitchen, there are new stainless steel walls, shelving and equipment.
“We’ve done the front end four or five times, but never the kitchen,” Danny Collins said. “It’s all new, floor to ceiling. The wiring has been completely redone — you won’t find a bit of the old wiring.”
During a brief tour of the kitchen, he said, “There’s stainless steel now on the walls, and mostly all new equipment. And we bought a bread slicer — something we’ve never had.”
The restaurant bakes its own bread, about 30 loaves a day — which to this point has been cut by hand. The slicer will make the task more efficient and easier on staff, he said.
He pointed out the new tile floor, relating that two longtime businesses met again during this project.
“Sullivan’s installed the linoleum when we first moved in 30 years ago, and they came to install the new floor this time.”
The restaurant building itself has a large place in Presque Isle history. It served many years as the B&A (Bangor and Aroostook) Railroad station, and later became the iconic Condon’s Bakery, a longtime local landmark. After the bakery closed, Danny Collins said, the building was empty for a year before Dave Williams opened Dave’s Pizza.
“Dave moved across the street,” he said, “and we moved in, in April 1984. We rented from Pudge and Vern Condon — it was their mother who had Condon’s Bakery.”
The couple rented from the Condon brothers until 1987, when they purchased the building.
Nearly 30 years later, Danny Collins was visibly moved as he looked around the space. “I get quite emotional,” he said. “It means everything to me.”
