Mr Pizza in Gorham is Closing (Now Reopened under new owners)

[Andrew]

Sunday River Brewing was such a treat when it first opened and I never drove past without stopping. It was sad a number of years ago when I found it transformed to be just another mediocre brewpub, and stopped going after a full pint was spilled by a server on my father-in-law, with no apology and they didn't even comp the replacement. We look and act like poor folk, so probably didn't matter to them. I was not aware the ownership has changed, so will consider visiting again.

Mr. Pizza was the only place I could get cauliflower poppers that were oh-so good. Darn. Poppycock Indeed!

 

[RollingRock]

I'm happy that Mr. Pizza will be re-opening...either under that name or another. I really don't care if it's run by Sunday River Brewing Company. The restaurant will be inspected like any other. I loved eating on the outdoor back deck watching the Androscoggin River flowing by. I'm sure the food will be excellent, menu expansive with lots of cold beer to choose from!

 

[skiguy]

And yet you and others dance around the "violations" for "compliance." It's almost as if the Mills administration was "enforcing" things that would be unconscionable in 2019 or 2022. But, let's memory hole the whole thing and blame it on a second-rate cable news channel.

I wish them well in New Hampshire. Gorham needs a viable restaurant in that location.

The Sun is out today and "The Poppycocks" are blooming.

 

[B the Hiker]

My friend and I went to the newly re-opened Mr. Pizza on Saturday, June 10. They had been open for four days.

The menu was good, the service was good, the pizza was good, and the prices were fair. Everything was spot on. Too chilly for the back deck to be open so we sat inside. Sometimes new places seem to have some start-up jitters, but the place seemed well organized. Friendly waitstaff. Owners were there greeting people and working the bar.

I would not hesitate to send someone there.

On Monday night we went to Moat. The outdoor dining is a nice setup, although we went inside and sat at the bar. Food and beer were as good as ever. Very very expensive, though.

 

[peakbagger]

My guess is it was a "soft opening". I will give it try for lunch next week. The other Pizza Place, Gorham House of Pizza with a much less extensive menu and staff has been for sale for a couple of years and expect the lack of competition (other than Mary's) for pizza in town helped their business but my guess is the owner really wants out. White Mountain Cafe, also for sale for a year, is still running.

There is also a new restaurant. that will open up at the former Liz's bistro. RMC is having their annual fundraiser run by Liz on July 28th at the location so not sure on the timing for the new place.

There is also a Chinese Buffett opening at the former Burger King, the existing Chinese Buffet down the road has a prominent notice at the door that they are not affiliated with the new place and has nothing to do with it. Looks like its time for Buffet wars. The thru hikers will love it.

There is also supposed to be place that serves "Tapa's" type meals at the former Dermoody Road (former Moriah Sports location).

I recently joined the local planning board and almost every case is a mix of short term and long term rental conversions. Out of state investors are grabbing every property they can that has ATV access due to the demand. Meanwhile house lots in the first new subdivision in Randolph in years (no views) are in the $150 to $170K range.

 

[peakbagger]

FYI - I edited the thread title to reflect its reopened

 

[Mt Clinton Trail]

My friend and I went to the newly re-opened Mr. Pizza on Saturday, June 10. They had been open for four days.

The menu was good, the service was good, the pizza was good, and the prices were fair. Everything was spot on. Too chilly for the back deck to be open so we sat inside. Sometimes new places seem to have some start-up jitters, but the place seemed well organized. Friendly waitstaff. Owners were there greeting people and working the bar.

I would not hesitate to send someone there.

On Monday night we went to Moat. The outdoor dining is a nice setup, although we went inside and sat at the bar. Food and beer were as good as ever. Very very expensive, though.

Thanks for this.

 

[peakbagger]

I was there for lunch today. Service was quick, the staff was mostly new faces but seemed to know their stuff and want t be there. The lunch menu has been simplified. They now have both sides of the restaurant open again. The main dining room is less crowded. Lots of new interior finishes. The one caveat is that the beer selection is national brands, nothing local I could see either on tap or in the cooler. No takeout pizza or ice cream out front like before.

 

[Barkingcat]

BTW Libby's Bistro and Salt have no plans to reopen, Libby's does special functions including the RMC fundraiser but they do run Atlas provisions that has some locally made in their kitchen carryout meals.

Circling back to one of notes made by the OP, regarding Libby's/Saalt and ATLaS -- according to the owners, "We will be offering a few dinners over the summer as well as some ATLaS take-away but only through email and pre-order. We won’t have a wine license. We will send emails with what’s available for pickup. Pickup will be in the ATLAS storefront. [Availability will be]...later in the summer"

 

[Sherby]

There is also a Chinese Buffett opening at the former Burger King, the existing Chinese Buffet down the road has a prominent notice at the door that they are not affiliated with the new place and has nothing to do with it. Looks like its time for Buffet wars. The thru hikers will love it.

There is one place in Gorham that I don't understand how it can survive, the Yokohama, this was our worst restaurant experience ever, 10 years later we're still joking that our 4 plates looked/tasted almost identical even if we ordered different ones (none of us finished it, the waiter was quite surprised that we didn't ask for a bag).

 

[peakbagger]

They do seem to have a dedicated clientele that know what they are getting but I do expect the average person walking in the door will have a similar opinion.

 

[Breeze]

2 of us were at Mr. Pizza for lunch on Monday. Melissa at the bar is Rick Savage's wife, they are owners, she's doing some floor shifts while they continue to hire staff. She was very comfortable saying that as June closed in on them, they put some stuff on the back burner so they could get open before the summer got away from them. We asked about the front window , and that's not going to be ice cream or takeout. They'll be merchandising in that area--typical retail in a tourist spot. Remarkably, the menu is priced quite conservatively, there is plenty of choice with no savaging your wallet. It was BUSY Monday at lunchtime, but the staff was working it efficiently and happily. I think there is every reason to believe they'll be a good fit in Gorham.

 

[peakbagger]

No doubt they will fit in town like the prior Mr Pizza during the busy season. The key to surviving long term is have a business plan that can survive the two "mud seasons" in town from the end of October to after early December. The restaurants usually a have tick up in business for Christmas and New Years and then depending on snow fall they have moderate snow machine and skiers visits and then in late March to early May it is pretty dead. Keeping the staff employed during the two dead periods is always a challenge. Lay them off and they may not get them back when things pick up.

 

[Breeze]

No doubt they will fit in town like the prior Mr Pizza during the busy season. The key to surviving long term is have a business plan that can survive the two "mud seasons" in town from the end of October to after early December. The restaurants usually a have tick up in business for Christmas and New Years and then depending on snow fall they have moderate snow machine and skiers visits and then in late March to early May it is pretty dead. Keeping the staff employed during the two dead periods is always a challenge. Lay them off and they may not get them back when things pick up.

These owners have been in Bethel a long time. It's barely 20 miles between the Gorham location and the SR Brew Pub, the business cycle is the same in Bethel. Their game plan is well illustrated in the new layout--come mud, they can shut one side down to lighten the payroll and still have bar and tables--just like they did at SR Brew Pub. They know how to deal.

 

[peakbagger]

I agree, I suspect they have a well thought out business plan but it will be different than SRB. Gorham is a different market, the impact of ski business is far lower than SRB with far less end of day traffic. Unlike the Bethel/Newry area, Wildcat is a transient ski area without the associated hotels, condos and vacation homes filled with folks coming up for the week and looking for a place to eat. Also, there are far more affluent year round retirees in Bethel/Newry looking for a place to go out to eat. Noona's on Exchange Street In Gorham gets more than a few tables filled by people heading over from Bethel year round and Libby's was the same. I dont see the new Mr Pizza's menu as being something worth driving 30 miles like SRB was to me in Gorham. SRB probably had the premier location on the corner of RT 2 and Sunday River road, Mr Pizza does not have that spot in Gorham, I expect the new Brew Pub is pretty close. Keep in mind the Glen House restaurant is grabbing a big chunk of the higher end ski traffic from Wildcat.

I heard that the Cumberland Farms location in Gorham just sold for 1.5 million, it will be interesting to see what goes in there, its pretty rare for Cumberland Farms to sell a location. A large number of the motels in Gorham along with the former Moes Variety have been bought by Pakistani investors that appear to be betting that the big money has been made in Conway area and that if they hold onto Gorham real estate it will appreciate at a higher rate. The family that bought the former Moe's Variety reportedly are the major investors in the new hotel across from the scenic VIsta in Glen and another new hotel being built on the Conway strip, the son is running the former Moe's.

 

[dug]

There is one place in Gorham that I don't understand how it can survive, the Yokohama, this was our worst restaurant experience ever, 10 years later we're still joking that our 4 plates looked/tasted almost identical even if we ordered different ones (none of us finished it, the waiter was quite surprised that we didn't ask for a bag).

The locals will curse you for even thinking this, never mind putting it in writing. You can kid about a lot of things, but NOT the Yokohama!

(Not a fan either, even though I've been dragged there quite often over the years)

 

[JToll]

I would not count on any changes to Cumberland Farms. They just sold a large number of stores in New England in a sale lease back deal.

 

[peakbagger]

Interesting. Maybe they will finally do an upgrade to the store like they have done in many other locations. It pretty lame that a gas station at the intersection of two major highways doesnt have restrooms.

 

[skiguy]

I agree, I suspect they have a well thought out business plan but it will be different than SRB. Gorham is a different market, the impact of ski business is far lower than SRB with far less end of day traffic. Unlike the Bethel/Newry area, Wildcat is a transient ski area without the associated hotels, condos and vacation homes filled with folks coming up for the week and looking for a place to eat. Also, there are far more affluent year round retirees in Bethel/Newry looking for a place to go out to eat. Noona's on Exchange Street In Gorham gets more than a few tables filled by people heading over from Bethel year round and Libby's was the same. I dont see the new Mr Pizza's menu as being something worth driving 30 miles like SRB was to me in Gorham. SRB probably had the premier location on the corner of RT 2 and Sunday River road, Mr Pizza does not have that spot in Gorham, I expect the new Brew Pub is pretty close. Keep in mind the Glen House restaurant is grabbing a big chunk of the higher end ski traffic from Wildcat.

I heard that the Cumberland Farms location in Gorham just sold for 1.5 million, it will be interesting to see what goes in there, its pretty rare for Cumberland Farms to sell a location. A large number of the motels in Gorham along with the former Moes Variety have been bought by Pakistani investors that appear to be betting that the big money has been made in Conway area and that if they hold onto Gorham real estate it will appreciate at a higher rate. The family that bought the former Moe's Variety reportedly are the major investors in the new hotel across from the scenic VIsta in Glen and another new hotel being built on the Conway strip, the son is running the former Moe's.

I’m not going to correct you on some of your conjecture but you might want to check your local info because it is not factual by any means. I can attest that your info about the former Moe’s Variety for example is not correct. Hearsay is one thing. True first hand information is something else. I happen to be personal friends with the new owners and you don’t even have their nationality correct. Your comments come off sounding borderline racist.

 

[peakbagger]

Interesting, I got it from a town official. I will edit my prior response to "East Asian"