A longtime Fort Fairfield restaurant will close in December as its owner retires from the restaurant business.
Boondock’s Grille will last serve customers on Dec. 6, owner Steve Adams announced in a Monday Facebook post.
The eatery is the only year-round dine-in restaurant in the Canadian border town of more than 3,300 people, following the closure of Canterbury Royale a year ago.
“Although the restaurant business has always been a challenge, the last five years has been unprecedented with never-ending issues that have placed a burden on me that I am no longer willing to carry,” Adams said. “The reasons are many but primarily it came down to a personal decision based on family, age and timing.”
Adams and his wife, Vicki, opened Boondock’s at 294 Main St. in 2009, and it has been a staple of the central Aroostook County eatery scene since. Themed like a hunting lodge, the grille offers a variety of American cuisine, from steak to seafood to burgers.
The restaurant temporarily closed its doors in 2022 after a sustained worker shortage left it without the necessary staff to serve customers. It reopened that December.
Adams put the restaurant up for sale in 2023. The restaurant once again had a full staff after recovering from pandemic shortages, but Adams was ready for a change and was looking for someone to take over the business, he said at the time.
The 4,930-square-foot restaurant has been for sale through Fields Realty since at least this spring. It’s currently listed at $395,000 for a turnkey sale, which will be available until early spring of 2026. If the restaurant has not sold by then, Adams said, there will be an auction to sell equipment and furniture.
Boondock’s will operate with most of its staff, but a limited menu until it closes, Adams said. He will “do my best” to keep the most popular menu items available.
“Thank you for your business and your support and we hope you will give us another visit before we close,” Adams ended the message to customers.
