I grew up in an era where there were at least 2 different 24-hour diners in the City of Bangor. It was practically a right of passage for teenagers and young adults to spend at least one weekend night a month (if not week) partaking in some sort of astronomically calorically heavy meal or dessert after a game, a dance, or a night at the bar (depending on your age, or the quality of your fake ID.)
Your options for late nights were the double-Ds: Denny’s or Dysart’s.
And for decades, after the bars let out, those two spots were hopping!
Denny’s & Dysart’s, Google and Canva
Denny’s & Dysart’s, Google and Canva
The waitresses, while in the business of taking tips, would not take any crap. They served piping hot coffee and eggs, any way you wanted them, with a side of hash-browns and buttered toast to the over-caffinated or less-than-sober crowd.
Diana Van der Sluys
Diana Van der Sluys
Aside from being the go-to places for after any major event, which gave drunken crowds the time and food they needed before they headed off into the night, they were also the places those who were just getting off a late shift could go to grab some grub on the way home.
ricardoreitmeyer
ricardoreitmeyer
And then things changed because the world changed.
Read More: Dysart’s Will No Longer Be Open 24 Hours
As many restaurants did when the Covid pandemic hit, both Denny’s and Dysart’s were forced to close and/or cut their hours for a while.
After those restrictions were lifted, they found it difficult to find enough staff to warrant being open 24 hours, so both places shortened their hours of operation.
Denny’s now closes at 10 PM, while the Travel Stop portion of the Dyart’s Truck Stop and Restaurant stays open 24/7; the dining room closes at 9 PM now, since 2019!
There are very few professional kitchens in the city of Bangor that are open past 10, and the small number that are are mostly located out by the mall.
Now that Bangor boasts the Maine Savings Amphitheater, the Cross Insurance Center, and several other venues and activities that take place till or beyond the 10 PM mark, Downtown Bangor could benefit from a late-night or better yet, 24-hour diner of sorts.
Maine Savings Amphitheater, Cori Skall
Maine Savings Amphitheater, Cori Skall
It wouldn’t need to be anything fancy. Just a place folks could pop in and grab a bite after a show, or after a shift, or while pulling an all-nighter (for those local students who might need a spot to grab a pick-me-up after a study session). Imagine what such a place would mean to those plow guys and gals after an evening of pushing snow, or those 3rd shift nurses who have spent the night running the floors without a snack or bathroom break!
A place within walking distance of both big Bangor venues would be ideal.
Maine Savings Amphitheater, Cori Skall
Maine Savings Amphitheater, Cori Skall
I have seen a food truck or two set up across the street from the Maine Savings Amphitheater after a number of the concerts, which is a smart move because the only other options to get a late-night snack after a show is to join the throngs of other concert-goers in a seemingly an endless line at th McDonald’s on Main Street. How I feel for those poor workers who get saddled with that shift. Or you can grab a quick treat from the local Circle K. But if you want an actual sit-down meal experience, there aren’t many to choose from that are open late at night.
Maine Savings Amphitheater, Cori Skall
Maine Savings Amphitheater, Cori Skall
Trust me, I’ve looked.
It just seems like there would be a market for late-night munchies in a city like Bangor.
I’m not sure where you’d put it or who would open it. But I am sure that there’s a need for a place like that in town, even if it’s just the one place.
And I would make the case that we’re likely far enough away from the crippled workforce of pandemic times that we could probably find a few night-owls willing to work that shift, if only for the people-watching opportunities and the benefit of drunken math tips.
What do you think? Could Bangor use a late-night or 24/7 diner? Where would you put it? Pros and cons?
Feel free to share your ideas, and/or your memories of your favorite nighttime diner.
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Dining and Cooking