One
of Windham’s most familiar and popular restaurants is back open to the public
once again and expanding its lunch menu and hours to better serve customers.
The new hours are 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
on Saturday and Sunday, with lunch starting at 11 a.m.
Through
the years, Chute’s Family Restaurant has become a Lakes Region tradition
featuring a folksy and country décor and world-class homemade English muffins,
Eggs Benedict and giant cinnamon rolls. The restaurant was closed for nearly 3
½ months because of COVID-19 restrictions, but owners Bruce and Maila Stevens
reopened for business July 1.
Almost
all of Chute’s Family Restaurant’s 22 employees have returned to their jobs and
ready to see and greet old and new friends once more.
“So
many people have visited the restaurant over the years that they’ve become like
family,” Bruce Stevens said. “I can recall several families stopping in for a
meal following the birth of their child and now that same child is coming in
with their own family. It’s so touching to see something like that.”
Originally named Chute’s Coffee Shop,
the restaurant was launched in 1978 by Edward and Gloria Chute of Casco. It was
established as a compliment restaurant to Chute’s Country Tea Room in Casco, which
is now called Chute’s Cafe and is independently owned and operated.
At its inception, the Windham location
saw a number of members of the Chute Family actively involved in the
restaurant’s operation. But in 1982, the Chute’s daughter, Maila, and her
husband, Bruce Stevens moved back to Maine with their family of six and
purchased the restaurant in Windham, which they continue to own and operate to
this very day.
The restaurant’s longstanding reputation
as an old-fashioned diner featuring home-cooked meals, cozy and authentic
ambiance and friendly staff is richly deserved.
According to Bruce Stevens, the
restaurant has become a landmark destination in Windham over the decades
because of its quaint family atmosphere, an adherence to the consistency and quality
of the meals its serves, and for very generous portions offered to its
customers.
“People come here for years and become
a part of our family,” Bruce Stevens said. “We have such a loyal and consistent
following stretching all the way from Bridgton to Portland. And we’ve had
visitors that have stopped in from as far away as Florida, New York and
Massachusetts.”
He said the most popular item on the
Chute’s menu in the 38 years that they’ve owned the restaurant is the “Mini
Platter” for breakfast, which includes two eggs, grilled home fries, choice of
meat and toast. Veteran Chute’s Family Restaurant patrons rave about its tasty home-cooked
hash, especially the Swedish hash, lush biscuits, an assortment of freshly
baked goods, piping hot coffee and heaping plates of fluffy pancakes.
Savvy diners also rave about Chute’s more than ample portions of
French toast, sausage biscuits with gravy, a variety of omelet dishes and tea
cakes, all prepared exclusively in the restaurant’s kitchen. . Diners will also find various specials of
menu items and old favorites on the weekends and gluten-free bread available for toast and sandwiches.
Since Chute’s Family Restaurant
reopened, visitors may notice that a few things are different, Bruce Stevens
said.
First, the seating capacity for Chute’s has been set at a maximum
of 50 at a time and we are following state guidance on distancing and
sanitation.
“We are really building up the lunch
menu,” he said. “You’ll find a lot more burger selections and fish and chips
and a whole lot more here for lunchtime meals.”
Takeout meals also are available seven
days a week for both breakfast and lunch, Bruce Stevens said.
“We just want everyone to know that we
are thankful for our faithful and loyal customers who’ve stuck with us through
the years,” Bruce Stevens said. “We also want the community to know that in
addition to our great breakfast, we are now expanding our lunch menu too and
all of the great service and food that you’ve come to rely on us for is
available at Chute’s Family Restaurant again.”
Chute Family Restaurant is at 686
Roosevelt Trail #B in Windham.
To place a take-out order, call 207-892-5197.<
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