Business Spotlight: Backwoods Burger Shack and Pasketti's

Backwoods Burger Shack may be new to the scene, but it won’t remain a secret for very long.

It offers tempting specialty burgers made fresh daily, local potatoes, cheese and produce, southern-style fried chicken tenders, sandwiches, beer, wine and non-alcoholic drinks and milkshakes. There are hand-cut fries, to-die-for onion rings, inventive salads, and more, and it’s all helping Backwoods rapidly develop a loyal and devoted following.

Backwoods Bruger Shack is now home to Pasketti's Family
Style Italian take-out. They are located at the Route 202
and 237 rotary just over the South Windham line in
Gorham. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Located at 680 Gray Road in the former Sweets & Eats location in Gorham, Backwoods Burger Shack is owned and operated by Rick Boyd and his wife Tatiana and strives to provide quality in every bite and at prices everyone can afford.

All sauces are created in-house and the beef for the burgers is ground daily.

“We’re not a chain restaurant,” Boyd said. “We’re able to offer a quality product at a great value and we care about the community and try to be active in the community and make where we live a little better.”

Along with burgers, Boyd also operates a companion business at the Backwoods site called Pasketti’s, and it’s intended for families looking for a healthier, convenient, and affordable meal to take home or have delivered in Gorham, Windham or Westbrook.

“Pasketti’s is a take-out and delivery-only concept we just launched to give people in the area a comforting, fresh, healthy and inexpensive dinner option,” he said. “We offer take-out spaghetti dinners, salads and garlic toast featuring scratch-made marinara and Bolognese sauce. Our goal is to provide our customers with fresh, healthy and affordable dinner. Value is critical, so you can feed a family of six to eight people for $35, and it’s not junk food. Our fast and delicious take-out Italian dinners are exactly what busy families need.”

Boyd opened Backwoods Burger Shack in June but he’s no newcomer to the restaurant business.

“I’ve been in the industry since I was 13, so around 40 years,” he said. “I opened my first restaurant in Boise, Idaho in 2008 and grew that to five and a brewery before selling them to move to Lake Tahoe. We had two restaurants in Lake Tahoe, and with one under construction when COVID and the 2022 wildfires happened. We decided then to sell and move to Maine where it doesn’t catch on fire.”

Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and welcoming.

“Impressive would be an understatement. Camp Smoke burger was top notch and came out in seconds. And the milkshake was hands down the best around. Must Go!” Alex Y.

“What a great new addition to the area. We all had outstanding burgers and tons of fries and cool drinks. Service was super friendly and welcoming. Sat outside at a picnic table and the whole vibe of it was super cool.” Jen L.

“This place is bomb!!! So tasty, and the onion rings were awesome! Try everything, it's from scratch.” Heather R.

What makes Backwoods Burger Shack stand out from the competition is its friendliness, Boyd said.

“We have tremendous respect for the other restaurants in the area, but I would say our attitude sets us apart,” he said. “We try to include everyone in the conversation, so our social media presence is very friendly, and we try to be informative and supportive of everything that is going on around us. We try to make a personal interaction with everyone who stops in. We chose to be a part of this community after leaving Lake Tahoe and moving east. We love living here and we’re doing our best to bring new and exciting things to our new neighbors.”

Backwoods Burger Shack and Pasketti’s are open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays.

To see the menu or order ahead online with a hassle-free user-friendly platform, visit www.backwoodsburger.me or https://www.paskettis.com/ <