WINSLOW — After months of anticipation, The Two Cent Pub at 82 Clinton Ave. is open for business.
Originally slated to open in April, that date was pushed because of the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Owner Stacy Barnes said that she and her team have been working for the last few months to get the restaurant ready to serve customers. On Friday, the pub opened its doors.
Barnes said that she and her staff all lost their jobs when the pandemic first invaded Maine and forced food-service businesses to close their dine-in options. Scott McIntyre, who originally owned the property, offered the ownership to Barnes once he learned that she would not be returning to the job that she had before the pandemic.
McIntyre, who also owns The Old Goat Pub in Richmond, and Barnes said it was difficult for him to maintain both as restaurants closed down or curtailed their offerings in response to the pandemic and the state’s emergency orders to shutter dine-in services.
The property was originally secured by McIntyre in December 2019 at the site that once housed It’s A Good Pizza, which had been in the Winslow community for more than 40 years before it was foreclosed on.
The Two Cent gets its name from the nearby Two Cent Bridge, the walking bridge that connects Winslow to Waterville over the Kennebec River.
“It’s been a lot of paperwork and red tape for the last two months,” Barnes said. “We were just trying to get everything together and building menus and ordering equipment. It’s just been a struggle with state regulations.”
Barnes has a crew of four with decades worth of experience in the food and drink industry. The featured menu item is pizza, though the pub also offer salads, sandwiches, nachos, quesadillas and other options. Beer, wine and other alcoholic beverages are available.
Staff at the newly opened Two Cent Pub at 82 Clinton Ave. in Winslow fill orders for a full house on opening day on Friday. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel
“Our key feature is pizza,” Barnes said. “We have a sister property in Richmond, and (McIntyre) wanted to open another similar property here in this community. Our menu includes some of their items, and we’ve thrown in some of our own.”
Despite the struggles that come with opening a business, particularly during the time of coronavirus, Barnes and her crew have received support from the community. In the month since the pub created a Facebook page, the site has received more than 1,700 likes as well as encouraging words, Barnes said.
On Friday Barnes said she was hoping for a successful opening weekend. In anticipation of that, the restaurant opened its doors earlier than the scheduled time of 3 p.m. and had had a steady trickle of guests stop in.
The dining room can seat up to 34 guests. In line with coronavirus guidelines, each table is spaced out, and the staff are clad in face shields. Tables and menus are sanitized between customers. McIntyre originally planned seating for 42 diners at seven tables and the bar.
Barnes said that the pub had received several requests for reservations, but is not accepting them at this time as they do not know what to expect on their opening weekend.
“We’ve never been open before. It’s our very first day,” Barnes said.
Lisa Quimby, back center, tends bar as Marie Spaulding, right, enjoys a beer at the Two Cent Pub at 82 Clinton Ave. in Winslow on Friday. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel
Barnes said that she and her staff aren’t quite sure what to expect, though their expectations are high because of the engagement they’ve had with the community through their Facebook page.
“We want it to be casual and fun,” she said. “We want people to feel comfortable here, and we want it to be a gathering place. We’re really not sure what’s going to happen.”
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
