FARMINGTON – Two restaurants are moving into new digs and one closing are among the changes taking place on Front Street.
The Greenwood Dining Room is closing and Stone Hearth Cafe’s operation has moved to make way for Thai Smile & Sushi Restaurant to reopen in the former Chester Greenwood earmuff factory building at 168 Front Street.
Thai Smile, located across Front Street at 103 Narrow Gauge Square for five years, is expected to reopen on Sept. 1, said John Moore, who owns the building and manages the two restaurants with Jennifer Bjorn.
The Greenwood Dining Room’s last day is Saturday, Aug. 27. Stone Hearth’s pizza and gelato service has moved to the Snack Shack located between the Narrow Gauge Cinemas complex and the University of Maine at Farmington’s Prescott Field. Stone Hearth’s wood fired pizza has proved popular and “business is very good,” he said. The Shack’s pizza will be served on Friday and Saturday nights for now.
Thai Smile’s five-year lease ended and the restaurant’s owner, Chaiwat Kloythep, couldn’t find an appropriate space available in the downtown area, Moore said. The Greenwood/Stone Hearth space is larger than the Thai restaurant’s current location and provides an outdoor eating area on the front patio.
“We could have continued the Greenwood Dining Room indefinitely, but everything aligned when his lease ended and his wanting to stay downtown,” he said. Most of the Greenwood staff found work at the cinema or were leaving anyway to go back to school.
Closing Greenwood restaurant allows Moore and Bjorn more time to focus on plans that include new building projects in the cinema complex.
Included is an old-fashioned giant screen drive-in theater to be constructed in an area behind the cinema building. The outdoor theater will be able to accommodate up to 80 vehicles. New digital technology provides for a much improved viewing experience than the old drive-in theaters of 40 or 50 years ago. The films’ sound will play through the car’s stereo radio tuned to an available FM channel and the digital projector, to be mounted on the cinema’s roof, is all automated.
“Interest (in a drive-in theater) has been tremendous,” Moore said.
With the Snack Shack close by, Moore and Bjorn are considering a car hop service to complete the ’50s or ’60s experience. Filmgoers can order up a pizza, stay in their car and be waited on and not have to miss a moment of the movie. Restrooms are provided for at the Snack Shack building and smoking at the theater will be prohibited to keep it family friendly.
The drive-in movie provides a nostalgic experience for the those over the age of 50 and Moore expects to bring in a generation that has never been to a drive-in theater before.
“Grandparents can bring their grandchildren to something they experienced as children,” Moore said. He wants to open the drive -in by Memorial Day next year.
Also in the works is construction of a new building to house Stone Hearth Cafe. Moore and Bjorn completed the design and received planning board approval to build next to Troy Norton’s optometry office at 116 Narrow Gauge Square a few years ago. They intend to wait and assess things to see when they will start construction on the new building.
“Jenn and I want a strong viable downtown,” Moore said of their business ventures.
I’m so excited for the drive-in!
Can’t wait for the drive in to open! the car-hop service is a good idea as well!
Good luck on the project.
Carol
Very, very sad to hear the Greenwod is closing!!! Not really excited to hear the stone hearth is moving. Both places have been staples in our dining routine since opening. One less quality establishment to dine in Farmington is not at all good news. The Greenwood was by far and away the best. It will be missed. Can’t imagine that the atmosphere will be anywhere near as nice at the stone hearth with it in such close proximity to the athletic fields? I sincerely hope I am wrong!
Sorry excited for drive in… Would love to see some closed captioning for deaf patrons.
Super excited. Auto correct lol
My husband and I really regret the closing of the Greenwood Dining Room. Perhaps the local restaurant climate will be right next year to reopen it in a new incarnation — we can only hope!
it all sounds like a great adventure for the Farmington area!
Loved going to the drive in in my youth…and service right at the car will be such an added bonus!
Can’t wait for the younger generation to experience the fun of the drive in!!
don’t forget the Granary is now open and the meals are great, as well as the staff. Hope they stay put
The Granary staff is great. But without competition from another establishment, restaurants seem to get complacent and become overpriced. Time will tell. It just seems a shame to close an establishment that served a need and did it flawlessly. The Greenwood will be missed.
A loss to the community. Two enjoyable restaurant experiences to a hearty attendance of two demographi
C groups gone from the community. This is sad.
Eric…I agree with you…that was a platform for reopening the Granary. I can assure you that being complacent and/or raising prices aren’t in the equation. Farmington is ripe for more restaurants of varying niches. Good luck with future endeavors. My kids will be excited for the Snack Shack to reopen.
The Thai Smile has the best Penang Chicken Curry I ever had anywhere! About twice what most people can eat, but you get to doggy bag the rest and have it again at home! You’ll WANT to finish it on the spot, but most people couldn’t do it! Wish I had some right now! Their house Hot Tea had just a touch of chocolate flavor when we were there recently, never had tea anywhere like it, very interesting and different.