Owners of The Landing at China Lake selling restaurant for nearly $1 million (2024)

CHINA — Owners of The Landing, a seasonal restaurant that has served ice cream, hot dogs and lobster rolls to generations of Mainers since the 1950s, confirmed this week that the establishment has been listed for sale.

Initially founded in the 1970s as a frozen custard stand, the lakeside establishment in this Kennebec County town expanded into a fully-fledged restaurant in the 1990s. It is well known among vacationers and locals alike for its wide-ranging menu and the dock where boaters on China Lake can tie up before ordering food, ice cream and beverages. There are also several picnic tables along the nearby shore of China Lake for customers.

Its current owners, Kim and Tory Stark, are selling both the restaurant and the land for $995,000 after purchasing the restaurant in 2022 from longtime owners Tom and Nancy Bona.

Despite boosting The Landing’s sales and capacity during the last two years, Kim Stark said the couple recently considered shrinking the restaurant’s hours in order to spend more time with their growing family.

After considering The Landing’s role as a pillar of China’s community, Kim Stark said she ultimately decided it would be better if the restaurant continued with a new owner and began moving to sell the property.

“I had nightmares thinking about cutting down days or hours. I think it’s time to sell if I’m not able to give (The Landing) 100%, since that’s what the spot deserves,” Kim Stark said. “We have a large family. I have five kids, they range in age from 2 to 14. There’s so much potential there, but I would be holding (The Landing) back if we keep going at the rate that we’re going with our family being a young family.”

Although The Landing has been a seasonal operation since its founding, Stark said the restaurant has secured permission from the town to build a drive-through that will accommodate year-round service.

Town officials also gave the Starks permission to build a second floor atop the building that could be used for additional seating or storage space, Stark said, though constructing either addition will ultimately be the decision of a new owner.

The Starks have made a number of operational changes at The Landing, including streamlining the kitchen and rebuilding their point-of-sale system. With those tweaks, The Landing can now serve more than 60 meals an hour, Stark said.

The Landing’s sales have grown in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic. The restaurant’s gross revenue this year is projected to exceed $750,000, up 23% from last year and 58% from the year prior, according to Charlie MacPherson, who is brokering the sale with the New York-based Inbar Group.

More business has also been driven to The Landing in recent years as other local restaurants were forced to close as effects from the pandemic continued rippling across Maine’s economy, according to MacPherson, who is also a China resident.

“What we are all crying out for, as China residents, is a replacement for the China Dine-ah, which was a year-round restaurant that had an alcohol service, nice little bar, and a place to get food on frozen winter nights,” he said.

Despite being on the market about a week, MacPherson said that several potential buyers have expressed interest in the restaurant.

“So far, one (buyer) is local, others are regional, and a few are from elsewhere in New England,” he said.

The nearly $1 million listing price may increase if the Starks decide to build the drive-through window and additional seating before the sale.

The Landing is currently open six days a week and has seven full-time and 26 part-time employees.

While a number of prospective buyers are already interested in The Landing, Stark plans to continue operating the restaurant next year even if it doesn’t sell.

“We’re going to continue to operate it exactly how we’ve operated it for the past two or three years until the right family steps up and can take it over from us,” Stark said. “I have no fear that The Landing will close or that there will be an interruption in the spring service.”

Regardless of who The Landing’s new owner may be, the Starks plan to hang around the restaurant for a few months to ensure the transition goes smoothly — just as the restaurant’s previous owners offered to them.

“We want to be involved in as much a capacity as the new owner needs. We want to give them that same smooth transition that we got, sharing recipes and anything else they need,” Stark said. “We were patrons before we owned it and I’m certain we’ll be patrons after.”