After 10 summers of owning and operating Larson’s Lunch Box, husband-and-wife team Billy and Barb Ganem are looking to hang up their aprons, at least for the time being.
Billy and Barb Ganem, of Damariscotta, are selling Larson’s, a business they have owned since 2004.
“This has been such a big part of our lives, but it’s time for the next chapter,” Barb Ganem said.
The history of Larson’s Lunch Box extends back to 1962, when it was founded by Mary and Arthur Larson. The business was then passed to their niece, Suzanne Carney. Barb Ganem said Carney operated the business for years before leasing the building to someone else.
While visiting the area years ago, the Ganems stumbled upon Larson’s Lunch Box. Billy Ganem said he remembered saying it would be a great place to own. When Carney put the building up for sale, Billy Ganem received a call from his father.
“He remembered that comment years later,” Billy Ganem said.
At the time, Billy and Barb Ganem had settled in Nevada with their son Eli, who was in second grade. Barb Ganem and Eli Ganem returned to Damariscotta to visit the property, only to find it in “incredible disarray.”
“It looked as if the people (Carney) leased it to just up and left at the end of the day,” Barb Ganem said.
The Ganems were not deterred, however. Billy Ganem later took a separate trip to visit the building, as well as other possible business locations in Lincoln County. He said there was something that drew him back to Larson’s, despite the obvious work that needed to be done.
“There was just something strange about it that made me think, ‘this is it, this is what I want to do,'” Billy Ganem said.
After phone calls with Carney and months of back and forth, the Ganems closed on Larson’s during the winter of 2004. They stayed in Nevada until their son finished the school year and moved to Damariscotta in May 2005.
The first year was filled with renovations and updates to the building as the Ganems prepared to reopen Larson’s. The Ganems extended the building with an extra room and brought the electric and plumbing systems in the building up to code. While they worked, locals would stop by and check in with what the plan for the restaurant was.
“They would say, ‘Oh, you need to keep this item on the menu,'” Barb Ganem said. “The restaurant was kind of an institution for the community, and they really wanted to see the menu stay the same.”
While cleaning out the building, the Ganems located one of the menu boards from Carney’s time operating the restaurant and decided to use it as their menu.
The weeks leading up to the reopening of Larson’s were filled with a bit of stress and anxiety as the Ganems did not know what to expect, Billy Ganem said. When the restaurant reopened in April 2006, Barb Ganem described the experience with one word: chaotic.
“We thought we had everything all planned out, but it still felt like we were unprepared for the amount of people who came that first week,” Barb Ganem said.
“There were just these huge crowds of people!” Billy Ganem said. “I remember doing dishes the third day after we opened and just thinking, ‘What have I done?”
Now, the business runs like clockwork. After starting with six employees, Barb and Billy Ganem now staff the eatery alone.
“Once it was just the two of us, everything fell naturally into place,” Billy Ganem said. “We never sat down and split up duties. We just each did what we were good at.”
Each morning, Billy Ganem would arrive at 6 a.m. to begin preparation for the day’s meals. Barb Ganem would arrive an hour or so later to set up tables and complete other preparations before the restaurant opened at 11 a.m. The Ganems would work straight through until 7 p.m. in July and August, and 4 p.m. during the other months, with Billy Ganem in the kitchen and Barb Ganem at the window taking orders. At the end of the day, the two would clean the kitchen together before going home.
Working together in the kitchen of Larson’s has taken up 10 of the couple’s 24 years of marriage. The Ganems said some have expressed surprise that a married couple has been able to work together for so long, however, Billy Ganem said they have found the secret to staying happy.
“You learn to let the little things go,” Billy Ganem said. “Stress in the kitchen is so trivial; it’s not worth holding on to when you go home.”
The decision to sell Larson’s was something the couple had been mulling over for a while. Billy Ganem said the couple had been discussing selling the business for a few summers, but it was when their son went off to college that the Ganems decided it was time to move on.
“We were just getting busier and busier while also getting older and older,” Billy Ganem said. “There came a time when we just knew.”
“It was really hard to put the for-sale sign out,” Barb Ganem said. “Ten years is a long stretch of time.”
Larson’s is listed by Newcastle Square Realty. The listed price of $329,000 includes the 0.41-acre property and the building.
Barb and Billy Ganem said they hope to pass on tips and advice to the new owners when the business sells. If the business doesn’t sell, the Ganems will return for the 2016 summer season.
The Ganems currently have no concrete plans for what they hope to do after Larson’s. In the meantime, the couple has been traveling around the state and visiting their son, who is attending college in Boston.
Since the property went on the market, the Ganems said one of the questions the couple constantly receives is if they intend to leave Damariscotta. The answer is a resounding no.
“We didn’t know anyone in Maine when we moved here,” Barb Ganem said. “And over the years we have just developed these amazing friendships with the people who have supported us and just welcomed us into their lives.”
“It’s really the customers that make your day,” Billy Ganem said. “There are people who have been with us since we opened and have watched our son grow up and go to college. It’s not just about stopping by to grab a hamburger. They’ve gotten to know us and our family and formed some genuine friendships.”
