I literally breathed a sigh of relief when I found out who bought The Great Lost Bear.

For over 40 years Dave Evans has run the 'Bear' with his wife and cousin. The Portland Press Herald reports that when he launched the restaurant in 1979, it was named The Grizzly Bear and they changed the name in 1981 to the Great Lost Bear.

The good news...no, the great news is that Dave sold the business to longtime managers Michael Dickson, Mary Dickson, and Andrew Pillsbury. They have worked at the Great Lost Bear for over 30 years.  Dave (who is 76), told the Press Herald,

We ran the Bear for 44 years, and I’m getting too old to do anything, so I gave the longtime employees a chance to buy me out, and they did. These guys have essentially been running the place for the last three years. I’ve just been in the back room hiding. I’m very excited for them, and excited for the Bear to keep going.

Dave is happy that The Great Lost Bear will keep chugging along and that you probably won't even notice any changes.

Pro tips for going to the Great Lost Bear

Don't meet your 'affair' at the bar at Great Lost Bear. There's a bear cam!  Wouldn't that be a surprise! Don't bitch about parking in the Old Port. GLB has its own tiny parking lot!

The Great Lost Bear is featured prominently in John Connolly mystery books.

John Connolly is a mystery writer best known for his series starring private detective Charlie Parker. Charlie (fictional) works out of Scarborough, Maine, and spends quite a bit of time in Portland. Starting with 'The Lovers', Charlie Parker became a bartender at the Great Lost Bear. A lot of those who work with Charlie in his books are real people and do indeed exist at the Bear.

You cannot resist touching this as soon as you enter the Great Lost Bear.

I hope GLB keeps going for another 40 years!