Winslow, Maine Bridge Closure Forces Restaurant to Shut Down After 77 Years

After opening in 1959 and becoming a Central Maine staple, Bee's Snack Bar in Winslow, Maine has announced its permanent closure.

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This announcement comes less than a year after the iconic Big G's Deli, just down the road from Bee's, announced their closure as well. The Kennebec Journal reports that Bee's Snack Bar has been serving local patrons, and folks from away, for nearly 8 decades.

The snack shack survived the crazy Maine flood of '87

The eatery has even survived crazy natural disasters like the flood of 1987 which saw the Kennebec River breech her banks like no one had ever seen before. Unfortunately, according to owners, Danielle and Fred Sylvester, a combination of increasing operating costs and a closed Ticonic Bridge made the closure unavoidable.

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The Ticonic Bridge, which connects Winslow to Waterville and vise versa, has been closed for months and isn't expected to reopen to any traffic at all until at least May. This has caused headaches for people trying to commute, cross the river and, of course, grab a bite at Bee's.

Maine residents remember the rich history of Bee's

Fairfield resident, Kevin Kitchen told the Kennebec Journal in part,

“When I think about Bee’s, just growing up in the area, I think that it’s like the little restaurant that could. It just showed resiliency, as much times it’s been flooded, it’s just one of those places where you could go, sit down, have a real home-cooked meal — great people, great atmosphere. It kind of brought you back to being a kid, almost.”

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In addition to its long-standing history of feeding great food to Central Maine, part of Bee's history comes from the fact that Empire Falls was filmed there back in 2005. A production which saw Paul Newman win a Golden Globe for best supporting actor in a series, miniseries or motion picture, the KJ said.

Even though they're closing now, their future remains uncertain

Even though they're closing under their current ownership, Danielle Sylvester hinted that things may not be over for good. She explained via email that the landlord of the building may help it reopen under new ownership- though the jury is still out on that.

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