Hello friends and neighbors,
Wow, we first opened our doors April 1, 2004 – no joke. Who would have thought we would have lasted 20 years! Looking back we were so young, our family was so young, our kids were only 6 and 4, and we had only lived here 4 years, yet we had so much energy, so many ideas. We loved building Bandaloop and being a part of these communities of the Kennebunks and Arundel. We loved raising our children here. We bought our home, cultivated gardens, fruit trees, and adopted many dogs and cats. We were such wanderers before we came here, but this place anchored us, and gave us Bandaloop!
Bandaloop has given us friendship, community, and of course jobs! We gained so many connections over the years through coworkers and guests. We have remained connected with so many friends who have worked with us; those who have moved on, gotten married, had children, passed away, moved away, stayed with us, and taught us so much. Our customers; we have watched your children grow, celebrated your anniversaries, your weddings, your birthdays, baby showers, graduations, small moments and celebrations. It has truly been an honor.
So why this post? Well, after 20 years, we would like to move on. We would like to try something new. It makes us sad in a way, but it also makes us very excited. We don’t have a plan, but we were never really good at plans, we just wing it and it usually works out. We just know it’s time. We know this will make some people sad, but we hope you can understand where we are coming from and find some happiness for us. It’s not because we are failing, it’s not because we moved, we don’t regret that at all, we just want a change. There’s so much more this building and business can do, but our hearts just aren’t in it any more and after 20 years, we think we’ve done enough, on to something new.
That said, we are putting this glorious building up for sale. We want to be very clear: BANDALOOP IS NOT FOR SALE. The building is for sale as a restaurant, as that is what it is, but for now, we are not selling Bandaloop. We would have a very hard time seeing what someone else might do with our name. However, for the right price…..who knows, as I said, we don’t have a plan, which means we will need money. Owning and running a restaurant is a labor of love, it is not a money making industry. So if the right offer came along, we may reconsider, we do have to make a living after all.
The Bandaloop tribe in Jitterbug Perfume knew the secret to eternal life through breathing, bathing, and sex – we adapted that to good food, wine, and friends. Bandaloop certainly has enriched our lives in that way and we hope yours as well, with healthy organic food (although you do love that Mac and cheese), eclectic organic wines, and all the good company and conversations over the last 20 years.
We truly love our coworkers, old and new, they are our friends and we hold them so close to our hearts, and we hope they will stay with us til the end. We also hope you, our customers, our guests, our friends, will also continue to stay with us til the end, because at the end of it all, we will have one major party to celebrate our years together. We aren’t done yet, we will most likely get in one more season, perhaps one more year, who knows. We probably won’t be selling any more gift cards, unless you guarantee they will use them within week or two, and if you have a gift card, you should probably get in there and eat some food!
So if you know of anyone that wants a gorgeous restaurant with two gorgeous apartments, (a one bedroom and a three bedroom) please reach out to Chris Gallagher or Joe Italiannder at the Boulos Company. We will keep you updated. If you have a question, just ask us, not Facebook, you know how rumors can spread. We are people, we are your neighbors, we have worked very hard providing a quality experience over the years and will continue to do so right up until we lock the doors.
With much love and so very much gratitude,
The Lee Family and all the Bandaloop team, past and present
The website with the listing is below:
Arundel, 1200 Portland Rd.