The Bridge diner - Wolfeboro
My wife and I have been to The Bridge twice recently, lunch about a week ago, and breakfast today.
Short version: It's good! We'll be back again. Longer version: I'll leave the history lesson out, but the diner across the street from Bootleggers in downtown Wolfeboro is open again as The Bridge. (Formerly the Wolfeborough Diner) It's the same layout as the former incarnations, counter stool seating as well as booths. The hours are Wednesday - Sunday 7am-2pm, closed Monday and Tuesday They run a breakfast menu until 11am, then switch to lunch fare until close. Sundays they do the breakfast menu all day. For breakfast today we both ordered 'The Bridge', which is 2 eggs, toast, a meat side (sausage links or patties, or bacon) and a second side of homefries, hash browns, or beans. Coffee was good, and refills were offered at appropriate intervals. The food arrived surprisingly quickly, and was very good. Total for two (before tip) was just under $20. For lunch on the previous visit, we had a grilled cheese/tomato/bacon sandwich with a side of fries, and a tuna melt sandwich, with a pickle spear and a side of chips. The bread was very good, as were the sandwiches as a whole. The sides were generous and tasty, and the service was very good. We really enjoyed both visits, and we'll be back! |
Bridge Diner
I am so glad a new diner has opened there. I look forward to eating there in the summer.
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Closed for the winter... :(
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Someone told me the other day that the Diner was for sale. Anyone know anything about that?
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Yes, it is for sale. I think Melanson's has it listed. It is the business only.
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5 North Main, Wolfeboro, NH
Wolfeboro, NH 5 North Main Street Price$150,000 MLS Number 4726160 Commercial Listing Agent Name David Armour The Bridge Diner is a Wolfeboro landmark. Located in the heart of downtown Wolfeboro and frequently visited by locals, celebrities, and out of town dignitaries. Come be a part of the fabric of this great community for... Listed by David Armour of Melanson Real Estate |
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I am not sure how they determine the price but I'm confident that at that price it will likely sit on the market for a long, long time. As another said, it does not include the Real Estate. I am not sure who actually owns the real estate ??????? Maybe the current owner does not physically own the actual real estate. It's been thru a couple of owners over the past few years so I don't know if they can make a go of it or not. The new owner would have to open it up for dinner in June, July, August and September if they really want to push the income potential. A previous owner had tried opening at dinner time about six years ago (and even had a beer + wine license) but the experiment didn't last for more than a season or two. Hopefully whoever gets it will make a go of it no matter how they run it. |
Breakfast & lunch is a tough business. You are there late (6,7,8) cleaning and prepping for tomorrow and back early (5a) getting ready for the early birds! Even though they are busy during the season (and profitable I’m sure) it takes a toll on you physically & mentally. Had a friend who did it for 3 years and had to sell because of physical damage to his knees & hips and the fact that he never saw his family.
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I'd rather buy AJ's Bait and Tackle which is for sale for the sames price. :)
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Location location location
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Just my humble opinion, and my love of breakfast and lunch dining. (Almost forgot Kitchen Cravings in Gilford, certainly a cut above the norm. ). Dave |
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There are three methods for valuating the restaurant that does not own the real estate it operates on or the equipment he uses to operate. The one I believe to be fairest is 20 to 30% of gross sales providing the restaurant has been operating for better than three years and has a positive cash flow. An element I don't see any of the Harvard business professor addressing is impact of the restaurant's position with social media. Opening a new restaurant today has the new challenge of climbing the standings. If I were a buyer, the first thing I would look at is what the restaurant's yelp, trip advisor, Google, and Facebook ratings and standings are. I know from experience that even with a less than idle location, heavy traffic comes to those that are on the top of these list. How much is that traffic worth? It takes more than $1 million to open a McDonald's franchise. You won't own the real estate and the failure rate is very low. |
I usually saw a line at the diner on weekends at least. I think you could do a pretty good business there. I wouldn't be surprised if you could do $500 or 600,00 in sales in a year so the 30% seems fair. I don't know any of this. Just thinking.
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Don’t overlook longevity of over 3 years and positive cash flow. |
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JMO, but people tend to post complaints about businesses more often that positive comments. When was the last time that (you, we, or anyone) went on vacation in another State and posted something positive about a restaurant you visited? It would have to be amazing I am sure. Sites like Yelp or trip advisor (or this one) are no different. Just look at the negative reviews from people that have never visited this restaurant because they do not want to pay more than $1 for a cheese burger. Should this be a negative review on Yelp, Trip Advisor et al.? I bet for a new restaurant with little to no reviews this restaurant will fall short of positivity when entered into a Google search..... https://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums...ad.php?t=24055 https://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums...ad.php?t=24078 |
It is human nature. I worked in a service business for 35 years and people always complained if we had an issue (rarely) but very very few ever complimented for work done below budget or quicker then anticipated. Very frustrating but I always felt that people generally assume that they are paying for superior work/service so don’t expect kudos. Everyone remembers a screw up but no one remembers a above and beyond!
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Let's not forget we are in New Hampshire. I was cautioned when I moved here to not expect people to race to my door right away. That is proving to be so true. I have people coming in now who tell me they've been driving by for nine years and wanted to stop but didn't until today because they saw the reviews. In my opinion reputation is a major factor when considering the acquisition of a business. In the old days ones perception of reputation was limited to the circle of friends they mixed with. Thanks to social media we can now get a broader sampling of public opinion. |
I don't think reputation matters much for the Bridge Diner since it has changed hands a few times in recent years. But the location is good for walk in traffic. BTW the price is reduced.
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I have my own business also, auto repair. I find that social media allows people to be influenced more by their immediate mood than they would be in person. Many people, including me, would never say the things to someone's face that they write on a forum. But if you're attacked you tend to respond. Also some subjects just bring out the worst in all of us, like politics.
If I have a customer complaint I would much rather have them come back to me and allow me to make it right rather than just ripping me on social media. It's much easier to walk away from confrontation in person than to walk away from it on your key board. Twitter, IMO, is the worst social media site for this. Just nasty stuff that I don't think most people would ever say to someone's face. |
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Unfortunately, not all business owners share your philosophy. Using auto repair facilities as an example, some shops, especially those that aren't particularly competent or, worse yet, dishonest, don't want to deal with customer concerns. That was my experience with the first auto shop I used after moving to NH. They were really nice when they were selling me tires, batteries, and doing state inspections. When a repair went wrong, however, and I tried to negotiate with the owner the guy unloaded on me. In my opinion, posting bad reviews for businesses like that provides a valuable service to the community. |
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I had one customer give me a bad review because I changed her oil and forgot to reset her oil reminder light because it wasn't on at the time, not all cars have them. A few weeks later it came up on her dash that she need an oil change. So she wrote a review saying I never changed her oil and ripped her off by charging her for an oil change. All she had to do was call me or come by and I could have reset the light in seconds. An honest mistake didn't mean that I ripped her off. Also, if one of my employees does something stupid, I'm the owner and it's my job to make it right. |
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To have 400 reviews for "The Downtown Grill" in Wolfboro, NH suggests to me that there is some padding going on. Known or not by the owners, I take that into consideration too. In fact, it takes away from the positive. Edit: This is not specific to that particular restaurant. I am not familiar with them. It is a general statement for ALL businesses. |
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Nonetheless, I didn't bring reviews up in this thread to debate their validity, I introduced them because of the impact they have on taffic and the value of the traffic generated by them. |
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Downtown Grill was recently sold by the original owners. I believe one of the new owners is someone who worked there.
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Downtown Grille is great. It has a big local following and huge business in summer. I don’t doubt it has many ratings and they are high. The new owner is so friendly and outgoing and is trying new things. It is a great place.
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I agree rainman. I always heard good things about your restaurant. You did very well to maintain such a good reputation.
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We have been summer customers since your opening and we always enjoyed our visits. We will miss you and Judy but understand why you would retire after so much hard work and enjoy the lake. Your Barndoor friends, E & D
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Late to the party here but a few comments-
You people are ridiculous. If you look at the top of this thread, it’s my positive (gasp!) review of the diner. To those who say most people only publish complaints, I guess I’m an exception to the rule. Yes, I post reviews (good and bad) when I’m traveling too. If I’m traveling, I find the best source of info is locals. I often ask checkout clerks, desk staff, store salespeople, whoever, if you were going out for a good meal where would you go? I’ve gotten some great tips that way. Yes, I look at online reviews too. Funny how what started as a positive restaurant review in a ‘post your restaurant reviews’ forum of all places, turned into the peanut gallery clucking about the demise of a place and wasn’t it so simple what the right answer was, or some other bit of 20-20 hindsight. How is that relevant again? To fill in the history lesson I originally left out, The couple who moved on to Sandy Point did a fantastic job (IMO) of running it as the Wolfeborough Diner for about ten years. (They sold the business to someone else in 2012/2013 I think. It did less well after that and closed a couple of years later.) So while ‘we all know how that turned out’ may be a relevant comment for their Sandy Point business, it does a huge disservice to their efforts at the diner. I ate many enjoyable meals at the diner during their tenure. Did anyone else ever eat there before commenting here? Remember the diner? Someone should write a review of that place...if only there was a place to discuss that sort of thing... |
Off The Market
According to Coldwell Banker, Wright Realty, "This listing has been sold or been taken off the market."
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Well the latest on the Bridge Diner from what I was told; It is still for sale, but the price has been reduced to $50K
The current owner is talking about reopening it this summer, but only for lunch and dinner (which I don't think will go over well). Breakfast was always their main business and if it reopens I would hope they offer breakfast. This will be interesting to see how it plays out.... |
I saw a help wanted ad in the window a couple of days ago...
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Did the Bridge open?? Any reviews??
I assume it didn't as no update since June. |
Still closed:(
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It’s for sale and won’t be opening at all.
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Such a shame. The town needs a good breakfast place... you would think someone could make a go of it?
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* Waterfront?
In Wolfeboro, there's Lydia's, Katie's Kitchen, Morrissey's (not Mondays), *Downtown Grille.
Not sure about breakfast at Wolfe's Tavern, Dunkin' Donuts, Seven Suns, *Bayside Grill, *Yum-Yum Shop, *Dockside or *Garwoods. :confused: |
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Great news!!
My favorite breakfast spot, Farmer's Kitchen in Farmington, is opening a new location at the Bridge Diner sometime this summer!
https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.n...f7&oe=5E922FC7 |
Diner plans
Good news - thanks for the update!
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YAY!!! Farmer's Kitchen is excellent
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Too bad Locals won’t be able to get in there until November ! Lol
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Does Farmer's Kitchen in Farmington currently offer three meals a day, or is it just breakfast and lunch (like the Bridge Diner used to do) ? Anyone know if they purchased the property or are just leasing it? I know it was in need of some updating...... |
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Dave |
Sandy Point
Just wish the Farmer's Kitchen had taken over Sandy Point Restaurant. The diner in Wolfeboro isn't very big. Will this be open year round or just tourist season?
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The Farmer's Kitchen, Wolfeboro location, opened TODAY!!!!!
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Rumor has it the whole town smelled good!!:) Guess I should qualify that. The whole DOWNTOWN.
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