Winni Rum Shack

LakeWinniMom · 11-03-2026, 04:44 PM

After closing the Witches it now looks like there will also be no more Winni Rum Shack as the property is for lease. I will miss their Painkiller.

https://primemls.paragonrels.com/CCR...id=K0ACabtm9vW

ishoot308 · 11-03-2026, 06:07 PM

Loved the Rum Shack! Yes, their painkillers were fantastic and they had really good food as well! I could never understand why every time we went is was dead in there….Just a bad location I guess…

Dan

thinkxingu · 11-03-2026, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ishoot308

Loved the Rum Shack! Yes, their painkillers were fantastic and they had really good food as well! I could never understand why every time we went is was dead in there….Just a bad location I guess…

Dan

So, we never got there because every time we looked at the menu, we were not pulled in...and it was dead almost every time we drove past.

I can't help but think it was bad marketing.

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ishoot308 · 11-03-2026, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thinkxingu

So, we never got there because every time we looked at the menu, we were not pulled in...and it was dead almost every time we drove past.

I can't help but think it was bad marketing.

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They tried Think… they were always advertising on Facebook, the radio, had live music / entertainment. I honestly just can’t figure it out other than a hard to see weird location…not sure!

Dan

LakeWinniMom · 11-04-2026, 02:00 PM

Although I loved their painkiller, didn't mind the location (it was right near Looney Bin which is always busy) and liked their food we almost always never felt welcome at either the Rum Shack or the Witches.

Did we have a larger party, yes of about 8. Were we spending money, absolutely. The bartender at the RS was always friendly but the owner not so much, it was more like we were an inconvenience to her. The last time at the RS we almost walked out because she made us feel so uncomfortable.

I am sure they are great people, but if you are in the service industry you also need to be friendly. Maybe they were catering to tourists who they didn't care if they came back.

we2clay · 11-05-2026, 02:38 PM

I used to travel for work...a lot...35-45 weeks a year. Almost always alone, too.

One thing I learned while eating out for most meals is that a restaurant appearing to be "dead" has no tangible bearing on its quality.

Countless times over the years, I'd walk up to an open, yet empty restaurant, shrug my shoulders and go in with whatever book I was reading. I'd find something on the menu and when I looked up, more people would be coming in. I've seen this to be true in stores (especially malls), too.

We think to ourselves, "no one's in there, it must not be good." But if there's even one person inside, we think "someone's in there, it must be ok."

Never let the lack of people being present stop you from experiencing something. Yeah, once in a great while, the place is actually bad, but it's almost always our aversion to being the guinea pig for everyone else that keeps us away. Buckle up and go for it.

codeman671 · 11-05-2026, 05:05 PM

We tried the Witches once; the staff was so incredibly rude we walked out with a party of 8 and I never went back. I heard their pizza was decent. Never tried the Rum Shack. After going to the motherland of the Painkillers (BVI), particularly the Soggy Dollar, its hard to get one anywhere else. I need to be sitting on White Bay to enjoy it!

11-03-2026, 04:44 PM	#1
LakeWinniMom Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Posts: 52 Thanks: 15 Thanked 33 Times in 17 Posts	Winni Rum Shack After closing the Witches it now looks like there will also be no more Winni Rum Shack as the property is for lease. I will miss their Painkiller. https://primemls.paragonrels.com/CCR...id=K0ACabtm9vW

11-03-2026, 06:07 PM	#2
ishoot308 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Gilford, NH / Welch Island Posts: 6,604 Thanks: 2,477 Thanked 5,501 Times in 2,159 Posts	Rum Shack Loved the Rum Shack! Yes, their painkillers were fantastic and they had really good food as well! I could never understand why every time we went is was dead in there….Just a bad location I guess… Dan __________________ It's Always Sunny On Welch Island!!

11-05-2026, 02:38 PM	#6
we2clay Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2023 Posts: 3 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Sometimes, You Have to be the One I used to travel for work...a lot...35-45 weeks a year. Almost always alone, too. One thing I learned while eating out for most meals is that a restaurant appearing to be "dead" has no tangible bearing on its quality. Countless times over the years, I'd walk up to an open, yet empty restaurant, shrug my shoulders and go in with whatever book I was reading. I'd find something on the menu and when I looked up, more people would be coming in. I've seen this to be true in stores (especially malls), too. We think to ourselves, "no one's in there, it must not be good." But if there's even one person inside, we think "someone's in there, it must be ok." Never let the lack of people being present stop you from experiencing something. Yeah, once in a great while, the place is actually bad, but it's almost always our aversion to being the guinea pig for everyone else that keeps us away. Buckle up and go for it.

11-04-2026, 02:00 PM	#5
LakeWinniMom Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Posts: 52 Thanks: 15 Thanked 33 Times in 17 Posts	Although I loved their painkiller, didn't mind the location (it was right near Looney Bin which is always busy) and liked their food we almost always never felt welcome at either the Rum Shack or the Witches. Did we have a larger party, yes of about 8. Were we spending money, absolutely. The bartender at the RS was always friendly but the owner not so much, it was more like we were an inconvenience to her. The last time at the RS we almost walked out because she made us feel so uncomfortable. I am sure they are great people, but if you are in the service industry you also need to be friendly. Maybe they were catering to tourists who they didn't care if they came back.

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11-05-2026, 05:05 PM	#7
codeman671 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 3,638 Thanks: 225 Thanked 863 Times in 525 Posts	We tried the Witches once; the staff was so incredibly rude we walked out with a party of 8 and I never went back. I heard their pizza was decent. Never tried the Rum Shack. After going to the motherland of the Painkillers (BVI), particularly the Soggy Dollar, its hard to get one anywhere else. I need to be sitting on White Bay to enjoy it!