Can You Believe It Has Been a Year Since An Iconic Maine Restaurant Closed & This New Favorite Opened?

If you have ever owned or operated a restaurant or bar, you know that it can be an unforgiving business.

Given how tight the margins are, even the most successful businesses can run into financial issues.  That is one of the reasons that the failure rate for food and beverage businesses is so high.

As a result, it is not a big surprise when we see restaurants suddenly close permanently.  Generally, this happens with newer establishments, but it can still happen with more heritage businesses.

If you have lived in an area for any amount of time, you have probably seen your fair share of restaurants open and close.

Speaking of openings and closures, it is hard to believe that it has been a full year since one of our favorite restaurants closed and a new favorite opened.

Denny's in Augusta

Denny's is one of the most recognizable chain restaurants in the country.

The brand got its start as Danny's Donuts in California in 1953.  A few years later, in order to avoid confusion with another local business that sold similar items, the name was changed to Denny's Coffee Shops.  By 1961, the name had been changed to just Denny's.

Over the years, as more locations were opened, the brand became less of a coffee/donut place and more of an old school diner.

Even though the Denny's brand has gone through some rough spots, there are still over 1,000 locations.  Unfortunately, the company did close a number of locations at the end of 2024.  One of these was the Augusta, Maine location.

After sitting atop a hill on Civic Center Drive for over a decade, the restaurant closed for the final time on Christmas Eve of 2024.

As of December 2025, the building remains vacant.

Buffalo Wild Wings in Augusta

Just days before Denny's closed for the final time, Augusta saw the opening of its first Buffalo Wild Wings location.

Located in what used to be an Amato's on Western Avenue, the Buffalo Wild Wings is a B-Dubs GO.  Basically, while the restaurant does have a few seats, it really is meant as a take-out location.

While the GO locations do not have every item on the regular Buffalo Wild Wings menu, it does feature the most popular items, like the wings and fries.

One of the best things about the location is, because it is meant as a take-place, you can order ahead and, even if you don't, the food always comes out super quick.

Check out the menu and get a list of all locations from the Buffalo Wild Wings website.