Robert's Maine Grill Open House Encourages Local Dining

By Austin Sorette

When members of the local community want to hold an event, they know not to bother wasting their time – or money – at large chain restaurants like TGIFs or Outback Steakhouse.

Not when Robert's Maine Grill is just a short jaunt away.

The Kittery restaurant is giving the public an opportunity to see what it’s really made of with an Open House in the special events space on March 11.

“This is our first open house,” said Deb McCluskey, the events manager at Robert's Maine Grill. “So we’re trying to make it casual and fun.”

The open house, which runs from 5:00 to 7:00pm, will revolve around the restaurant’s famous seafood – rendered here in hors d'oeuvres form – as well as a variety of soft drinks and a cash bar.

McCluskey says the Open House will give Robert's an opportunity to showcase their upstairs dining and events space, which has played host to functions for businesses and families from all over New England.

“We'd love to sell these seats for business parties,” said McCluskey. “Our catering is like no other.”

Robert's Maine Grill has been a staple of the local network of Maine restaurants since it opened in 2006. The restaurant has sought a healthy dynamic with its menu, staying true to the traditional seafood culture of the Northeastern seacoast while infusing it with more modern recipes and “farm-to-table” ingredients.

McCluskey credits this fusion of sustainable-minded ingredients and traditional Maine delicacies for making Robert’s such a desirable event destination.

“We've had everything from business meetings to baby showers to holiday parties, all kinds of large events,” said McCluskey. “People love getting together in large groups to go eat and it's exciting for us to have people here.”

Since its inception, Robert’s has seen word of its imaginative dishes and “green” business ethos travel quickly through the grape vine, with the restaurant receiving regular phone calls about hosting everything from business functions to bridal showers, and just about everything in between.

Since then, Robert's has established a dedicated group of regulars.

“We have a group of contractors from Bangor who come down to our restaurant to have their meetings,” said McCluskey. “We usually have monthly visits from groups all over New England. We do breakfast buffets for two different outlet groups once a month as well.”

Not only does the restaurant use sustainable and local ingredients for their dishes, they also operate the restaurant according to a distinctly green ethos.

“There are solar panels on the roof that run our hot water system, which contributes 40% of our hot water,” said McCluskey. “We also recycle or compost 90-95% of our waste, and we use compost-able straws and 'to-go' containers as well as recycling our oyster shells!”

These “green” features were eventually brought to the attention of the Green Alliance, a local green business union that specializes in promoting local businesses who are environmentally conscious.

Now, Robert’s is focused on spreading word of their sustainable initiatives, using them as hooks to convince local businesses to take advantage of the restaurant’s picturesque water-front view and quintessential New England feel.

“A lot of people don't realize we have the capabilities to host large parties for special occassions,” said McCluskey. “We'd love to be able to show them exactly what Robert's has to offer.”

For more information on Robert's Maine Grill, visit www.robertsmainegrill.com

For more information on the Green Alliance, visit www.greenalliance.com