Owners of The Landmark Restaurant in OOB retire, sell building

OLD ORCHARD BEACH — Rick Payette on Saturday sat in the foyer of The Landmark Restaurant, the establishment he and his wife Eileen ran for 26 years, greeting people as they walked in the door.

Payette is used to a steady stream of customers and many familiar faces coming into the building at 29 East Grand Ave. over the years, but this weekend was different. Instead of serving people their favorite dinner selection, he was selling furniture, kitchenware, art and other items. It was an estate sale, officially marking the closing of the long-time restaurant and the sale of the building.

The couple has been in the restaurant business for many years and have decided to retire.

“It’s just time,” said Payette.

Payette said he and his wife were living in Portsmouth many years ago when they visited Old Orchard Beach to look at a restaurant location. They purchased a food stand in a strip next to Palace Playland and opened Rick’s Fried Clams. They operated other downtown restaurants which they later sold, and purchased The Landmark building in 1995.

“We just fell in love with the town,” he said.

He describes the downtown business community as a neighborhood with a friendly atmosphere.

“We traveled all over the world before this, and learned about food, and this is where we finally made our home,” said Payette.

The Landmark Restaurant lived up to its name. Located in a more than 100-year-old home a block away from the beach, it became recognized as a place to go for fine dining in a comfortable yet beautiful setting.

Signature dishes included lacquered duck, Mediterranean pasta served four ways and parmesan scallops. All recipes were original, and everything was made from scratch – even the whipped cream. The menu stayed consistent over the years, even when a new chef was hired, and customers could count on the same quality over the years. Payette took pride in the restaurant, and even though he wasn’t cooking the food, he’d still keep tabs on the kitchen, checking to see if the mashed potatoes were the right consistency or the food was served hot enough.

The restaurant was seasonal, and Rick and Eileen lived upstairs year-round.

The Landmark Restaurant was a favorite for tourists who came to the area every year and also to locals who wanted to have a good meal.

Pine Point resident Betty Ann Grant stopped by the estate sale on Saturday to wish Payette luck and purchase a few items.

“We’ll miss you, that’s for sure,” she said.

She recalled a time when she brought some friends from California to the restaurant and there was a lobster special on the menu.

“They went out of their minds. They thought they were in heaven,” said Grant.

Along with the food, staffing was also consistent. Mary Ann DeSanto was a waitress at the restaurant for 11 years and described the staff as a “mishmash family.”

“It was like my home away from home,” she said.

Payette closed on the sale of the building last week. He said the new owner is “a good guy” and he wishes him the best of luck in the future. No official plans for the building have been announced.

Like most seasonal business owners, Rick and Eileen worked long hours in the summer. Payette said they found a nice rental in town where they will call home for the next year and plan to enjoy some free time. He will also continue painting, which has been a passion of his for many years.

Payette’s works include what he calls “an eclectic mix” of jazz scenes, portraits of musicians and fashion models and landscapes. To view his artwork, go to https://www.rickpayetteart.com/ .

Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at [email protected].