Here’s Why Governor’s Restaurant in Waterville, Maine is Closed

Maine is home to some iconic restaurants.

Red's Eats in Wiscasset, DiMillo's (the one on the boat) in Portland, Lisa's Restaurant in Augusta, Pat's Pizza, and the Elm Tree Diner in Houlton, to name just a few.

In addition to the ones mentioned above, Maine is home to a well known regional restaurant chain called Governor's.

The History of Governor's

The chain's website explains that in 1959, Leith and Donna Wadleigh opened a little ice cream stand they called Creemee’s.

People loved the ice cream, but as any Mainer knows, cold treats don’t exactly bring big crowds once winter hits.  So the Wadleighs came up with a new plan.

They decided to open a full-service restaurant that could stay open all year.  It quickly became known for serving some of the best burgers in town and a strawberry pie that people couldn’t stop talking about.  But, they realized they needed one other thing.  They needed a catchy name.

They tossed around a bunch of ideas, but nothing seemed quite right.  Then one day, Leith realized the answer had been right in front of him the whole time.

Every day, he’d greet customers with a cheerful, “Hi ya, Governor!”  So why not name the place after the folks who walked through the door?

The rest, as they say, is history.

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What's Happening at the Waterville Governor's?

According to a post on the location's Facebook page, they are temporarily closed.

Apparently, a recent health inspection found a maintenance issue with the building.  As a result, they have closed to take care of the problem.

It is important to note that this was not an issue with the food.  It was an issue with the building.

The post says, in part:

We want to be clear: we are taking immediate corrective action and working with licensed professionals to ensure the situation is fully resolved. Guest safety is a core value for us, and we won’t reopen until we meet and exceed every requirement. We appreciate your patience and can’t wait to welcome you back soon

We hope they get this issue taken care of soon so they can quickly reopen.