There’s Only One Restaurant in Maine That Never Sleeps

For decades in Maine, there always seemed to be a place to grab a bite to eat, whenever the time may be.

Maine was home to scattered restaurants open 24 hours a day, seven days per week. However, the global pandemic has changed how many businesses operate, most notably the restaurant industry. That change has left all of Maine with one remaining 24/7 restaurant.

All By Themselves

If you're presuming the big reveal to be Dysart's, spoiler alert, it's not. More on them in a minute. Instead, the only remaining 24/7 restaurant in the state is Burger King.

Multiple Burger King locations still operate 24/7, mostly scattered across southern Maine. While worker shortages have hit other restaurants hard (including some of the other fast food franchises nearby), Burger King has remained staffed enough to stay open 24 hours per day.

In fact, Burger King continues to add staff and hours of operation to many of their restaurants. Their South Portland location near the Maine Mall just underwent renovations and became a 24-hour restaurant upon reopening.

Dysart's

In terms of 24-hour restaurants, Maine's most famous is likely the Dysart's truck stop in Hermon. According to WMTW, Dysart's decided to stop operating 24/7 in September of 2019, after more than five decades of being open all the time. At the time, overnight business at the famed truck stop has slowed down to the point where it didn't make sense to keep it open 24 hours.

The Fall of Denny's

Another 24-hour hotspot in Maine had been the several Denny's locations that existed throughout the state. In recent years, many Denny's locations have closed permanently, including the ones in Portland, Ellsworth, and Biddeford.

The remaining Denny's have altered their hours to operate more like a traditional diner. The entire Denny's franchise continues to struggle nationwide, with more diner closures likely in the coming years.

Will 24/7 Restaurants Make a Comeback?

Unlikely. 24/7 restaurants remain popular in densely-populated areas of the country. Waffle House and Sonic continue to operate at a 24/7 clip with great success.

Maine will continue to have dozens of 24/7 gas stations that offer food items, but the days of restaurants all across the state opening at 3am are a relic of the past.