After 48 Years, Laura Benedict to Step Away From The Red Barn

To know Central Maine is to know the world-famous Red Barn restaurant. Tucked away on Augusta's Riverside Drive and surrounded by beautiful blooming flowers, the Red Barn is a staple for both locals and 'folks from away'.

More than just a great place to grab amazing chicken and seafood, the Red Barn has been home to some of the largest fundraisers and charity events that have ever taken place in this region.

The Red Barn Cares Foundation has given hundreds of thousands of dollars back to the community through its charitable outreach. The restaurant, and the impact of The Red Barn Cares, have been spearheaded by local legend, Laura Benedict.

Known for her quit wit, always smiling face and warm hugs, Laura encompasses all the values that the Red Barn emulates on a day to day basis. As one of our listeners recently said, 'to know Laura is to love Laura'.

If you follow The Red Barn or Laura Benedict on social media, then you already know her signature tagline almost every time she posts is, 'Love, Laura'. Even The Red Barn takeout bags have messages of hope on them.

When you pick up your order, you get a white, red and purple bag that reads simply, 'If you give, you'll never need, Love, Laura'. A message Benedict has lived by for decades.

In a post late on Thursday night, Laura wrote a post indicating that, after 48 amazing years, she is stepping away from The Red Barn. A move that many say is well deserved.

Utilizing the Barn's Facebook page, which more than 100,000 people from around the world follow, Laura wrote in part,

I have decided that 48 years is my time to be with my new “mom,” Shirl, in Florida (part-time) and will be enjoying not being totally consumed with carrying the torch for generations. I never thought in a million years that this opportunity might arise. I was sure I would die standing at the fryolators.

It is my time to be able to do some things that I never thought possible. The boys are so excited and have 70 years of experience. They are more than capable of carrying this business further by incorporating the new ways of the world. I am getting too old to try to navigate the AI stuff and the way things are getting impersonal. I am a boomer and belong with my boomer friends reminiscing of good times and real people-to-people connections that makes sense me happy.

So from all of us here in Central Maine and beyond, best of luck to you, Laura and Godspeed in your new adventures with Shirley.

Love, all of us.