Going Public
Kerri Conan
Restaurant Buisness
Stock Pot

January 20, 1993

Through the off-season, about 1,000 folks live in the working fishing village of Ogunquit, Maine. But rather than court the summer crowd and then blow town, Brooks and Luanne MacDonald wanted to stick it out during the withers and establish themselves in the community.

Next came the tricky part. How to turn locals into regulars at an oceanfront restaurant like the 64-seat Hurricane-where every linen-clad table commands a view and dinner checks over $23? The MacDonalds simply decided to invite everyone to an old-fashioned public supper, not just once, but every single Tuesday night.

Each week, four different "public supper" entrees are added to the list of 11 offerings and four or five types of fresh grilled fish. But instead of the usual $14-$19 price tag, the special dishes are $4.95.

Recent choices have included roast chicken with gravy, creamed finnan haddie, meatloaf, roast pork, shepherd's pie, fish chowder, and baked ham.

Since announcing the dinners, Tuesday night covers are up in the neighborhood of 100 to 110. Although MacDonald estimates 50% order the public supper, most boost checks up quite a bit with appetizers, deserts, and drinks.

The MacDonalds feel they're developing a loyal clientele of townsfolk who will think of The Hurricane when deciding where to eat themselves, or where to send their summer visitors.

"We wanted to cultivate a clientele that knew The Hurricane was open all year round," says Brooks. Come next summer, the competition will probably wish they'd stuck around.