ORONO, Maine — A cornerstone Orono restaurant is looking for a new place to conduct business.
The Common Loon Pub Public House in Orono announced Wednesday they will no longer be operating at their current Main Street location as of June 11.
The English-style pub is known for its welcoming atmosphere and incorporating an eclectic menu into the heart of Orono. Football (AKA soccer) and rugby fans are welcome to watch on regular match nights.
Co-owner Cory Gardner told NEWS CENTER Maine the establishment made the decision about the move for roughly over a month but chose not to go public until they noticed construction on the new Orono Arcade façade. The owners wanted to get ahead of the imminent relocation and made the announcement.
Gardner said the Orono Arcade will be taking over the space as it expands to the second floor of the building. The owners were offered a month-to-month lease until the restaurant's necessary time to move but opted for a break in business to “jump-start” the process of finding a new location.
“Leading up to the announcement, I didn’t want the [closure] to go on forever,” Gardner said.
Gardner anticipates the Common Loon will find its new home either by August to accommodate the University of Maine's influx of fall semester students and the start of the Premier League season, or later on in November for the World Cup.
The restaurant's current Main Street space is too large to suit the owners' original vision, with a two-kitchen layout and traditional dinner service. In their next location, the restaurant hopes to become more of the niche sports bar, neighborhood pub scene they first had in mind.
"We’re hoping to be able to do the things we’re good at even better,” Gardner said.
Gardner noted the greater Orono community has been very helpful and supportive of the restaurant's transition, although "bummed" for its expected absence over the summer months.
“We’ll be here for another week and a half, so come see us, and keep us in mind,” Gardner said.
Depending on the restaurant’s future space, the Common Loon may or may not continue to be a venue for local bands. The restaurant's priority is to get closer to their small pub vision, which could potentially include being a venue for Orono’s music scene but will ultimately depend on the given space at their new location.
Sizzle, a band whose first “official” gig was at the Common Loon in February of this year, is grateful to the owners for their enthusiasm around bringing the Orono community together in their space.
Sizzle is a seven-person band that began in early 2021 and is comprised of mostly UMaine jazz combo students. They credit their “big break” to their February show at the Common Loon.
“We really hope that they stick around and [are able] to find a new location. We would love to be a part of their little community again," guitarist Yoni Musher said. "They had a strong sense of their community with the regulars that were there."