x
Breaking News
More () »

French fry fallout puts Maine restaurant owners at center of media craze

WATERVILLE (NEWS CENTER Maine) -- A French fry fallout in Waterville has gone beyond the fryer.

Some customers of Bolley’s Famous Franks put owners Jim and Leslie Parsons on blast for ditching their always-breaking crinkle cutter for a traditional one. One man even got so hostile he was kicked out.

This prompted an explanation and a defense on Facebook from Leslie.

“We were never in the business to take away tradition or offend anybody," she said. "It just simply came down to finances for us. And our decision was weighed with, we can keep crinkle cut, but we’d have a less quality potato.”

One week and many headlines later, their heads are spinning.

“We’ve had people that flew up from Florida and they showed me an article that was in the newspaper in Florida," Jim said. "It’s just been kinda crazy.”

They say the Rachael Ray Show, BuzzFeed News and the Today Show have all reached out to them for more info on the fry fiasco.

But it’s not all bad. Many customers have come to their defense, and other business owners from as far away as Texas have been calling them with messages of support.

“They understand that when you have to make decisions as a business owner it’s not necessarily easy, it’s not necessarily the most popular choice," said Leslie. "That support,Ii love that feedback and it’s just nice to receive that.”

Regardless of what side of the French fry fence you’re on, the Parsons just want people to know they’re invested in their community and routinely give back. They even stepped up when a manhunt for an accused deputy killer paralyzed the town of Norridgewock back in April.

“We gathered up 500 hotdogs and couple hundred rolls, we got Country Kitchen to donate some more rolls and we took that up there for them," Jim explained. "It’s little things that people don’t realize we’re doing. We don’t need recognition for it, but we want people to understand we are invested in our community here.”

“We’re trying to just make it like everybody else in this world, and I just think sometimes people just need to realize that their feedback really does impact people more than just sitting behind a computer and writing a response,” Leslie said.

Before You Leave, Check This Out