Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – By Hope Estey’s conservative estimates, Pat’s Pizza in Presque Isle sells – on average – about 400 pizzas a week. Now celebrating 20 years in the Star City, that would be approximately 416,000 pizzas that have been sold in the business’ local history.
“That’s a lot of pizza,” laughed Estey, who with her husband, James, bought the business a little over four years ago from Maurice “Jack” Belden. “I’ve worked there all 20 years … right from the beginning when it was located across the street at a small shop on North Street and we offered take-out only … there was no sit-down. People were so excited that we finally had a Pat’s in town. We were only there a year or two and then we moved to our current 9 North St. location.”
At that time, Estey was the cook/supervisor.
“I worked nights part-time,” she said. “I left a couple of times but always went back. It was the atmosphere and the people that kept bringing me back. It’s so enjoyable. I know most everyone that comes in and it’s a wonderful place to be. You get to see everyone, it’s an excellent pizza, and now my family works with me. I have the best of both worlds.”
Estey’s daughter, Jasmine MacIntosh, works as the supervisor/waitress while son, Jimmy Estey, runs the kitchen.
“I have a lot of the same employees all these years later,” she said. “We don’t go through a lot of help. It’s a very close-knit group … very nice.”
While Pat’s Pizza does have a bar, complete with big screen TVs, Estey considers the restaurant more of a family dining experience.
“We have more families than we do bar drinkers,” she said, noting that Pat’s can comfortably seat 90 people. “Business is always steady; there’s no real lows, and we have an excellent clientele that come regularly. If they don’t come one day, they come the next. They have to have their pizza.”
The origins of Pat’s Pizza dates back to July, 1931 when C.D. “Pat” Farnsworth opened Farnsworth’s Cafe in Orono. Pat’s dream was backed by $175, long hours and hard work. Because of his efforts, Pat saw the cafe, which originally sold ice cream and confections, become a full-service restaurant.
In 1953, he added pizza to his menu. The fresh dough pizza, topped with a special sauce developed by Pat and his wife, Fran, were an instant success. Pat’s change in the menu transformed Farnsworth Cafe into Pat’s Pizza. Today, Pat’s Pizza is enjoyed not only in Orono, but several other locations including Augusta, Auburn, Yarmouth, Scarborough, Ellsworth, Lincoln, Hampden, Bethel and Presque Isle.
Estey said she is allowed to do anything she wants with the rest of the menu, but the pizza has to be up to Bruce Farnsworth’s standards. Bruce is the son of Pat’s Pizza founder, C.D. “Pat” Farnsworth.
“We buy spices from him and we have to use the same sauce and make the crust the same way,” she said. “The pizzas are the same throughout the state, but everybody else has their own menus. The Pat’s Pizzas downstate do a lot of seafood which we don’t. We do a lot of Italian food. We make our lasagna dinners homemade and we make our own meatballs for our spaghetti.
“We’ve added a lot more appetizers over the years and a lot more dinners,” said Estey. “We offer Mexican food now and make our own chili.”
Fridays typically are Estey’s busiest days.
“Nine times out of 10 it’s Friday,” she said. “Coming here at the end of the work week is a nice way to lead into the weekend. We have awesome pizza specials on Fridays. We sell a large 2-item pizza, small breadsticks, and two sodas or two beers for $20. Plus we have our daily specials, too.”
The biggest change Pat’s Pizza has seen in its 20 years in Presque Isle is its neighbors.
“The plaza used to be retail,” said Estey. “There used to be the grocery store and little shops all through here, but now we’re the only one left since The Aroostook Medical Center filled in the rest of the spots. It actually kind of helped us because those employees have to eat. A lot of the people who now work in the neighboring health care offices come in and get their lunch and take it back to work with them.”
After working at Pat’s Pizza for so many years, Estey said it’s nice being the owner.
“I love it,” she said. “The responsibilities are big, but I enjoy it a lot. It gives me a lot of freedom. I enjoy being my own boss. I really enjoy seeing all the customers. We have some regulars that come in several times a week. It’s a very nice niche that we have.”
In addition to helping local non-profit organizations with fund-raisers, Pat’s Pizza also provides free pizza parties to local schools.
Pat’s Pizza is open Sunday through Wednesday from 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. For more information or to place an order, call 764-0367.
PAT’S PIZZA, located at 9 North St. in Presque Isle, is celebrating 20 years in the Star City. For owner Hope Estey, the business is a family affair as her daughter, Jasmine MacIntosh, works as the supervisor/waitress while son, Jimmy Estey, runs the kitchen. Hope Estey has worked at Pat’s Pizza right from the beginning when it was located across the street at a small shop on North Street and only take-out was offered. After working at Pat’s Pizza for so many years, Estey said it’s nice being the owner and she enjoys seeing both new and familiar customers come in for a slice.
