Shamrock Café under new ownership

Houlton Pioneer Times photo/Joseph Cyr
NEW OWNER — Nancy Manton, left, serves a bowl of soup to Michael Clark of Houlton Friday afternoon. Manton is the new owner of Shamrock Café on the Bangor Road, taking over the establishment on Jan. 5.
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — Looking for the perfect lunchtime meal? The Shamrock Café could be just what you are looking for.
    Nancy Manton has taken over the Shamrock Café on the corner of Bangor Road and Alice Avenue. Manton purchased the Shamrock Café from Lisa and Gary McGuire. The transition was finalized at the end of 2011 and the Shamrock re-opened under Manton’s leadership on Jan. 5.
    “I had been looking at several sites to open my own place and when this came up for sale, I knew it was the perfect fit,” Manton said. “I knew running my own business was something I could do.”
    Manton has been in the food service business for about 10 years, starting her career as the owner of the Mill Pond Dairy Bar in Hodgdon for about five years.
    She chose buying the Shamrock over opening a completely new business because the previous owners sold the establishment with all of the furniture and kitchen appliances, allowing her to hit the ground running. Manton said she opted to keep the same menu as the previous owners because it offers customers a distinctive dining experience.
    Sandwiches, wraps, salads and paninis are the staples of Shamrock Café. Each sandwich also comes with its own unique names such as “Cumberland,” “Sebago” and “Belfast.” The grilled panini sandwiches have proven quite popular with the cold weather of late, she added.
    The biggest seller, however, is the “Cape Cod,” a chicken salad sandwich or wrap that includes cranberries, walnuts, lettuce, grapes and apples.
    Getting familiar with the various town names for sandwiches was tricky at first, Manton said, but they now come second nature to her.
    The restaurant also offers fresh soups of the day, chili, sausages and hot dogs.
    For drinks, the Shamrock Café offers coffee, tea, sodas, flavored waters and the popular fruit smoothie drinks. Fresh desserts made by the Pastry Corner are also available for diners.
    “People are very familiar with this menu, so I decided to keep everything the same,” Manton said. “That way, I can get a feel for what people like and what they don’t, so I can tweak it as we go. Everything on here, is a good choice.”
    The Shamrock Café has seating for 30 people, but Manton is most busy with takeout orders. She works all aspects of her new job, from waiting on customers to cooking the meals.
    “I like to do all aspects of the job,” she said.
    Mike and Debbie Clark of Houlton are regulars at the Shamrock Café, eating there about four times a week.
    “We always came before and the transition has been seamless,” said Debbie. “The food is just as good as before and as fresh as you could ask for. That is why we come here.”
    Manton has expanded the hours at Shamrock Café since taking over. The eatery is now open Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The café is closed on Sundays.
    “I wanted to add more hours, but still keep it manageable for myself,” she said. “These will be our winter hours. I may expand them this summer.”
    For more information or to place a takeout order, call 532-4200. A Facebook pages is also in the works which will feature daily specials.