FORT KENT, Maine — Despite opening just a couple of weeks ago, 96 Market featuring The Doghouse Kitchen’s new drive-thru is already seeing a steady stream of customers.
The business, located at 96 Market St., gives northern Maine residents another spot to pick up a quick lunch without leaving their vehicle.
The eatery is one of only a few independently owned spots in Aroostook County where customers can pick up food from their cars. As Maine’s local food movement has spawned more options such as food trucks, some owners are adding drive-thru convenience to their brick-and-mortar locations, too. For 96 Market, it’s a matter of speed.
“A lot of people are looking for a quick lunch, because they work and they just want to grab something,” owner Pamela Deschaines said. “So that is the goal, to have something quick.”
Other regional independent drive-thrus also include Bradley’s in Presque Isle and Tasty Food and Northern Maine Kolache Co., both in Van Buren. The kolache restaurant added its pickup window earlier this year.
The Doghouse Kitchen’s building has housed several eateries, including Java Joe’s, a spot that offered coffee and donuts. It was then sold to another business that specialized in paninis. Most recently, it was a coffee shop known as Mom’s Place, which closed last year.
The drive-thru was part of the building, so it made sense to incorporate that into the shop, Deschaines said.
Deschaines, who also works as a middle school math teacher in Fort Kent, is not new to the culinary world. She first purchased a hot dog cart in 2021 and began doing business as The Hot Dog. She purchased a food trailer a couple of years later, which let her expand the menu to include ice cream and lemonade, and devised a new moniker: The Cool Dog.
So, when she bought the spot on 96 Market, it made sense to call it the “The Doghouse Kitchen,” she said.
The spot also serves as a base for Deschaines’ mobile units, which she still uses for events including Fort Kent’s “Rockin’ at Riverside” concert series, as well as weddings, birthday parties and other special occasions.
She decided to get into the food business during the summers while her husband worked as a hay farmer.
“The summers are his busiest time,” she said. “So I thought, ‘Why not?’”
With five years of experience behind her, she is already getting to know customers. Quite a few customers have become regulars at the eatery, but Deschaine has also noticed plenty of new faces.
She calls 96 Market a “fetch and go” spot, which not only aligns with the dog motif but also emphasizes the location’s quick service. The food is pre-made on the same day. Customers can either walk in or drive up and pick up what they need.
Certain items, like the loaded taco salad, involve some preparation when an order is made. The meat is pre-prepared, but the other ingredients are added after an order has been made to ensure crispy vegetables. Besides that, customers can pick up just about everything else.
Some of the kitchen’s other offerings include smash burgers, garlic sticks and breakfast sandwiches. There are also eight flavors of ice cream. Daily specials include barbecue sandwiches and buffalo chicken macaroni and cheese.
Deschaines also offers pizza, with dough that comes from Dabesta Pizza in Bangor.
She comes in around 5 a.m. every day to start preparing food. The drive-thru opens at 6 a.m. and the main shop opens at 10:30 a.m.
Deschaines employs eight other staff members, who come in around 8 a.m. to help prepare meals.
While the shop closes at 2 p.m. on weekdays, Deschaines hopes eventually to expand, staying open later on Monday and Friday nights. She also wants to include the option to order takeout pizzas and hopes to hire a few more staff later this year.
“My plan is to get new people trained here by the end of July who will hopefully be able to run it while I go back to school, so we’ll see what happens.” she said.
