JOIN US FOR OUR FAMOUS SUNDAY BUFFET BREAKFAST
Breakfast is THE most important meal of the day!
Come and get yours at the China Dine-ah!
 (Shown above is just a sample of some of the buffet items available!)
7 am to 11:30 am - Full Breakfast Menu and Breakfast Buffet
11:30 'til noon - Breakfast Buffet or Full lunch and dinner menu
noon to 3 pm - Full lunch and dinner menu
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V iew from the Corner Booth
Good day to all!
It finally feels like a hint of Spring out there with temps in the mid 40's. The heavy rain this past weekend took away a lot of the snow and really softened up the dirt back roads.
The area lakes still have an excess of 12" to 15" of ice however, in areas where water is flowing under the ice, the thicknesses are much less. This occurs where streams come into the ponds and lakes and also where water is released. Point is, if you are going out onto the ice, be very, very careful. I wouldn't be surprised with a few warm days, some good winds and a little rain, you may even see the bodies of water open up in many areas.
I had an overwhelming response last week to the newsletter. Many of you are very supportive and understanding of my decision to slow down at the young age of 60. LOL! Also, many of you commented that the email I received did not even warrant a response. I just had to write to someone, it is who I am. Over the years, I have written hundreds if not thousands of individual notes (letters) back to individuals who provided praise, comments, constructive criticism and yes, even a few outright nasty and mean spirited shots aimed at me and the staff. All in a days work.
I have also received many touching letters over the past 6 years and this week, I received one that I thought was worth reprinting below. It goes hand in hand with our mission statement whereby we wanted the Dine-ah to truly be a community asset.
Comments : Norm- who cares about the bank and finances!!! You have a GREAT reputation.
I am a transplant from Jefferson on the lake and my first date with my hubby (75 years young!) was at your restaurant about 4 years ago...
We are elders with an elder marriage!!!! It is GREAT!!!
We thank you for being there when we needed a place to meet and get acquainted (He would say "check each other out" - I would just whack him on the side of the head!!)
Somehow, we married and have been together 4 years. THANK YOU for being there to give us a spot.
PS-He had Lobster Roll!
How sweet is that?
I'm going to miss the weekly newsletters from the Dine-ah although I still have a couple more. I will be writing a weekly newsletter for Norm's while we are open (June 12th to Labor Day September 1st) this season and I will be doing a monthly newsletter in our off season. Anyone who has ever written back other than just the trivia answer, will definitely be on the email list for Norm's newsletter, which will include three to four thousand of you. Hard to believe that I have you all stored in my Blackberry, maybe that's why it's so slow! The entire mailing list of over 17,000 email addresses will remain the property of the China Dine-ah and will be taken over by Lisa, Ashley and their staff. Whether is stays a weekly newsletter or goes monthly remains to be seen.
There was a tiny bit of confusion when I used the word "closing" in the last couple of newsletters when I was referring to "the actual closing of the sale."
The China Dine-ah is NOT closing. I repeat, the China Dine-ah is NOT closing! But I, Norm, am hoping that the sale of the Dine-ah and the real estate will close or be finalized this month. As I have said in the past, it should be somewhat seamless to you, the patron. Lisa Wardwell and her daughter Ashley will be taking the reins. I have agreed to serve as a mentor to Lisa per her request for a period of time until she feels she no longer needs me. Could be a lifetime assignment and that would be okay with me. I am honored to be helping Lisa and Ashley. I'd like to keep my "finger in the pie" so to speak but I'm thrilled to be giving up the daily management of a restaurant "diner" that has served 80,000 to 100,000 meals annually since we opened in 2007. No one wants the China Dine-ah to continue to flourish more than myself and Lisa, rest assured, it will!
The following is from Lisa's newsletter to her patrons in Augusta and I thought I would share it with all of you to alleviate any concerns that there are going to be wholesale changes and that the Dine-ah will never be the same. That is the farthest thing from the truth and the words below are directly from Lisa:
As many of you already know, I am in the process of purchasing the well known restaurant, China Dine-ah! I am so excited to embark on this journey and so thankful to those who support me in this decision.
My goal is to keep going with the amazing work that Norm and his staff have done over the last 6 years. I know that locals enjoy having a place like China Dinah with it's "homey" feel and what it has to offer to the town. I do have some plans to put a small lounge in a room that is now being used as storage, a small patio area so that customers can enjoy the beautiful weather (whenever it gets here!) and possibly some live music on Friday nights! We want to mix in something new to the town of China with these small changes but still maintain what we know people already enjoy!
Lisa
So there you go, firsthand right from the mouth of the new owner-to-be. As I have said in the past, if anyone has any questions or concerns, please feel free to comment. As I promote Norm's this summer, I will also be encouraging people to come to the China area and visit one of the areas favorite dining establishments, whether it be the Dine-ah or Norm's.
Please join us for Easter Sunday April 20th- we are open from 7 am and seating right up til 4 pm to serve you.
Norm
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Big Shout Out to Our March Winners......
1st Prize winner is Roger Anttila of Windsor - $50 Dine-ah gift card
2nd Prize winner is Ty Studley of China - $25 Dine-ah gift card
3rd Prize winner is Eliza Lagasse of Vassalboro - $25 Dine-ah gift card
4th Prize winner is Luke Muzzy of Greenville - $25 Dine-ah gift card
Come in NOW to enter for a chance to win in April.
Winners will be randomly selected on April 30th.
Thank you all for entering and good luck!
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Visit our website link below for directions, menus, and other information. Click on the
"Directions/Contact" section and then click on "Contact Us" to send an e-mail.
The China Dine-ah
281 Lakeview Drive
China, ME 04358
Phone ~ 445-5700
Because we use the information you provide us from our drawings and giveaways, you might be re-entered into our e-mail list. We take every precaution to avoid this, but if it happens, look below for choices to fit your needs. If you have a comment or suggestion, you can click on the link above to e-mail us directly.
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