Uncle Moe’s Diner has been attracting hungry diners for years from throughout the area — not just Sabattus — in part because over the years it has broadened its offerings beyond those of your typical Maine diner.

Adapting and changing are what you do to stay successful in the restaurant business, according to owner Dan Dion, whose parents Maurice and Lorraine Dion opened the restaurant 37 years ago.

“My father has worked in food services his whole life,” said Dion. “The last place that he worked wanted him to travel and open new stores. He didn’t like to travel. So he decided to open a restaurant of his own.”

Dion and his wife, Ann-Marie, began managing the business 14 years ago. It wasn’t their first choice. They both graduated from college during the recession at the turn of the century 14 years ago, and neither could find decent-paying jobs.

“The only job I got offered was at Rite Aid in Fort Kent,” said Dion. “My father offered me more money to stay here. Then we had a family, and once you have kids you can’t afford to move.”

Like the children of many parents who own their own business, Dion started washing dishes at the restaurant when he was just 9 years old. So he knew the ins and outs of the restaurant business by the time he took over. 

To get through the trying times, Dion and his wife made some changes to the restaurant when they took over, including remodeling the inside of the restaurant.

“During the recession, we knew that the only people who could afford to eat out much were white-collar workers,” said Dion. “So we remodeled the restaurant with that in mind, though we now have a lot of blue-collar workers who eat here each day too.”

One of the changes that the young couple made was installing privacy booths, with the back of each booth about three-and-a-half feet high. They also installed a large-screen TV in each of the two dining rooms. The restaurant seats 102 people.

And the couple expanded the menu. Already well known for its generous breakfasts, the restaurant added stuffed French roast (stuffed with bananas foster or blueberry cream cheese, and topped with caramel whipped cream and powdered sugar) and Belgian waffles, among other new offerings.

Their lunch and dinner menu also expanded to include wraps, pasta dishes, different appetizers, chicken specialties and more.

A daily special available from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. is the Uncle Moe’s Burger Builder, which allows customers to select from multiple items to build their own 6-ounce cheeseburger.

No meal is complete without dessert, and Moe’s is also known for its meal-enders. Their most popular desserts include their homemade cheesecakes, homemade Boston creme pie, apple crisp, blueberry crisp and strawberry rhubarb cobbler.

With children of their own, the Dions know how expensive it can be to feed children at a restaurant, so they also designed a special children’s menu with combination meals. Each of the evening meals include ice cream for dessert.

While things are constantly changing, one thing is still for sure at Uncle Moe’s Diner: No one should go away hungry.

Uncle Moe’s Diner’s seafood chowder

2 quarts half-and-half

2 quarts heavy cream

3 pounds sea scallops

3 pounds shrimp

3 pounds haddock

6 cups diced, cooked potatoes

1/2 pound butter

1/4 diced onion

Sprinkle of granulated garlic and celery salt

Salt and pepper to taste

Use a double boiler. Combine all the ingredients in the double boiler and simmer for 2 to 3 hours.

Uncle Moe’s Diner’s white chocolate raspberry cheesecake

Crust:

2 cups crushed graham crackers

3-plus tablespoons melted margarine (enough to make the cracker crumbs stick together

Mix together and press into a springform pan.

Filling:

2 pounds cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

4 eggs

1 can sweet condensed milk

1 bag white chocolate chips

1 cup raspberry pie filling

Mix cream cheese and sugar together. Then mix in one egg at a time. Set this mixture aside.

Put condensed milk and chips in a sauce pan. On low heat stir until chips are melted. When this mixture has cooled slightly add to cream cheese mix. Pour 1/2 of the mixture into the pie crust, then add about 1/2 cup raspberry pie filling and swirl into mixture. Pour rest of the cheesecake mixture into the crust and swirl in the remaining 1/2 cup raspberry pie filling.

Bake on 350 degrees for about 1 hour. Center should still have a little jiggle to it, like Jello.

Uncle Moe’s Diner

61 Sabattus Road, Sabattus

Tel: 375-4055

Web: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Uncle-Moes-Diner/146373698792683

Hours: Monday-Wednesday 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Breakfast is served until 2 p.m. during the week and until 3 p.m. on weekends.

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