RUMFORD — A fixture on the business island in Rumford since it was founded in 1888, the Hotel Rumford at 65 Canal St. has seen a lot of changes over the years.

Most recently, co-owner Lyndzi Dolloff and her partner David Pilgrim say a Sunday night football crowd has reinvigorated the restaurant, which has long been a social hub for locals and a watering hole for skiers and families with cabins in the area.

This year, the hotel briefly closed Feb. 14 after operating as a family-friendly sports bar for the last decade. It reopened under Sept. 9 to sold-out crowds, they said.

Dolloff, originally from Peru, brings five years of bartending and waitressing at the Brew Pub in Bethel and several previous years in the banking industry to this venture.

Pilgrim, originally from Bethel, comes from a hardworking background as well.

“The hotel is rapidly becoming a Sunday Night Football destination,” Dolloff said, “with bigger crowds every week.”

She attributes this to the fact that they are open every day of the week from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. and games can be viewed on six big screen televisions. Dolloff also notes that in non-game times, the seating area has an internet connected juke box, with thousands of musical selections of all genres.

While sampling tasty dishes or hanging out with your friends, Dolloff urged visitors to check out the character and history of the place, including the refinished hardwood floors that were given 12 coats of clear varnish.

In addition to pub-style standard fare, the kitchen staff excels at surf and turf type meals, such as a fish plate with crab and stuffed haddock, various cuts of steak and a chef’s choice rotating entree.

“It is pumpkin season. Come try our seasonable drink specials, including two kinds of pumpkin ales, before diving into one of our best selling appetizers, like the Peruvian Tenders before filling up with the loaded Sugarhouse Burger,” Dolloff said.

The Dollof and Pilgrim recently introduced “The Mozzterpiece,” their latest sandwich special that’s “straight-up melty magic.” It consists of crispy chicken smothered in marinara, with a whole mozzarella stick stuffed inside, and topped with provolone.

Dolloff said the customers are a mix of people who have been eating at the current location for years, and new diners who followed her from her previous employment location to check out her new business.

She said they receive referrals from other restaurants, mostly from the Bethel area that close earlier in the evening, or are not open seven days a week.

The restaurant will be hosting a Thanksgiving Eve Party on Nov. 26 from 2 p.m. to 1 a.m. featuring live music from The Autumn Addicts from 9 p.m. to midnight.

The hotel still rents apartments upstairs above the restaurant. Call 207-507-1067 for more information about rooms and rates.

For the restaurant, to dine in or for takeout, call 207-364-3621 for more information.