What pandemic? Station Grill Restaurant opens in Lewiston in former Rails

Kathy Lebel stands in the dining room of her new business, Station Grill Restaurant, in the historic railroad depot on Lincoln Street in Lewiston just before opening Friday morning. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

LEWISTON — Despite the ongoing pandemic, the Station Grill Restaurant is open for business.

Located in the historic railroad depot at 103 Lincoln St., the new restaurant welcomed its first customers last week after months of planning and preparation.

The Station Grill Restaurant on Lincoln Street in Lewiston is now open in the former historic rail station that was formerly Rails restaurant, which closed in 2018. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

Owned by Kathy Lebel, the menu features soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, steak and seafood, with daily home-style specials.

In addition to indoor seating, the restaurant also boasts an outdoor patio and offers curbside pickup.

While the restaurant has yet to be decorated, Lebel said it will soon sport a historical theme with prints from the Lewiston Historical Society hanging on the walls.

Lebel and her husband, David, own Schemengees Bar & Grille on Lincoln Street. Despite expanding the business to offer restaurant-style food and seating a few years back, she said it was hard to attract people who only thought of Schemengees as a bar.

“We tried to expand Schemengees with the food, which it went great, but it was hard to get customers in because of the bar theme or the pool room theme, not really the restaurant,” she said.

Lebel wanted to open a straight restaurant focusing on “good home-cooked meals.” Now that Station Grill Restaurant is open, she plans to differentiate the menus at both businesses to match the ambiance of each.

However, both restaurants will offer Schemengees’ popular chicken tenders.

Opening a business was difficult enough in pre-pandemic times, however Lebel is confident that her experience and established customer base will make the Station Grill successful.

Kathy Lebel stands in her Station Grill Restaurant on Lincoln Street in Lewiston. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

“I feel really confident because of the client base that we have, the loyalty and support we have,” Lebel said. “We’re known in the community, we’re known for our chicken tenders, we’re known for our fried clams at Schemengees. They all know that we’re opening up here at the station. They’ve already started to come out, they’re coming back and they’re spreading the word.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Schemengees has been closed since briefly reopening in May, allowing Lebel to solely focus on the Station Grill. They hope to reopen Schemengees in August.

Rails restaurant occupied the historic railroad depot, closing in August 2018.