By Noel K. Gallagher | Portland Press-Herald | August 7, 2008

The railroad-car diner has been a Biddeford landmark for 81 years, serving breakfast and keeping its local flavor alive.

A bright red bit of Biddeford history is for sale.

The Palace Diner, believed to be the oldest diner in Maine, is being sold by owner Kyle Quinn, who plans to move out of state. The railroad car-style eatery that seats just 15 people on stools has long been a part of Biddeford's history.

The Palace was opened in 1927 by Louis Lachance of Kennebunk, who entered the diner business with his brother-in-law. The next owner, Roland Beaudoin, passed the diner along to his son. The restaurant sat vacant for 14 months before Rick and Jo Bernier bought it in 1997, and they sold it to Quinn in 2005.

"Each person that took this venture on had a love and desire for diners," Quinn said. "It's just in pristine condition."

Quinn and his wife, Deb Gregoire, bought the Palace for $125,000. They are asking $170,000.

There have been a few changes over the years, and Quinn put his stamp on The Palace by adding "Irish pancakes" to the menu.

"Of course there is no such thing as Irish pancakes, but I'm this Irish guy and I came into a French town and I didn't dare say I could make a crepe. So I called it Irish pancakes instead," Quinn said. "We have a lot of fun in here."

The diner has long been an important part of Biddeford's cultural identity, said Linda Houy, vice president of the Biddeford-Saco Chamber of Commerce.

"I used to eat there when I was a little girl. I can remember sitting on those stools with my mom and my dad every Sunday after church. That was our ritual," Houy said.

She gets calls at the Chamber about the diner, too, Houy said.

"Poeple call because of its history, or they want to know where the locals eat," she said. "It would be nice to see someone local take it over."

But owning a railroad diner isn't for everyone, Quinn said.

Quinn said he didn't have any experience when he opened, and the complexity and challenges of diner life came as a shock.

"I think that if I'd decided to be a brain surgeon it would take as much studying as learning what making breakfast is all about," he joked, rattling off the ways eggs and toast and bacon could be cooked: "Eggs easy, eggs fried, light toast, dark toast I mean, really."

Despite the steep learning curve and meeting the expectations of regulars who had been coming to the diner for decades, Quinn said he has enjoyed running the diner.

"It's your personality and the spatula that does the talking," Quinn said. "I don't know how to describe it. It's just a lot of fun."

Earlier owners have taken summers off or just offered weekday breakfasts and lunches. Quinn operates the diner Monday through Saturday, breakfasts only. A new owner, if they chose, could move the distinctive red and yellow diner to a new location.

"Knock on wood, I've been successful," said Quinn, who had worked for a food broker before buying the Palace. "It's really been a lot of fun getting to know the people of Biddeford."

The timing is good for diners now, he said,

"Right now diners are hot because of the television show, 'Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives,' " he said. "If someone is looking to open a restaurant, this isn't for them. It takes a diner fanatic."

He may not find a buyer, he acknowledged.

He put the diner on the market in February, re-listing it about a month ago with a new agent. So far, interested parties haven't had the money or experience to make it work, he said. "I know it sounds absurd, but it's true: This is my baby. If it doesn't sell then -- guess what? -- I'm happy," Quinn said.

Originally published online here: http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=203188&ac=PHnws