April 6, 2010

By Carol McCracken (Post # 430)

The Restaurant Opportunities Center of Maine has scheduled another protest against the Front Room on Congress Street on the Hill for Thursday, April 8 from 6:30 – 7:30 pm.

A lawsuit was filed against the Front Room Restaurant & Bar for poor business practices. According to the complaint filed by six plaintiffs in the case for a jury trial, owner Harding Smith has failed to pay the plaintiffs minimum wages and failed to pay overtime pay. There are other allegations as well. Smith has maintaned his innocence all along.

The “ROC” would like for Smith to sit down with them and try to resolve the matter to avoid the case going to court.

For more information, please contact rocmaine@gmail.com or call 761-7711. For information on previous protests, please see Post # 424, dated March 27th herein.

Share on Facebook

By Carol McCracken (Post # 429)

Although the sign outside 189 Congress Street does not reflect the change in ownership, what used to be Awful Annie’s Irish Saloon is now Mama’s Crow Bar; according to the new owner, Tricia, the name is derived from the large population of crows in the area.

Tricia had been working with the former owner for a over a year before this change happened. In fact, she had been hoping to own a bar for a long time and it just became official recently. This is not her first venture into business ownership; most recently Tricia owned a consignment shop in Bethel. She raised in Rhode Island and has been here since 1996.

Last fall Tricia said that Maine is an easier place to make your own path then in Rhode Island. There is lots of room for entrepreneurs here in Maine. “Up here people have to supplement their incomes often” by starting their own businesses. Tricia works at Rosemont Market & Bakery during the daytime. She sees her bar as an accessible place for neighborhood artists and musicians to shae their talents with their neighbors.

189 Congress Street has long been a landmark at the bottom of the Hill because it has long been a drinking establishment; for eight years it was Awful Annie’s Irish Saloon and for almost 50 years prior to that it was George’s Tavern.

For more information, please visit www. mama’scrow Bar.com

Share on Facebook