Photo / Courtesy Bon Vivant
Bon Vivant was located at 133 Lisbon St. in Lewiston.
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Friday Food Insider: Lewiston restaurant closes after just 18 months
File Photo / Fred Field
Pictured is Bon Vivant General Manager and Chef Michael Gosselin.
A restaurant in Maine's second-largest city has permanently closed less than 18 months after opening.
Lewiston's Bon Vivant opened for business on July 14, 2023, just three months before the horrific mass-shooting of Oct. 25, 2023.
Early this month, the restaurant announced on its website that it has ceased operations.
Mainebiz contacted Peter Flanders, a principal at Bon Vivant and its sister restaurant Sonder & Dram, which will remain open.
Flanders said he didn't have anything to add beyond what was posted on social media:
"The national trends in the restaurant industry combined with the physical and financial climate of downtown Lewiston have proven not ready for a high-end restaurant," the post reads. "We had hoped to bring it forward, but in the end, it was not supported well enough."
The Bon Vivant website encourages people to visit Sonder & Dram, a speakeasy-style cocktail bar connected to Bon Vivant. Bon Vivant gift cards will still be accepted at Sonder & Dram.
"Our bar, Sonder & Dram, has thrived and will remain our focus," said the social media post. "We remain positive and committed to our wonderful community and its growth."
Impact on the business
Flanders, along with Jon Mercier, executive chef Michael Gosselin and Rick Roy, are partners at Sonder & Dram and the now-closed Bon Vivant.
The Bon Vivant project began in 2020 but was halted due to the pandemic. In 2022, the partners renew the effort.
In June 2024, Flanders told Mainebiz it was hard to tell how much business he lost.
Shanna Cox, president and CEO of the Lewiston-Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, said the shootings severely affected area hospitality.
"We are proud of the investment and effort that the owners of Bon Vivant put into their endeavor," said Cox.
"Their closing was a loss for the region and is a reflection of the real impact to hospitality businesses post-Oct. 25, 2023, and the larger trends of narrow margins, higher food costs and increased costs of compliance and labor that are impacting many businesses."
Bon Vivant is the second restaurant to close in Lewiston this month. On New Year's Day, Side By Each Brewing in Auburn closed after six years in business.
What are your thoughts on the restaurant closures? The Mainebiz Food Insider would like to know. Email Alexis Wells at awells@mainebiz.biz.
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