Sad news about Jordan Pond House

From their Facebook page....I was looking forward to enjoying their popovers......

:confused:

For our friends who have not heard, we found out this week that we have not won the bid for a new ten year contract with the National Park Service to operate the Jordan Pond House. The contract has been awarded to Ortega Family Enterprises from Santa Fe , New Mexico. After 80 years of service we are very sad to be losing our connection to the Pond House, to our employees and to loyal customers. ... A petition was started at Moveon.org asking our congressional delegation to look into this decision that was made by the National Park Service at the regional office in Philadelphia. If you would like to look at the petition please follow this link: http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/keep-acadia-corporation/?source=search.

Thank you for posting this heart breaking news as well as the link to the petition. I'd never have known otherwise.

That's really too bad. That restaurant was a stop on many tours. Sad to hear this.

FWIW,

Park service ousts Acadia Corporation

ACADIA NAT’L PARK — National Park Service officials in Philadelphia have awarded a ten-year contract for operation of concessions here to Ortega Family Enterprises, a New Mexico-based company.

The move ousts the locally-based Acadia Corporation that has operated the Jordan Pond House and gifts shops at Thunder Hole and on Cadillac Mountain for more than three decades.

Officials announced the move on Monday saying a limited liability company owned by Ortega, Dawnland LLC, had been granted the award. Ortega operates concessions in several national park units in the west including Bandelier National Monument, White Sands, Muir Woods, Carlsbad Caverns, Death Valley and Gateway National Recreation Area.

"We are excited to work with Dawnland, who will provide the exceptional services that visitors have come to expect at Acadia National Park," noted Northeast Regional Director Dennis Reidenbach. "We also thank current concessioner Acadia Corporation for its role as a long-standing partner."

The tradition of tea and popovers on the lawn at Jordan Pond House will continue, a park service press release said.

The new contract goes into effect in March of 2014.

Regional park service officials said Dawnland LLC received the highest point total in a competitive contract process.

In previous contract renewals, park officials also placed a high priority on continuity of service.

A spokesman for Acadia Corporation could not be reached for comment.

http://fenceviewer.com/site/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=82873:park-service-ousts-acadia-corporation&Itemid=938&tmpl=component&print=1

That is really a shame. We've enjoyed lunch at Jordan Pond House both times we were in Bar Harbor and visited Acadia National Park. Continuity of service is very important. I just hope the quality doesn't suffer.

I am very sad to hear this.

We had a wonderful lobster lunch there way back in around 2004.

Ortega -- Mexican -- can't help but how things will change.

I always feel bad when a company produces good product but is replaced. I wish the owners of Jordan Pond well and hope they find a suitable direction in which to now turn.

Ortega -- Mexican -- can't help but how things will change.

Family has been in the American Southwest for longer than most of us. See http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/business/article_18a21a60-8993-50db-ab36-2a94c34cd4d7.html

Kudos to them and their entrepreneurial spirit.

Wonder if they will use the same recipe for the popovers. :confused:

All of a sudden I want a popover desperately! But it's too hot to pre-heat the oven to 450º.

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