Kevin and Melinda Strout, who have experience operating lunch trucks, are ready to open the shutters on the Willard Beach concession stand, as soon as it stops raining.

The Strouts—who operate two lunch trucks in greater Portland—are the new vendors of the popular Willard Beach concession stand, which typically opens after Memorial Day and operates daily through Columbus Day.

But rainy weather and maintenance work needed at the city-owned “snack shack” kept the place closed for the start of the summer season. You can read more about the Strouts in an article that runs in this week’s Current newspaper.

The city is keeping mum on the extensive fix-ups needed at the venerable snack shack and the rush to find a new vendor as summer was getting under way. The city’s code enforcement officer had found problems at the beach-side stand. But city crews worked steadily to clean up the city-owned building, exterminate it, and bring it up to code.

The Strouts have dubbed the walk-up counter the Seaside Grille, put up a new menu board and bought a new fryalator. They plan to sell onion rings, mozzarella sticks, chicken baskets, clam cakes, cold sandwiches, hot dogs, hamburgers and soft drinks. The couple also will have the usual array of candy and ice cream that tantalize kids who play at the beach.

“The Willard Beach concession stand seemed like a good opportunity, and we grabbed it,” said Strout.

The Strouts run two lunch trucks that go to companies and construction sites in Portland, South Portland, Scarborough and Westbrook. Stops include the construction site for Westbrook Middle School, Yankee Ford in South Portland and the Maietta compound in Scarborough.

Strout said he expects to open at 10 a.m. and close at 5 p.m. But if the weather is hot and the beach packed, he will extend the hours.

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