Erin French's New American cuisine has garnered her widespread acclaim and earned her a show on Magnolia Network TV, but its success didn't come easily for Freedom, Maine (population 700).
She's been hit with more than 10,000 phone calls for reservations at the seasonal, intimate restaurant, so now diners must submit postcards in exchange for drawing names at random.
Price
Lost Kitchen stands out from other restaurants by accepting reservations through postcard. Diners send in postcards in order to be chosen for one of 48 available seats each night at Erin French's establishment - creating an innovative system which has generated plenty of discussion.
Dinner at Lost Kitchen will cost $250 per person for a five-hour dining experience with multiple courses prepared by self-taught cook Erin French using seasonal and local ingredients from her community. The restaurant itself is situated within a historic mill featuring wooden plank floors and suspended mill trestles for added charm.
Erin French found it challenging to bring success to her hometown of Freedom, Maine at first. Today however, her restaurant is popular worldwide and she even has her own book and Magnolia Network television show to boast about. Although expensive for some customers, many others believed the food more than justified its high cost.
Menu
French opened The Lost Kitchen in Freedom's refurbished mill in 2014 and quickly established one of the country's most sought-after restaurants with a dedicated following and show on Magnolia Network. Last year phone lines became overwhelmed with calls, and so instead of diners calling at specific times she now requests that postcards be mailed in which will then be randomly drawn for reservations.
French and her staff use cards to select daily guests for her 40-seat eatery, working closely with local farmers and foragers to develop an ever-changing menu. Diners once had to wait hours or even days before being seated at a table. With the new system in place, wait times have drastically decreased.
Service
At The Lost Kitchen in Freedom, Maine founded by Magnolia TV star Erin French, dinner is priced at $250 per person excluding drinks and tips. Diners must reserve their table by sending Erin French postcards; those chosen will then be called by her to reserve their table on her website. Reservation requests have come in from all corners of the globe in search of this dining experience!
French Restaurant has quickly become an international culinary destination since re-opening in 2014 in an old gristmill and wood turning mill, drawing customers from all over the globe. Now boasting two cookbooks as well as its own reality show on Magnolia network.
Her popularity has created long waits to get a table at her seasonal restaurant, leading diners to send postcards with reservation requests to French. In order to reduce stress and congestion signals, diners now send these requests directly.
Environment
Erin French knew she had hit on something special when she opened The Lost Kitchen restaurant inside a refurbished mill in Freedom, Virginia, but never imagined it would become such an internationally acclaimed establishment with fans across the globe and even its own Magnolia Network show. But it didn't start this way!
Meals run $195 per person without drinks or tips included, yet the wait to gain entrance can take weeks. People from around the globe vie to dine here; French and her staff must sort through 10,000 postcards annually seeking reservations in this tiny 40-seat space.
No matter the demands, the atmosphere remains calm and welcoming. The dining room features sanded plank floors, suspended mill trestles, and walls of windows that look out onto a stream and bridge; tables were even handcrafted in classic Maine DIY fashion! And for guests able to make it out for lunch or dinner they will discover it was well worth their while.
