Stella's Café coming to Dover: Lil's Café owners have big plans to expand
DOVER — The mother-and-son duo behind Lil’s Café are expanding into Dover, bringing with them a tribute to the namesake of their beloved business in Kittery, Maine.
The Sunrise Point Café in Dover will close this month after Lil’s co-owners Deb McCluskey and her son, Michael McCluskey, purchased the furniture, fixtures and equipment from the business’ founders. Sunrise Point Café’s last day of operations will be Saturday, April 13. The McCluskeys will bring renovations and a rebranding.
In its place, the McCluskeys are opening Stella’s Café in memory of the late Lilian Stella Mangos, a beloved 20-year Bob’s Clam Hut cashier for whom Lil’s Café is named.
“The brand that we’re shooting for, the best way we’ve explained it so far is to picture Lil’s as the 50-year-old mom and this new (Dover) location is like her teenage daughter,” said Michael McCluskey. “This will be a little more bright and electric.”
Restaurateur and philanthropist Michael Landgarten, the former owner of Bob’s Clam Hut, opened Lil’s Cafe in November 2013, naming it after Mangos, and sold Kittery's popular Wallingford Square eatery and gathering spot to the McCluskeys in 2021.
More: 'In great hands': Lil’s Cafe to be sold to longtime employee at Kittery gathering spot
The McCluskeys have also owned and operated the Islander Café in New Castle since the start of 2023, bringing over the famous crullers from Lil’s and other treats each morning. They bought the business from Seacoast hotelier Doug Palardy, who opened the Islander Café in the former Henry’s Market space only a few months before selling it to the McCluskeys.
More: Lil's Café owners buy The Islander Café in New Castle: Will the crullers follow?
“People can expect that we’ll hold our standards high as we do at the other places as far as products and service. We’re looking forward to being part of the Dover community,” Deb McCluskey said.
What will be on menu at Stella’s Café in Dover?
Customers can expect Stella’s Café to offer a similar menu and atmosphere at its sister locations in New Castle and Kittery. The Dover location will feature soups, salads, sandwiches, pastries and breakfast sandwiches at 50 Pointe Place.
Sunrise Point Cafe co-owners Tawny Palmer and Nicole Cesario Strynar announced the transition on social media last week, telling patrons it took them just six days to find a buyer.
“Your trust and loyalty have been integral to our success, and we will miss our Café and all of you for so many reasons,” the two said in a joint statement. “We are proud of what we have accomplished and excited about the future. Thank you for being a part of our journey. See you soon.”
“It happened very quickly as far as that particular space,” Deb McCluskey said. “We had been considering a third space and we have some irons in the fire that didn’t quite turn out the way we had hoped. We wanted to have a third space. We were researching businesses for sale and that one popped up. It happened very quickly. Our first communication with them was at the end of February.”
But bringing a business to Dover has been in the back of the McCluskeys’ minds.
In fact, lovers of Lil’s and the Islander Café have reached out to them before imploring them to bring their food to Dover, a city where the McCluskeys had been looking to expand.
“They’ve done a good job at creating a walkable community for people living there with all these restaurants and shops that people can go to,” Michael McCluskey said of the city. “I think Tawny and Nicole have done a wonderful job with their spot. Even though we aren’t taking on their business and their branding, we’re so excited to take on that community feel.”
Planning to be open daily upon finishing renovations and rebranding, the McCluskeys hope to open Stella’s Café in May, keeping all 48 seats that the Sunrise Pointe Café has offered. The two will also continue operating the events space on-site at the current Dover café.
“It’s really about getting to know the people of Dover, getting involved and having new friends we see everyday,” Deb McCluskey said.
The McCluskeys are looking to hire several full-time and part-time employees for Stella’s Café. Interested applicants can contact them at deb@lilscafe.com.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Stella's Café coming to Dover: Lil's Café owners expanding
