BELFAST—Sadie Samuels, a young lobsterman who got her start in the restaurant industry in 2019 with a food truck in Belfast  named Must Be Nice Lobster, has expanded her enterprise into the former Dockside Restaurant space just up the street. They held the grand opening Wednesday, November 5.

Belfast doesn't have a lot of zones for restaurant spaces that aren't already in use, so when Jeff and Lisa Mosher, owners of Dockside Restaurant, told Samuels that they wanted to spend more time with their family, she jumped at the chance to take over the restaurant.

"Our biggest thing was wanting to stay in Belfast, the community that built us," said Samuels. "It was the best opportunity we had."

The restaurant with the harbor views has been updated with Samuels' beachy decor. Going from a 14 x 8-foot truck to 2,960 square feet was "surrea,l" in Samuels' words.

One of Dockside's customer favorites has remained on the Must Be Nice menu: the dill haddock burger, a recipe that longtime server Darlene Ginn said was the most requested sandwich during her time at Dockside.

"It's a creamy dill dressing we made in-house, instead of tartar sauce with lettuce, pickles, and a fried onion in between the buns," she said. "Sandra, the original owner of Dockside, invented it way back when I first started working for them 25 years ago. I was glad they kept a couple of items from the old menu on the new menu."

Other notable favorites from the lobster shack menu that will be reprised in the new space include the lobster roll flight, featuring full-size lobster rolls three ways and crab rolls.

"All the classics from the food truck menu are still available," said Clarissa Wetmore, general manager, who goes by the nickname Red. "Just ask."

While Dockside has long had a good reputation with locals and tourists, the change in ownership means there will be more evening activities for younger people, such as karaoke and trivia, and a bar open until 12 a.m.

"We're going to bring new experience and perspective to the event space and will be bringing in different types of entertainment for the community," said Wetmore.

The restaurant plans to be open year-round, even when Samuels takes a break from lobster fishing in December.

"I have been able to stock up on lobster while I've been fishing, but I also have access to other guys who are lobster fishing offshore this winter," she said. "It allows me to bring in the quality of seafood that we stand behind."

For someone who has had many "firsts" in her life, including being interviewed by The Today Show, this next phase as a restaurateur is just as exciting.

"It's always been my dream to own a restaurant, but when I was in the throes of it, it was hard to see that happen," said Samuels. "I've been so busy working, but I'm really grateful because I'd never be able to do this without my team. I walk in and it's like 'holy cow — we did it!'"

Learn more about the restaurant's hours and upcoming events on their Facebook page.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com