Saco sandwich shop Vic and Whit’s will close its doors Dec. 31. Contributed / Main Street Maine

Three beloved restaurants in Saco, Biddeford and Kennebunk are all shutting their doors by the end of December. Rising costs and post-pandemic dining changes are largely to blame.

Vic and Whit’s, a local favorite sandwich shop in downtown Saco, announced their Dec. 31 closure via social media earlier this month.

Owners Mark Johnston and Beth Johnston moved the business from Beach Street to its current Main Street location in 1975. Since then, the sandwich shop has been a Saco staple as the place to go for a hot sandwich and a good bottle of wine.

Naturally, residents are mourning the loss, but are excited for the next steps.

“What a loss,” Linda Kelly Davis wrote, “I will miss them.”

Both of the Johnstons have held pivotal roles in Saco government, with Mark Johnston serving three terms as mayor and Beth Johnston serving on the Saco School Board for over 20 years.

Their sons are also active in the Saco community, with one serving on the City Council and the other owning a local business.

Saco Mayor Jodi MacPhail told the Courier that the community is sad to lose a downtown institution like Vic and Whit’s.

Saco Economic Development Director Tracey Desjardins, Vic and Whit’s co-owner Beth Johnston, Saco City Councilor Nathan Johnston, Vic and Whit’s co-owner Mark Johnston, and Saco Mayor Jodi MacPhail at a recognition of the sandwich shop this month. Contributed / City of Saco

“I remember going to Vic and Whit’s as a child,” MacPhail said. “The dedication that both Mark, Beth and their whole family has shown in serving Saco over the years cannot be duplicated.”

The downtown building will continue to be owned by Mark Johnston, and Beth Johnston will move her boutique wine shop into the space.

Kennebunk Lower Village restaurant Via Sophia, owned by the Kennebunkport Resort Collection, will also close their doors this month.

The restaurant opened post-pandemic in 2022, and has since become a favorite spot for Kennebunk locals and visitors.

But General Manager Emily Nelson said that rising costs, post-pandemic dining changes, and staffing challenges have made it impossible to keep the restaurant operational.

“This shift acknowledges the staffing challenges our region faces,” Nelson said. “We need to adapt to ensure we can consistently deliver the exceptional experiences our guests have come to expect.”

Other local restaurants, like Dizzy Birds in Biddeford, have also cited staffing challenges as one of their reasons for closing.

In an interview with the Portland Press Herald this month, Dizzy Birds chef-owner Tom Peacock said he can’t compete with the wages offered by Portland restaurants.

Via Sophia by the Sea in Kennebunk will close its doors this month. Contributed / Via Sophia

“I don’t want to make excuses,” Peacock said. “There have been restaurants that have been successful. I hate to say we’re not one of them.”

Tom Peacock, owner of Dizzy Birds in Biddeford, said he is closing shop Dec. 31. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

Dizzy Birds announced their plans to close on Dec. 31 via social media earlier this month, noting that the number of people dining in the restaurant has vastly decreased post-pandemic.

“We play to an empty dining room every night,” Peacock told the Press Herald.

Via Sophia is in a similar boat. Although the dining room may not be empty, it is difficult for the restaurant to serve customers with a dwindling number of wait staff.

The Kennebunkport Resort Collection now plans to focus on their seven other restaurants in the area, general manager Nelson said.

Via Sophia also plans to offer job opportunities at their other locations to the employees that have stayed on in recent months.

“We’re incredibly grateful for the support we’ve received from our guests and the local community,” Nelson said.