Dee's Diner now open; late night show premiers soon

Bob Culhane hopes to attract a lot of hungry truckers when he goes to 24-hour schedule next month. (Lebanon Voice/Harrison Thorp photo)

LEBANON - Bob Culhane of Milton opened his new restaurant Dee's 202 Diner earlier this month, but while the location has changed, a lot of the customers haven't.

"I still have all my old customers," he said Monday. "I still get lots of Milton people. It's only 10 miles."

Culhane earlier this month closed his Lakeside Market and Restaurant in Milton where the old menus jokingly encouraged patrons to "Come here and get gas (The market also had gasoline and diesel pumps outside)."

"I was tired of running the market," he said. "I heard the folks over here wanted out, so I came over to take a look and I liked it." His new home is the former Stokewood's Diner.

Culhane, who ran the Milton eatery for six years, redid the floor, the tables and much of the décor, added an ATM machine and now plans to be open 24 hours a day between Thursday and Sunday beginning next month.

"It's mostly for the truckers," he said. "There's nothing else between Portland and Kittery" he said for late night and early morning dining.

Besides bringing a lot of his old customer from Milton, Culhane also brought his signature $6.99 complete dinners every Tuesday. Tonight it's baked ziti and meatballs dinner, with beverage and dessert.

He said he'll be adding more specials once the 24-hour scheduling starts.

Culhane classifies his cuisine as homemade American and backs it up with homemade bread and rolls and homemade desserts on weekends.

He said all the workers he had at Lakeside came with him, even the ones that worked the market, who'll now become waitresses and dishwashers, he said.

You can find out more about Dee's at https://www.facebook.com/pages/DEES-rte-202-DINER/1453094914974028.