Hoss and Mary are coming home.
Brian “Hoss” Coddens and Deena “Mary” Eskew, the former owners of a popular Old Orchard Beach restaurant that closed in April 2015 much to the dismay of legions of devoted followers, announced Thursday night they are closing their food truck in Key West, Florida, and returning to Maine. They plan to reopen a restaurant in southern Maine and are currently looking for a location.
“The love of Maine calls us every day,” Coddens said Friday morning. “We need to go back and reclaim what we once had.”
The couple closed their restaurant, Hoss and Mary’s, in April 2015. At the time, they said they wanted to move back to Key West, where they first met, and focus on a new challenge after operating a popular restaurant in a high-traffic tourist spot.
During their time in Florida, Coddens and Eskew survived Hurricane Irma, which devastated the Keys. They rode out the storm at a friend’s house and posted updates on Facebook as the storm bore down on the island. After the hurricane destroyed numerous homes and businesses, things changed in the Keys and the couple felt a stronger pull to return to New England, Coddens said.
“The hurricane changed the attitudes of a lot of people here,” he said. “It’s suddenly become real dog-eat-dog conditions down here as far as living and working.”
Hoss and Mary’s in Key West was operating out of a food truck parked at a marina, but those conditions were not ideal. Coddens and Eskew love interacting with customers, but that was difficult with the truck’s set-up. It was also 130 degrees inside the truck on hot days, he said.
The announcement that Hoss and Mary will return to Maine was cheered by fans who left more than 600 comments and 1,300 reactions within hours Thursday night.
“Well, once Mainers always Mainers I guess,” posted Rick Chalek. “Looking forward to seeing you guys again and jumping on a fried haddock sammie.”
Dozens of people suggested locations from Portland to Sanford. Others, who became fans once the food truck opened in Key West, said they were sad to see Coddens and Eskew leave.
“Our hearts have been emptied telling the people we love our goodbyes, but seeing our Maine love we get just fills it right back up,” Coddens and Eskew wrote on Facebook.
Coddens said they hope to open a restaurant with a similar setup to the one they previously ran in Maine. The menu featured innovative comfort food – heavy on burgers and cheesecakes – that fans often posted photos of online.
Coddens said he doesn’t know exactly when he and Eskew will be able to reopen in Maine, but they’re already considering several options and are encouraged by the number of people who have already reached out with suggestions for locations.
“The love that’s been continuously shown is really calling for us to come back there,” he said.
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