Two long-standing, popular restaurants in the Bangor area have recently been sold to new owners, who plan to keep menus, locations, staff and hours almost entirely the same.
Yoshi Japanese Restaurant in Brewer and Tesoro Restaurant in Bangor were recently purchased by new owners.
Joshua Dyer, a longtime sushi chef at Yoshi, purchased the business earlier this month from Ting and Lillian Luc, who opened Yoshi on Wilson Street in Brewer in 2009. The Lucs were the first in eastern Maine to offer tatami-style seating, and Yoshi has been a popular dine-in and takeout sushi and Japanese restaurant for the past 13 years. Ting Luc, 60, intends to continue to work at the restaurant for a few more years, until he fully retires.
Dyer was an apprentice sushi chef under head chef Ting Luc for years, and is also a personal trainer at Gold’s Gym. Another longtime Yoshi employee, Matt Preble, will take over as general manager. Dyer intends to keep the menu, staff and look of the restaurant the same.
Italian restaurant, pizzeria and bar Tesoro, located at the corner of Harlow and Franklin streets in Bangor, was purchased earlier this month by Brian Pelletier.
Tesoro was originally opened by Rocco and Fortunata Agrusa in downtown Bangor in 1995. They made a name for themselves offering New York-style pizzas, subs and pasta in a no-frills setting for nearly 25 years.
In 2019, Bangor resident Johanna Harvey purchased it from the Agrusas, undertaking an extensive interior renovation and upgrading the menu to include appetizers, salads and desserts, as well as a full bar. Harvey put the restaurant up for sale earlier this year after developing chronic health problems.
Pelletier said he intends to offer the same menu as before, with new hours set at 3 to 9 p.m., Tuesdays-Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays-Sundays. A grand reopening celebration is set for Sept. 13.
