Get your postcards ready: The Lost Kitchen in Freedom will announce details for its postcard reservation system on March 20.
The popular restaurant owned by Erin French is entering its 10th season this year. But getting reservations has been — for the past several years — an analog process that both keeps its phone system from being overwhelmed and raises money for local causes.
The restaurant transitioned to post card bookings in 2018 after becoming overwhelmed by calls and visits to secure a table amid the restaurant’s rising popularity. Generally, postcards are accepted between certain dates. Then the restaurant begins choosing postcards and calling people to book reservations until the season is filled.
More recently, The Lost Kitchen also has partnered with area nonprofits to give early access to folks who want to try to get a reservation. In 2021, the effort raised $100,000 overnight for Waldo County Bounty. Last year, the Lost Kitchen raised nearly $1 million for the PFAS Emergency Relief Fund. The fund helps farms pay for testing and short-term income replacement related to the impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as “forever chemicals.”
“We realized there was something really magical that happens here with these postcards,” French said in 2021. “We got to thinking, how can we turn this into something that could really matter and make a difference.”
Details for the 2023 postcard reservations system will be announced on the Lost Kitchen’s website, findthelostkitchen.com.
