Dunton’s Doghouse in Boothbay Harbor threw its last hurrah of 2016 on Oct. 11. As he does every year around this time, owner Gary Starankewicz went all out with a closing party, open to the public, that he spent at least two days prepping and cooking for. By the time the crowd of hungry people started showing up at 11 a.m., there were large tables lined up with an endless array of food.

There were hamburgers and hot dogs. There was a bottomless tray of hot, deep-fried chicken nuggets. There huge pans full of fried yellowtail, clams and shrimp, different kinds of meatballs, pasta salads and cole slaw. There was barbecued pork and pork with sauerkraut, meatloaf, mac & cheese, shepherd’s pie and chicken parmesan, chicken teriyaki stir fry and rigatoni. Then there was dessert: cream puffs, eclairs, whoopie pies and mini cheesecakes. And soda.

Starankewicz has been serving his burgers, hot dogs, French fries, onion rings, crab rolls and an array of specialty items since he bought the Doghouse 14 years ago. Ed Dunton started the business in 1972, and passed it on to his daughter, who sold it to Starankewicz in 1999.

Starankewicz, who puts in 16 to 18 hours a day, seven days a week from mid-April to mid-October every year, said he put out 580 plates and they were all gone by 2:15. He estimated that around 400 people showed up for lunch.

Dunton’s last hurrah isn’t a way for Starankewicz to clean up before heading to Florida for the winter. He doesn’t just clean out the fridge and freezer for this gigantic feed. He serves dishes that he doesn’t even offer from the stand during the summer. He buys and cooks food especially for this day. And it’s an enormously generous way for him to thank his clients, and anyone else in town, for patronizing his business over the summer.

Owen Sterrs, who helped man the stand this past summer, said he and co-worker Earle Tourtillotte manned it while Starankewicz “slaved in the kitchen” preparing for the last day.

There’s a sign on the side of the doghouse that reads: “Hot Beer. Lousy food. Bad Service.” Anyone who has ever eaten at Dunton’s knows that’s a joke.

One of these years the townspeople might reciprocate and throw a thank you party especially for him.

Thank you, Gary. It was a fantastic feed, as usual.

See more about Dunton’s Doghouse here.