By David Harry

Staff Writer

As workplaces go, food vendors in Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth are finding the park has its perks.

“I get to see it for the first time every day,” said South Portland resident Frank Marston, who sells hot dogs and snacks practically in the shadow of Portland Head Light.

Since the middle of last month, Marston; Gordie Smith and his wife, Carolyn; and Sarah and Karl Sutton have been selling delicacies and snacks as holders of the first vending licenses issued in the 47 years the town has owned the 92-acre park.

The Smiths, who sell Gordo’s Lobster Cakes, and Marston operate food carts adjacent to the roundabout by the entrance to Portland Head Light. 

Above them, on the bluff favored by kite fliers, the Suttons sell six varieties of lobster rolls and Maine-made food products and beverages.

After Sept. 1, Marston and the Smiths will be replaced by the Atlantic Cookie Co. and Dory’s Dogs, licensed to operate until Oct. 15. The program for vendors created five licenses for three spots. The Suttons will operate with a full-season license through Oct. 15.

“We are just focused on making great lobster rolls,” Sutton said.

Allowing food vendors in the park is considered a pilot program by Town Manager Michael McGovern, and will add $10,000 in revenue for park maintenance and upkeep from the permit fees for five licenses. Permit fees are $2,000 for each license.

Smith, Sutton and Marston said they have had nothing but encouraging comments from customers.

Smith said he sold lobster cakes and rolls on Commercial Street in Portland last year and Marston sold hot dogs from his restored 1960 Cushman Truckster from a spot near Bug Light Park in South Portland.

Locations next to Portland Head Light have made for good business, they said. 

“It’s not as rushed as it was in Portland,” Smith said.

Marston said he gets much more foot traffic than his South Portland spot, and plenty of chances for conversation

“It’s been a blast,” he said. “It’s neat to hear where people are from.”

Within 10 minutes last Thursday afternoon, Smith sold the last of his lobster rolls to Chris and Glenda McGowan from Cape Girardeau, Mo., and a lobster cake to Afonso Bevilaqua from Rio de Janiero. 

As they complimented Smith on the lobster rolls, the McGowans apologized to Bevilaqua for cleaning out Smith’s stock.

Smith said his lobster rolls sell out frequently. During a recent visit from passengers on a cruise ship docked in Portland, he sold out of lobster rolls, got more filling he makes with his wife, and sold out again.

Marston, who drives his vintage truck he bought on Craigslist to work, said he has found ready takers for the meal deal of two hot dogs, drinks and chips he serves with a Frisbee included. 

“Families get the meal and then they play in the park,” he said.

Marston’s low-frills hot dogs and snacks are a hit with Buddy Pride, a Portland resident who said he visits the park a couple times a week.

“It’s about time we had a chance to get a snack here,” Pride said as he carried a hot dog to a nearby picnic table.

Sutton said she and her husband wanted the uphill spot because it has plenty of room for their trailer.

“We just went for it, we already knew what we wanted to do,” she said.

The Suttons have each stepped away from jobs at the University of Southern Maine to operate the stand seven days a week for about nine hours a day.

If the visitors from cruise ships and tour buses don’t always amble up the hill for a snack, Sutton said they have developed a healthy core of repeat customers who live in town and visit the park for ice cream.

“We really wanted to fit into this iconic park,” she said. 

McGovern said the vending license program will be reviewed in fall. Sutton, Smith and Marston said they would like to return next year.

Smith, a retired customer service representative at L.L. Bean, said he has enjoyed staying active with the vending cart and, like Marston, has a new appreciation for the park.

“I always took the lighthouse for granted. But this is a $1 million view,” he said.