The well-known Fort Harry's restaurant at the Exit 18 Truck Stop in Lebanon was renamed "Fort Lou's" on April 1, when Toby and Pattie Fried, owners of Lou's Restaurant in Hanover, officially took ownership.
Fried said right now "Fort Lou's is in a process of change" and "there will be a grand opening sometime in mid-May."
He is "turning the place around" so as to "create a friendlier atmosphere and attract more people," Fried said.
He also said he would significantly improve the quality of the food.
"In the past," he said, "the food they served at Harry's was literally pulled out of a can. We are going to bring more homemade things and change the menu."
Fried said he decided to buy Fort Harry's because Lou's was always very busy. He also said Harry's strategic location attracts a large pool of people, ranging from truckers and Dartmouth students to Lebanon locals, which enables the place to be open 24 hours-a-day.
Another advantage, he said, is that "there cannot be any parking problems at Fort Lou's."
Fried also said he was "cleaning the place thoroughly," hoping to increase the Dartmouth student proportion of their clientele.
He said he had received suggestions from Dartmouth students to serve dinner at Lou's Restaurant in Hanover, but declined because "it just did not pay off."
"Friday and Saturday are the really busy days, but the rest of the time it makes no sense," he said.
Fried said Fort Harry's "had had some problems in the past," such as "the food not being consistent, the owner never being there."
Cindy, a waitress at Fort Lou's who said she could not release her last name, said the "waitresess are pleased with the changes."
She added that the "uniforms will remain black and white as they are now."
Fried told the Valley News he had talked to both truckers and Lebanon neighbors and they are both looking forward to "an upgrade of the restaurant facilities."
Fort Harry's former owners, Peter and Marjorie Decato, opened the truck stop on Heater Road in 1986. In 1986, Decato Brothers sold Harry's Exit 18 Truck Stop to the Champlain Oil Company, but Peter and Marjorie Decato continued to lease the space for Fort Harry's Restaurant, according to the Valley News.
The Decantos told the Valley News they decided to retire this year because "time has changed a lot of things."
Like the Decatos, Fried will also be leasing the space from the Champlain Oil Co., which also owns the space housing the truck stop's convenience store, rest area and gas station, according to the Valley News.
Fried would not release the price he paid for Fort Harry's.
The Decantos could not be reached for comment.
