Richards’ Dairy & Seafood

Have been coming here for years for ice cream (never had any of their sea food). Always friendly and fast service. Prices are pretty standard and not overly priced like some people complained. Never a bad experience.

To be fair, I’ve only been here once or twice — but for a reason: The prices seemed pretty crazy. We came here once to get our dogs some ice cream on a hot summer day (yes, we have some very spoiled and loved dogs!). Decent prices for the dog ice creams (3 for just under $ 5), but for our two human treats, it was over $ 13. We like supporting a local business, the owners also run the sandwich shop next door and they are very nice — but I can’t justify paying that much money. I got a «frappé» which was just vanilla ice cream blended with a monster energy drink — a special they offer. My partner got a medium ice cream with a couple of toppings, nothing extravagant. The price was listed for the regular ice cream, but not the frappé. We tried to figure out how we got from what we expected to pay and the $ 13ish we ended up paying, but who really knows? It must add up quickly for add-​ons and that frappé must have been pricey. The ice creams were good, but nothing special. I don’t think we’ll ever go back, unless just for dog ice creams! It’s too bad though, like I said we know the owners are trying to make it work at a difficult location (everything is very seasonal here) — but I can’t really justify paying that much. I don’t mind paying for expensive food or a awesome service, but this isn’t what I have in mind.
I’ve read some other reviews of Richard’s, and it seems that the owner responds to any of the negative ones. This would be nice, and I totally respect his right to defend his practices at his business (certainly Unilocal reviewers have been known to give unfair reviews) — but often his comments are very snarky and borderline rude, which is definitely unprofessional. So to anticipate his comment on this review: why didn’t I ask about the pricing at the time of the service? Well, it didn’t seem worth it. The lady that also runs the place is very nice. We’ve chatted with her on a few occasions both here and in the sandwich shop next door. I know they are just trying to make it work. So I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings by asking about what seemed like pretty crazy pricing. We just decided that we wouldn’t be coming back for more and I thought it prudent to offer this word of advice to would-​be customers.
UPDATE: Now that the owner has responded, as I predicted, I have to drop this down to a 1 star review and say we are definitely NOT coming back. First of all, justifying an $ 8 price tag on the frappé by saying you’re paying for the energy drink and the Gifford’s ice cream doesn’t cut it. I could go to the store and buy 2 energy drinks and an entire half gallon of Gifford’s and still be under the 8 dollar price tag, enough for several of these «frappes» — and you guys get discounted pricing as a merchant I’m sure, at least on the energy drinks which you stock in your store.
Second, I’m sure the reason Richard’s has been in business for 60 years is due to the predecessor’s customer service initiatives and certainly not your negative ones. You’ll be lucky to last if you keep this up, we certainly couldn’t recommend this place. I said a difficult location simply because of the seasonal nature of this town, which I stated in my review.
Third, How can you say your responses aren’t rude and snarky? Here are some snippets:
«Instead you wrote a review and obviously have no clue what clams look like.»
«We do it everyday. Maybe you were just having a bad day.»
Only on ONE of your responses to a negative review did you NOT include some snarky, unnecessary remark like the ones above. But even then, the response definitely wasn’t kind and understanding, which is what GOOD customer service should look like, even to a negative review.
Furthermore, the last line of your response TOTALLY proves my point, and seems vaguely THREATENING. Not cool, not OK, Ever. You’re way out of line on this one.

Sell ice cream. Provide nice customer service. Not complicated.

Good ice cream with a few interesting & uncommon flavors. Good sized portions. What’s not to like, it’s ice cream.

Just ate here for the first time… fair at best. There are MUCH better seafood restaurants to choose from in the area. Had the whole clams and sea scallops — the sea scallops were mushy and tasteless, and the whole clams, while semi-​flavorable, were all stuck together and slightly overdone. We got the large side order of onion rings — which contained probably 7 – 8 rings. So for $ 45 we were not satisfied with the quality nor the quantity. Will not be going back, even though we drive by there on a weekly basis. Oh… and the girl that cleans the tables walked by ours (which was far from being clean) semi-​smiled and said it was a long day… and did not wipe off the table even though she was carrying a rag and it was apparent to us that that was her job. Oh well… hope you have better luck if you give it a try.

I like some things at this place, the fried haddock, the fried scallops, the onion rings (but my husband thinks they’re too bready), but I must warn you off the fried clams. I tried them last night and they were undoubtedly the worst fried clams I have ever had. They weren’t even recognizable as fried clams. The only thing I can figure is that they used canned baby clams — just awful. I deserve my money back for that portion of my fisherman’s plate!

I’ve been going here since I was a little kid in the 80s. Superb lobster rolls and ice cream. Maybe it’s because I grew up eating them, but these are still my favorite lobster rolls anywhere. You can’t go wrong. And these people complaining about price… I disagree. But even if the prices are slightly steep, it is because it’s good food. And judging by the amount of business they do, people certainly don’t seem to mind paying.

I appreciate the follow up. We only had one double lobster roll plate as we shared it. Had one appetizer which came out with the meal and a drink. Just expensive for lunch. Your right. Our mistake and should have asked why the bill was so expensive.
The lady said the entire menu is fried. And I did inquire about that as we eat mostly vegetarian/​vegan. We just moved to the area and needed a quick meal and wanted to give your place a try. Obviously we haven’t tried the ice cream which people rave about and plan on doing that but lunch for 2 is expensive. Just my opinion.

Big portions of creamy flavorful ice cream & they do not skimp on the toppings either!

Five star streak continues!!!
From the outside– I would be next to positive I wouldn’t have stopped at this place. Order at the window & wait for your number to be called. Out back there are few rickety picnic tables with red and white tablecloths. Their menu is pretty Maine — Stand (ard) ish. Lobster rolls, tuna rolls, chicken fingers and Fried: clams, scallops, shrimp, haddock.
For a reasonable $ 19, the fisherman’s plate comes with all four fried options plus two hand battered onion rings a generous heaping of delectable, crispy French fries. These are some of the best fries I’ve had, if you like the ones that are crispy on the outside and soft in the inside – yum! Richards is for you! Sauces were plentiful – we received ketchup, cocktail, tartar and barbeque. If all the fried isn’t enough for you and a date – you also get a salad with your choice of dressing (and the choices are plentiful, veggies ripe!!!) For $ 15, you get a choice of 2: Fried shrimp, scallops, haddock and clams, with all the fixings that the fisherman’s platter comes with. For the $ 4, I would get all four, but either option definitely fills 2 people!
My companion had vanilla soft serve with rainbow jimmies. Couldn’t think of anything that would have made it better – and by the end – the picnic tables really started to grow on me. Thanks Richards!

I came here with the gf during Sebago Days saturday and it was bustling. My mouth started watering at the sight of all the fried seafood options on the menu. I got the fried scallops and shrimp platter and some fried green beans to boot. It comes with french fries and onion rings as well for a total of five fried items in one meal. This was going to be good. As I waited for number 53 to be called (I still remember my number) my head played tricks on me. Did they just call 53? No that was just the wind… Finally 53 was called and I rushed up to find a heaping portion of fried everything. Yes the portions here can only be described as «heaping». Same goes for the ice cream. The food was good and wasn’t soggy. The outdoor picknick tables were a nice touch.

We were lucky enough to be there on a beautiful July day and could sit outside in the warm weather. I ordered the fish n’ chips which was made from the freshest haddock I have ever eaten. It was so white and flakey I can’t get over it. The batter was fantastic and the onion rings (I substituted the fries) were delicious. My only complaint was the price which was pretty high but I guess that’s what you get on route 114.

Great ice cream, get the Lobster tracks. Sizes are massive.

Yay first (and probably only) review!!!
Anyone who has been to Sebego Lake knows Richards — its been around for more than 30 years in the same location; the same couple owned it for 20 or so of those years before selling it, and it has been switching owners ever since. My mother and her sister both worked there as teens, as well as my brother, and finally me way back in the day when I was 14!
The set up and style is like a Dairy Queen — you walk up to the windows, order your food and pay, then wait for your number to be called and return to the window to pick it up. The ice cream side gets absolutely ridiculous on a hot July night (and/​or afternoon when school buses from the kids camps pour out in the thousands), with the line reaching THE OTHER SIDE of the street. Patience is a virtue…
The food is still pretty much the same great original recipes that have been there for years, with each owner adding little things here and there. At least when I worked there, everything was made and cut fresh down to the onion rings (fries are frozen… sorry). The burgers are amazing, as meat is bought fresh daily from a local up the street and formed in the restaurant. Definitely go for a burger, but I would recommend also the green pepper rings with ranch (they’re like onion rings, but on crack), and the lobster roll from the original recipe of the original owner. Beware though — I’ve seen with different owners that the size keeps changing along with the price, so just a heads up you may/​may not get your bang for the buck. I’d also beware of the seafood platter — same situation.
I love this place, I will always love this place, and though its not exactly a 5 star quality restaurant, it will always be a classic in my book.