DiMillo's On the Water

What DiMillo's On the Water does

DiMillo's On the Water is a privately held, family-owned waterfront restaurant and lounge operated from a 206-foot, 701-ton floating vessel permanently moored at 25 Long Wharf in Portland, Maine's Old Port. The business traces its origin to founder Tony DiMillo's 1954 opening of "Anthony's" on Fore Street; the floating restaurant concept launched in December 1982 and remains, per company disclosure, the only floating restaurant on the Upper East Coast. Capacity exceeds 600 guests across First Deck Dining, Port Side Lounge, Second Deck Dining Rooms, and three Outside Decks. The current operating entity is managed by third-generation family members — Steve DiMillo, Johnny DiMillo, Steve DiMillo Jr., and Beverage Director Chelsea DiMillo — with operating hours of Monday through Saturday, 12:00-9:00 PM.

The revenue model is multi-stream and centered on the restaurant's dine-in experience. Core streams include à la carte seafood dining (lobster rolls $39, haddock $35, scallops $46, filet $56), banquets priced $52-$75 per person, wedding packages at $95 per person with a $500 non-refundable deposit, motor-coach group luncheons served 12pm-4pm at all-inclusive pricing, seasonally scheduled cooking classes with Chef Melissa Bouchard ($50 per person, October–May), and an e-commerce channel of gift cards ($50/$100/$150) plus branded apparel. Customer segmentation is hybrid and explicit: families with children, tourists seeking waterfront Maine seafood, locals during the off-season, wedding couples, corporate/event hosts, and motor-coach tour operators.

Technology is light-touch: a WordPress front-end for dimillos.com handles reservations (parties of 4 or less online; larger by phone), event inquiries, and content; an integrated Biz-OS subdomain fulfills online takeout ordering. The company reports no proprietary app, no public API, no AI/ML capability, and no external funding or parent ownership. Adjacent operating subsidiaries — DiMillo's Marina (120 slips, opened 1978) and DiMillo's Yacht Sales — share the Long Wharf footprint and provide ancillary marina-revenue and brokerage verticals under common family control. Financials are not publicly disclosed.

Name

DiMillo's On the Water

Legal name

DiMillo's On The Water

Website

https://dimillos.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

DiMillo's On the Water is a family-owned floating seafood restaurant in Portland, Maine's Old Port, operating since 1982 on a 206-foot vessel accommodating 600+ guests. It serves diners, tourists, wedding parties, and motor-coach groups through dine-in, banquets, seasonal classes, and merchandise.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Waterfront Dining Restaurant

NAICS

Marinas (71393)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAGAAAK

Marina & Waterfront Full-Service Hotels

Travel & Hospitality/Lodging & Accommodation/Hotels (Full-Service)

Keywords

• Waterfront dining restaurant
• Floating restaurant venue
• Seafood banquet catering
• Wedding event hosting
• Maine lobster dining

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Dining: Table service dining offering seafood, lobster, and other entrees. Revenue generated from food and beverage sales to dine-in customers.
2. Special Events & Banquets: Private event hosting including weddings, rehearsal dinners, corporate events, banquets, and motor coach groups. Catering services with menu selections and function room rentals.
3. Cooking Classes: Cooking classes hosted by Chef Melissa Bouchard during Locals' Season (October through May). Classes include appetizer, entree, and paired wine for $50 per person.
4. Gift Cards: Digital and physical gift cards sold in denominations of $50, $100, and $150.
5. Merchandise: Branded apparel including t-shirts, hoodies, caps, joggers, and trucker caps sold through the online shop.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

DiMillo's On the Water operates a historic floating restaurant on Long Wharf in Portland's Old Port, serving award-winning Maine seafood and American fare across multiple dining rooms and outdoor decks. The business also provides banquet, wedding, and corporate event hosting, online takeout ordering, seasonal cooking classes, gift cards, and branded merchandise. The core offering is the waterfront dining experience aboard a 206-foot, 701-ton vessel that can accommodate over 600 guests.

Product overview

DiMillo's On the Water operates as a single-location floating restaurant offering multiple dining and hospitality services. The core product is the waterfront dining restaurant and lounge experience aboard a 206-foot vessel. Adjacent services include online ordering/takeout, banquet and event hosting (with topside function rooms), wedding and rehearsal services, and motor coach group luncheons. Seasonal cooking classes with the head chef provide additional revenue. The restaurant also operates a gift card program and sells branded merchandise (apparel). All services are delivered at the 25 Long Wharf, Portland, ME location, with the main restaurant accommodating over 600 guests across First Deck Dining, Port Side Lounge, Second Deck Dining, and three Outside Decks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Waterfront Dining Restaurant & Lounge Full-service waterfront dining on a 206-foot floating vessel in Portland's Old Port, featuring award-winning seafood and panoramic harbor views. The restaurant operates Monday-Saturday 12:00-9:00 PM and accommodates over 600 guests across First Deck Dining, Port Side Lounge, Second Deck Dining, and three Outside Decks.
• Online Ordering & Takeout Online ordering allowing customers to place orders for pickup, bringing the restaurant's waterfront dining experience to-go. Powered by the Biz-OS platform.
• Banquet & Corporate Event Hosting Private event hosting in dedicated function rooms with harbor views, available for corporate events, holiday parties, and banquet occasions. Includes complimentary parking and live entertainment accommodations. Menus range from $52-$60 per person for buffets and $75 per person for lobster bake.
• Wedding & Rehearsal Services Wedding hosting with two time slot options (11am-4pm or 5pm-10pm) featuring complimentary champagne toast, cheese and crackers, wedding cake service, and black-tie service. Receptions extend up to five hours. Wedding buffet package priced at $95 per person with $500 non-refundable deposit.
• Motor Coach Luncheon Program Group dining program for motor coach tours served 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM, featuring pre-arranged luncheon menus with appetizer, entree, and dessert. Prices inclusive of tax and gratuity.
• Cooking Classes Cooking classes hosted by Head Chef Melissa Bouchard during Locals' Season (October through May), featuring appetizer and entree preparation with paired wine, priced at $50 per person.
• Gift Cards Physical and digital gift cards available in denominations of $50, $100, and $150, allowing recipients to experience the waterfront dining experience. Processing and USPS mailout take 24-48 hours.
• Branded Apparel & Merchandise Online retail of branded merchandise including Baseball Cap ($25), DiMillo's University T-Shirt ($28), Fleece Jogger ($40), Hooded Sweatshirt ($50), Lobster Logo T-Shirt ($28), Long Sleeve T-Shirt ($28), The Mothership T-Shirt ($28), Trucker Cap ($25), and Word Scramble T-Shirt ($28).

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Eventide Oyster Co. Portland, Maine seafood-focused restaurant known for brown-butter lobster rolls and raw bar. Direct peer because it competes for the same Maine-seafood-driven tourist and local diners in Portland's Old Port at a similar price point.
• Portland Lobster Company: Casual waterfront lobster shack on Commercial Street serving lobsters, clams, and seafood baskets. Direct peer in Portland waterfront seafood with overlapping tourist customer base at a more casual price point.
• Fore Street Restaurant: Iconic Portland waterfront-adjacent restaurant emphasizing locally sourced Maine ingredients and wood-fired cooking. Direct peer in target market, price tier, and iconic Portland dining destination positioning.
• Scales Restaurant: Portland waterfront seafood restaurant on the Portland waterfront serving classic Maine seafood. Direct peer competing for tourist and event-driven dining in the same harbor district.

Broad incumbents

• Legal Sea Foods: Long-established national seafood restaurant chain. Comparable menu category (Maine/New England seafood) but operates broadly across multiple U.S. markets at multiple price tiers, not a destination waterfront concept.

Regional players

• The Lobster Shack at Two Lights: Iconic Maine coastal lobster shack in Cape Elizabeth, just outside Portland. Comparable as a Maine coastal seafood destination with strong tourist appeal, but serves a different (more casual) segment in a different geography.

Emerging players

• Luke's Lobster: Multi-unit Maine seafood restaurant concept sourcing directly from Maine fishermen. Comparable Maine seafood-focused offering but operating a small, distributed footprint rather than a single flagship destination.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/johnnydimillo
• Facebookfacebook.com/portlandmainelobster
• Instagraminstagram.com/dimillos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dimillo's-on-the-water

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DiMillo's On the Water