Dizzy Birds Rotisserie in Biddeford to close Dec. 31 [Video]

Dizzy Birds Rotisserie in downtown Biddeford announced on social media this week that it will be closing Dec. 31.

Chef-owner Tom Peacock said, since the pandemic, he’s seen a sea change in his customers’ dining habits.

“We play to an empty dining room every night. Pre-pandemic, we were 70% dine-in to 30% takeout/delivery. Post-pandemic, we’re 85% takeout/delivery and 10-15% dine-in,” Peacock said, noting that delivery programs can be costly for businesses, often requiring a minimum 20% commission be paid to the delivery app.

“Forty percent of our space isn’t revenue-producing,” he added. “We just haven’t caught fire, and I don’t have an explanation for us.”

Peacock said he’s also had difficulty with staffing, and although half of his remaining team has worked at Dizzy Birds since they launched in early 2019, he can’t compete with the wages offered by Portland restaurants.

“I don’t want to make excuses,” Peacock said. “There have been restaurants that have been successful. I hate to …