Jul. 30—EAST LYME — The Rustic Cafe is on the market again, its $749,000 price tag bolstered by the recent addition of a greenhouse-covered patio that extends the cozy, house party feel of the local landmark.

Jeff Keck, who co-owns the Rustic with Stephanie Fesko, was lining up appointments from potential buyers last week for the 516 Boston Post Road business. By Monday, he was optimistic they had found a buyer who could have the cafe up and running by Labor Day weekend if the deal goes through.

Keck said he and Fesko bought the restaurant in 2010. That's when an affinity for throwing large parties from the roof of their penthouse apartment in Springfield, Mass., led them to try their hand as restaurateurs. Keck started out working seven days a week, from breakfast through closing time, as he learned in the tight galley kitchen what it takes to keep a perennial party afloat.

The restaurant goes back to 1947, when it opened on a larger footprint that included a dance hall. Keck said customers as illustrious as Frank Sinatra were lured to the rustic roadside spot while traveling on what was then the main thoroughfare between New York City and Boston.

The building was destroyed by fire in 1967. It was rebuilt with the existing 800-square-foot bar and dining area.

Now, the 58-year-old Keck said he's ready to focus on a career path he hopes will take him to Hollywood as a scriptwriter. He started working on an exit strategy years ago but was waylaid by the COVID-19 pandemic as inflation and difficulty finding workers forced him to concentrate on survival.

"A case of fries used to be $19," he said. "Now, it's $47."

He cited a pay rate of $30 an hour for a cook because demand for workers was so high.

The restaurant industry altered by COVID led Keck to begin making food and drink deliveries in his old Chevrolet Suburban, the same vehicle in which he'd been known to drive people home after last call.

"I was delivering picklebacks," he said, referring to a recipe involving a shot of liquor followed by a shot of pickle juice that exists at The Rustic Cafe in 88 variations.

The pandemic also yielded $263,000 in Small Business Administration support to help keep the business running and help enlarge the patio. The 2022 project doubled the size of the patio and encased it in glass.

"The government did everything it was supposed to do during the pandemic," he said. "The ones that didn't know how to run a business, those were the ones that failed."

The business is still profitable despite reduced hours and a limited menu, according to Keck. He ceased daily operation in the new year and is now open Wednesday from 6 to 11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.