Lawrence’s Ladybird Diner set to reopen in July

Meg Heriford, the owner of the temporarily closed Ladybird Diner, at 721 Massachusetts in Lawrence, may not be able to prepare pies for her restaurant right now, but she’s still rolling out that pie dough.

Why? It’s bridal season. But more on that later.

The Ladybird Diner closed March 3 after the bar and grill next door, Biggs on Mass, suffered a fire that also caused devastation to Heriford’s six-month-old diner. Heriford says the best-case scenario is to have the restaurant reopen in early to mid-July.

“The greasy, pungent smoke!” Heriford says. “It got into everything. The fabrics, the ductwork, the insulation…everything. And there was a foot and a half of water in the basement from the firefighters putting out the fire. The funny thing is that earlier that week, I was thinking, “You know, after six months, we’re finally starting to sail smoothly.’ And then, of course, we weren’t.”

While the diner is under construction, Heriford is tinkering with the menu. “This gives me a chance to step back, look at the things that were working, the things that needed changing. I’m taking everything apart and putting it back together again.”

While she’s rethinking her diner menu, Heriford hasn’t lost her need to bake her flaky, scrumptious pies, one of the primary attractions of the Ladybird Diner.

“This is an incredible wedding summer,” Heriford says. “I can barely keep up with the demand. Luckily, while the Ladybird’s kitchen is out of commission, we’re renting the kitchen at Pachamas restaurant. It’s a huge kitchen. We could probably make a million pies there!”

The most popular pies for weddings, Heriford says, are fruit pies if the reception plans on setting out an assortment of freshly baked pies, but for more ornate gatherings, the couples choose cream pies.”

“I often suggest 30 pies in three varieties, but a lot of couples want 30 different pies. And we can do that, too.”