Category: Closings

Steve and Michelle Corry have announced plans to close Five Fifty-Five in mid-April.

After much consideration Steve and I have come to the decision to close 555 in its current location in mid-April.
This decision has been extremely difficult and very emotional, but ultimately we want to focus on our family and future projects. We are so appreciative of our supporters, including all of our guests, many of which are now friends, and the wonderful people who have worked with us over the last 17 years. We were touched that when we told our staff yesterday they were all very understanding and supportive. It will be a priority for us to find placement for our entire crew, which is why we have given them several weeks before closing. We hope to see many people in the next few weeks to be able to say goodbye properly. Petite Jacqueline will remain open and several of our signature dishes, including the lobster mac and cheese, will be added to their menu.

Five Fifty-Five opened its doors in 2003. Steve Corry was named a Food & Wine Best New Chef in 2007. The couple went on to also open their French bistro Petite Jacqueline in Longfellow Square 2011, and PJ’s has subsequently moved to its present day location in the Old Port.

For questions about the Five Fifty-Five space, contact Joe Porta at the Porta Company.

Bob’s Clam Hut has announced plans to close their Portland location. Their last day in business will be this Sunday, March 1st.

Azure in Freeport has announced that they will be closing next week on February 23rd after almost 18 years in business. The closure was driven by a impasse in negotiating a renewal of their lease.

Here’s an except from their farewell post on Facebook:

Since 2002, we have been honored to be a part of the community of Freeport, both as Azure’s home and as our family’s hometown.

We are so grateful for all the staff members we have been lucky enough to have throughout the years; without them, Azure would never have been Azure. We are so proud to have watched all the now young professionals wait & buss tables or portion pasta in the kitchen summer after summer as they grew up.

Very few restaurants have been able to turn a profit every year in business but Azure is one of the few, thanks to you, our guests and our tremendous staff.

Thank you to all of you that have shared this experience with our family. You have made our lives and work special. You have given meaning to our daily labors with each smile and kind word. You have honored us with each marriage proposal, birthday and anniversary you celebrated at our tables.

We are forever grateful for the opportunity you have given our family to serve you.

Izzy’s Cheesecake has gone out of business. The owner’s posted this announcement yesterday on Facebook,

It is with much regret that we announce that Izzy’s Cheesecake is closing effective immediately. We would like to thank all of our customers for your support over the last thirty five years and will miss seeing you in our store. Due to the changing market conditions it was just not feasible for us to continue.
Onward and Upward!
Izzy and Jim

By this morning customers and fans of their 37 flavors of cheesecakes had posted 100+ comments in reaction to the news.

In the final days of the last year The 5 Spot announced they’d be going out of business effective December 29, 2019, “after the Eagles/Giants game”.

The Bangor Daily News reports that Rockin’ Ricky’s is planning to close in late December.

A few minutes after its 11 a.m. opening time on Thursday, nearly half-a-dozen patrons sat at the bar, sipping yellow beer from plastic cups. All of them had heard the news and none were enthused.

“I’m not too happy about it,” Mary Bonnevie said.

The announcement was released by Rockin’ Ricky’s on their Facebook page last night.

Portland Pulp has announced they’ve gone out of business.

The Free Street juice bar and cafe originally open in July 2017.

The Press Herald reports that Andy’s Old Port Pub has closed. The owners shared that there was a mix of factors including a broken walk-in refrigerator and difficulty in staffing the restaurant.

An emotional Jennifer Fox, who owns the pub at 94 Commercial St. with her husband, Rick Frantz, said they made the decision to close on Friday morning after they discovered they would not be able to repair a walk-in cooler. It was, she said, the last straw in “a cacophony of incidents that all kind of came at the same time.”

“As much as I’m going to miss it – it was my own child – it was time,” Fox said.

 

Flying Fox, a juice bar located at 98 Washington Ave, has announced their last day in operation will be October 19th.

It has been our greatest pleasure to provide healthy and nourishing food to this amazing community and support many hardworking Maine farmers over the past 4 years. It has been an absolute dream, from building out this colorful space to meeting countless new friends that have walked through the door in search of fresh plant-based food. That being said, the time has come for the Fox to hibernate for a while as we pursue other exciting ventures. Although we will certainly miss seeing all of you on a regular basis, it is with full hearts that we announce that Saturday, October 19th will be the last day of Flying Fox service at 98 Washington Avenue.

The 625 sq ft space is now available to lease for $1,600/month.