Today’s Press Herald includes an update on Fork Food Labs’ plans to move to new larger quarters in South Portland.
If the deal goes through, Fork Food Lab would occupy about 18,000 to 25,000 square feet of the property, with plenty of room to spare for other food producers who might want to relocate there, creating a kind of “food hub,” Seretta said. He said he’s been talking with several businesses about the idea, but declined to name them.
A new food delivery service called Family Dinner (website, facebook, instagram) is expanding to Portland. The company was founded in Boston by Erin Baumgartner and Tim Fu who have grown their Boston area service from 10 customers to 600+ in four years.
Family Dinner is in the process of putting together a Maine staff and building relationships with farms. They expect to release information on delivery areas and the farms they’ll be working with soon and hope to launch Family Dinner in Portland in November.
Follow them on instagram for updates on which farms and food producers they’ll be partnering with.
Welcome to the October 2021 edition of the Portland Food Map restaurant real estate listings sponsored by The Boulos Company. This monthly column gathers in one convenient place the spaces available in Portland that could be potential sites for restaurants and food producers/retailers to locate their next business.
Even in these tough times for the hospitality industry some people are pursuing their dreams and opening new food businesses. Finding the right spot is one of the crucial early challenges in launching a new business and hopefully this new resource will make that step just a little bit easier.
West End
101 York St – a 15,000 sq ft sub-dividable space in the new building on the corner of York and High Street is available for $15-20/sq ft (NNN). The space already has a hood vent and grease traps installed.
Arts District
554 Congress St – 1,621 sq ft former Dunkin’ Donuts space with hood for $17.04/sq ft (NNN).
555 Congress St – the former Five Fifty-Five building is for sale for $2,400,000.
44 Oak St – 4,347 sq ft on first and basement floors for $30/sq ft (MG).
Bayside
170 Anderson St – 2,000 – 3,500 sq ft in East Bayside available for $15/sq ft (NNN).
15 Chestnut St – the 14,000 sq ft building that was the former home of Grace is for sale for $3,730,000.
360 Cumberland Ave – two spaces (900 sq ft on Cumberland Ave and a 1,000 sq ft space in a building set back from the street) are available for $24-25/sq ft (NNN).
31 Diamond St – this 2,800 – 22,034 sq ft industrial space in East Bayside is available for $16/sq ft (NNN).
Old Port
1 Commercial St – the original location of Benkay at the corner of Commercial and India Streets is available. The 2,494 sq ft is for lease at $35/sq ft (NNN).
30 Danforth St – 3 units (1,800, 1,881, 2,900 sq ft) are for lease at $2,475 – $3,950/month (MG).
88 Danforth St – a 1,231 sq ft free standing building on Danforth Street is for sale for $320,000.
100 Fore St – 1,914 sq ft of space that the listing says is “ideally suited for a restaurant use” for $27-30/sq ft (NNN).
446 Fore St – 1,600 – 3,400 sq ft in the former Pearl space with entrances on Wharf and Fore Streets is available for $30-40/sq ft (MG).
505 Fore St – The 2,996 sq ft former Pizzarino space is available for $24/sq ft (NNN).
40 Free St – A new building is under construction on Free Street by JB Brown. The first floor will have 4/5 storefronts ranging in size from 1,358 to 3,067 sq ft. The construction is expected to be completed in 2021. The rate is $30/sq ft (NNN).
38 Market St – a 1,200 subterranean space near the intersection with Milk Street for $1,175/month (MG).
55 Market St – this 3,700 sq ft space on Market Street was formerly occupied by the Big Easy. It’s available for $24/sq ft (NNN).
111 Middle St – this 1,600 sq ft space has a storied past as the former location of Piccolo and before that Bresca. It’s available for $3,500/month (NNN), the building is also for sale.
1 Monument Square – 1,500 sq ft of first floor space for $3,125/month (MG).
28 Monument Square – the former Coco Cones space in the Public Market House is for lease. Contact the Market manager at (207) 939-0980 for information.
25 Pearl St – 1,689 sq ft former Subway space available for $30/sq ft (MG).
1 Pleasant St – 850 sq ft of space adjacent to Hi Bombay for $4,000/month (NNN).
3 Portland Square – This new building will include 2,500 – 20,000 square feet of retail space for$28.50/sq ft.
3 Spring St – the 2,554 – 3,500 sq ft former Lio space is available at $19/sq ft (NNN).
41 Wharf St – the former Jager space is available; 1,107 sq ft for $43/sq ft (MG).
42 Wharf St – this 3,770 sq ft space in the Old Port includes a 2,000 sq ft patio, $45/sq ft (MG).
India/Washington Ave
47 India St – the former Lois’ Market; 1,000 – 3,300 sq ft for $3,000 – $8,200/month (NNN).
100 Fore St – 3,184 sq ft are available in the new WEX building for $27 – 30/sq ft (NNN).
22 Hancock St – 978 sq ft for $2,300/month (MG).
Forest Ave
333 Forest Ave – a 2,468 retail space is available for $16/sq ft (MG).
701 Forest Ave – this former Rite Aid building is being converted and has 4 retail spaces available for $20-25/sq ft (NNN).
945 Forest Ave – 500-5,510 sq ft of space in the former Photo Market building for $12/sq ft (NNN).
1190 Forest Ave – located right in the center of Morrill’s Corner. 3,000 – 5,082 sq ft at $12 – 20/sq ft (NNN).
1569 Forest Ave – a 1,400 sq ft “soon to be completed restaurant/retail building” is available on outer Forest Ave.
Other
865 Brighton Ave – a 1,232 sq ft former gas station/quick market is for sale for $400,000.
1041 Brighton Ave – 1,500 -7,000 sq ft of space available in the strip mall that’s the longtime location of Panda Garden. The space is available for $10-13/sq ft (NNN).
437 Congress St – 1,000 sq ft for $20/sq ft (MG).
441 Congress St – The 2,400 sq ft former home of Guitar Grave across the street from 1 Monument Square is available for $20/sq ft.
155 Riverside St – the Season’s Bar & Grille and Banquet Center is for lease. The 23,750 sq ft facility includes parking and all furniture, fixtures and equipment.
240 Saint John St – 1,600 – 10,000 sq ft in Union Station Plaza for $12-14/sq ft (NNN)
Westgate Shopping Center – two spaces are for lease at $17-37/sq ft (NNN).
158 Pickett St, South Portland – the former home of 158 Pickett Street Cafe is for lease. Call (207) 615-2858 for more information.
23 Lincoln St, Biddeford – a 12,600 sq ft space divided equally on two floors, each floor has a kitchen with hoods is available for $11/sq ft (NNN). Contact Tony Delois for more information at anthony@uncommongroups.com.
Gather, Yarmouth – Owner Matthew Chappell has put his Yarmouth restaurant, Gather, up for sale.
Biscuits & Co, Biddeford – Biscuits & Co is closing on October 16th and the business and equipment is for sale. Contact Biscuitsandcompany@gmail.com for more information
Other Spaces – some vacated restaurant spaces haven’t yet been formerly listed for by the owner. Check the closing announcements for the latest information.
Glossary
MG – Modified Gross which indicates that the operating expenses (taxes, insurance, maintenance, etc.) for the property are included in the lease rate. The tenant would pay its own utilities, which sometimes includes heat.
NNN – Triple Net which indicates that operating expenses are not included in the lease rate, and the tenant will pay them separately. They are often referred to as CAM (Common Area Maintenance) charges and taxes, which are expressed as $/sf. The tenant is also responsible for utilities.
Gross – Gross indicates all expenses including utilities are included in the lease rate. The tenant would be responsible for phone and internet access, as well as interior janitorial.
MaineBiz reports that Fork Food Lab is planning to move out of their digs in Bayside to a larger space in South Portland.
Fork Food Lab, a Portland shared commercial kitchen and business incubator, has signed an agreement to buy a bigger space in South Portland to alleviate current capacity constraints.
“We signed a purchase and sales agreement for 42,000 square feet in South Portland, which is about eight times what we have now,” Bill Seretta, Fork Food Lab’s executive director and president of its Yarmouth-based nonprofit owner, told Mainebiz on Wednesday.
The article indicates “[i]f the deal does close, Seretta said a move would occur in stages, over the course of two years.”
A new business called The Grateful Cup (instagram) is under construction at 46 Veranda Street in the space formerly occupied by Union Bagel Company. The Grateful Cup will be a juice and smoothie cafe and will also serve coffee, salads and wraps.
The four founders (Samantha Allen, James and Amy Harder and Jessica Rexford) are owners or managers at the Float Harder Relaxation Center just a block or so away at the corner of Veranda and Washington. They’re launching the cafe to expand the range of “healthy and convenient lunch options” that they were looking for themselves in the neighborhood.
An opening date for The Grateful Cup is TBD as they work through the remainder of the renovations.
A new Los Angeles-inspired restaurant called Regards (website, instagram) is under construction at 547 Congress Street with plans to open this winter.
Owners Neil Zabriskie, Kimberly Lund and Cameron Lewin plan to serve a menu that melds the “fresh, clean [approach of] California cuisine which is intrinsically tied to techniques and flavors from Mexico” with “produce and vegetable driven dishes while shining a spotlight on the bounty that Maine provides.” Chef Zabriskie clarified that Regards isn’t a Mexican restaurant but those food “memories, techniques and flavors are a deep part of LA and my palate”.
Regards will have a natural wine and agave focused beverage program.
Regards will be located in the space that’s been the home to Emilitsa for the past 13 years. The Greek restaurant held their last dinner service on Saturday September 25th.
This week’s Portland Phoenix has a report on the growing number of restaurants and food businesses on Ocean Street in South Portland.
“We chose this area because we knew, from personal experience, that all our friends and people we knew that were of the age to want to go to breweries were moving out of Portland, and South Portland was becoming a cool place to live,” Julia Dilger [co-owner of Foulmouthed Brewing] said. “We knew that young families in this area wanted a place to come with their kids and not have to go over the bridge.”
Eli Shapiro along with business partners Jay Town from New York and James Duhamel from Falmouth have leased the former Binga’s Stadium location where they plan to open a restaurant and cocktail bar called Free Street (instagram). Free Street looks forward to being a go to location for diners looking to grab a meal before or after events at the Cross Insurance Arena, and to also be a destination for Portlanders and visitors regardless of their evening plans. Shapiro is a former Boston-based bartender who will be Free Street’s co-owner and general manager.
The 17,000 square foot space is currently under renovation. The interior will be a blend of the former Binga’s Stadium layout plus wall murals by Max Erwin and Alexis Wells, some new furnishings, taxidermy, rainbow colored epoxy floor designs, and sculpture to create a truly unique space. For a quick take on the vibe they’re aiming for read this recent instagram post.
The first floor will feature a bar and lounge with seating for 175+ people. Additionally Free Street will have a large basement performance space where Free Street plans to showcase local and national talent that focuses on original music.
Chef Josh Carraha will be serving a menu of casual pub-style food, Shapiro has plans for a draft cocktail program along with novel house-made ice cube. Both the cocktail and food menus are currently under development so stay tuned for more details. One drink sure to be on the menu is the Recess which is garnished with an ice cream sandwich.
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Bard Coffee is opening second Portland coffee shop. It will be located in the first floor of the new Sun Life Insurance building currently under construction in the Portland Foreside development in the East End.
The new Bard will have similar range of coffee and food offerings to their original café on Middle Street plus an expanded focus on tea. The space will feature a long bar, a takeout window, window-facing counter seating, tables and possibly a partitionable space for meetings or events. The construction plans for Bard 2.0 are still a little bit in flux but owner Bob Garver hopes to open have it open by mid-year in 2022.
A growing number of restaurants and other food businesses have been opening east of India Street as new buildings have sprouted up in the area. Other new food businesses in the area are Helm, Navis Cafe, Speckled Ax, Evo X, the Bard Coffee food truck and Grippy Tannins. The list will expand quite a bit once the Portland Foreside food hall launches.
The Press Herald reports that Soul Food Paradise will be moving into the food court at the Maine Mall.
The owner of Soul Food Paradise, a Portland takeout restaurant now operating out of Fork Food Lab in Portland, has signed a three-year lease with the Maine Mall food court and will be moving his business into the spot formerly occupied by national chain Arby’s.