Category: Under Construction

Frying Dutchman

| Posted in Under Construction

A new business is under construction on the 2nd floor of the Public Market House. The Frying Dutchman (instagram) plans to serve cones of Dutch-style fries with a variety of toppings. Owners Leon Vuong and Cody Leland plan to open in September.

This is a second business for Vuong and Leland who also launched a pop-up business called Seven Seas Food & Co (website, instagram) at the Fork Food Lab back in June. In June and July they sold natural plant-dyed raviolis and cannolis.

Vuong was recently one of 13 chefs participating in the 2021 Great American Seafood Cook-Off which took place last week in New Orleans.

Topolina

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A new Italian restaurant called Topolina is under development by chef Michael Bergin.

I started working in restaurants as a dishwasher 23 years ago and have been working feverishly on building my craft ever since. I believe my time has come to tell my story and I am eager to express my passion for Italian cuisine to Portland and beyond. I’m earnest in my belief that what I have to tell through food, and the experience I want to curate, is something unique and considerable. The fundamental lessons I learned as a dishwasher, and eventually working in Michelin-rated restaurants, as well as my memories of sharing meals with my Grandfather have all made me who I am today. I can’t imagine a better way to pay it forward than to share similar feelings of nostalgia, simplicity, and warmth with my neighbors. More than ever, I want this restaurant to bring friends and families back to the dinner table. What is a better facilitator for that than a house-made bowl of pasta? I hope that our humble, sincere Italian restaurant will be this escape for people.

Bergin grew up in Massachusetts where he got introduced to the culinary world while working with his grandfather at the family business Noe & Sons Produce. He’s worked in Washington DC, Boston and New York at a number of highly regarded restaurants including L’Espalier, Del Posto, and Coppa. Prior to moving to Portland he was the executive chef at The Fat Hen and at The Salty Pig in Boston. Bergin is currently part of the team at the Big Tree Hospitality group in Portland.

A launch date for Topolina (which means ‘little mouse’ in Italian) is still TBD. Bergin has set-up a $10k crowdfunding campaign to help defray some of the development costs for the restaurant.

Six Degrees at Back Bay Grill

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Back Bay Grill has announced a significant shift in concept and direction. Starting in mid-September Back Bay Grill will be under new leadership operating under the name Six Degrees at Back Bay Grill.

Adrian Stratton, BBG’s well known general manager will be leaving Back Bay Grill at the end of August to pursue a new career direction in the retail wine industry. Under the ongoing ownership of and with oversight and guidance by chef/owner Larry Matthews a new team will be leading the kitchen and overall operation of Six Degrees.

Don Purdy along with Mariah and Matt Dyer will be managing the new business with chef Nick Gratton taking the lead in the kitchen. Gratton has worked in Maine at Earth at Hidden Pond in Kennebunkport, and for chefs Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier. He has also had experience working in China, Japan and Saudi Arabia.

Back Bay Grill will be serving a 3-course prix fixe menu grounded in their well loved current approach during the remainder of the month on August 6-7, 19-21 and 26-28.

Back Bay Grill was founded in 1988 and has been owned and operated by chef Larry Matthews for the last 19 years. The restaurant has been a James Beard Awards semifinalist for Outstanding Service in 2018 and 2019.

KitNA Brewing

| Posted in Under Construction, Beer

A new brewery producing nonalcoholic beer is under construction in West Bayside. KitNA Brewing (website, instagram) will be Maine’s first brewery dedicated to making nonalcoholic beer. KitNA is a collaboration between Rob Barrett, the owner Barrett Made, and Will Fisher, the cofounder of Austin Street Brewing.

According the press release,

[Barrett and Fisher] aim to provide a premium, high-quality alternative to alcoholic beer, with the goal to master a product that satisfies the discerning palate of beer drinkers and beyond. The duo brought on local experienced brewers, Adrian Beck-Oliver and Simon Burhoe to join KITna as Co-Head Brewers. The two have been working day in and day out to create the brewery’s core beer lineup while simultaneously launching the production side of the brewery. Headquartered in an old workshop-turned-brewery in Barrett’s West Bayside building, KITna will announce the name of its first beer in the coming weeks. All of their offerings will deliver on the founding intent to bring the quality, consistency, and integrity of craft beer without the alcohol.

Their first beers are expected to be available later this year.

A&C Grocery Crowdfunding

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A&C Grocery has launch a $25k crowdfunding campaign to help with the expense of moving to their new location on Congress Street.

My vision for A&C has always been a community-based, swashbuckling-owned, neighborhood joint that would benefit the coterie of locals. While the Top of Fox is bustling and profitable, it cannot fund the opening of a new location with it’s current cash flow alone. I am currently paying rent for PART II and there are still permitting and build-out costs I still have yet to tackle. I couldn’t have done Top of Fox without you guys, and again, I can’t do PART II without you either.

Visit their Go Fund Me page to make a contribution.

Neapolitan Pizza Food Truck

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A new food truck called Quanto Basta (website, instagram) is expected to launch in the next few weeks. Owner Elizabeth English plans to serve a rotating menu of four to five Neapolitan pizzas as well as Italian pastries and provisions.

English has lived and cooked in Rome at the Rome Sustainable Food Project and in the Campania region. She’s also worked as a baker in Chicago and Portland. Recently, she headed up the prepared foods and baked goods at The Cheese Shop on Washington Ave.

Quanto Basta will be operating out of a retrofitted vintage 1959 Morris Minor Van. English plans to regularly be at the Eastern Prom, as well as various other locations around town.

Eighty 8 Donut Cafe Now Open

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The new Eighty 8 Donut Cafe (website, instagram) opened on Wednesday. It is located 225 Federal Street in the Old Port and is the business’s second brick and mortar location. Eighty 8 began life as a food truck 8 years ago and also has a donut cafe at Sugarloaf Mountain.

The Portland donut cafe will be open 7 days a week, 8 am – 5 pm (Monday – Friday), 9 am – 4 pm on Saturday and 9 am – 3 pm on Sunday serving their full menu of made to order mini donuts.

The new location features some window art by Tessa Green O’Brien.

A New Home for A&C Grocery

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A & C Grocery (website, instagram) has leased 229 Congress Street where owner Joe Fournier plans to relocate his popular Washington Ave eatery. Fournier announced the intention/need to move to a new location back in early April and has been actively looking at space across the city since then.

Fournier plans to have the new A & C open by September and will run both locations in tandem through the remainder of the year. During those remaining months of 2021 the new location will be open in the evening while the original location will still serve the lunch crowd. In 2022 Fournier plans to expand the menu and offer indoor lunch counter seating. Stay tuned to the A & C instagram for more details on that as they come into focus.

As a prank Fournier has placed a sign in the window of 229 Congress Street (see above) that announces that a Starbucks will be opening this fall. People curious enough to scan the QR code at the bottom of the sign get taken to a video where he shares the good news about the new A & C.

229 Congress Street is located adjacent to Cocktail Mary; it was formerly occupied by Sip of Europe.

Smalls Coming to the West End

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A new cafe and market called Smalls (instagram) is under construction at 28 Brackett Street. Co-owner Samantha Knopf plans to offer “light fare, espresso and natural wine” along with pantry items, produce, flowers as well as art and wellness items.

Smalls will be serving Variety Coffee and will be sourcing baked goods from Lion’s Share Bread.

The owner taking the creative lead is Samantha Knopf. Samantha is a veteran of the NYC hospitality world as well as having had past lives as a birth doula, florist, potter, set designer and teacher before making Portland her home in the winter of 2019. With Smalls, she brings her love of food and curated eye for artisan objects to one location where she can invite the community to share in the taste she has cultivated. Smalls plans to serves and sell products sourced from small scale local producers and makers.

Knopf long with co-owners Arryan Decatur and Karl Deuben (both from East Ender) hope to launch early this fall.

Restaurant Real Estate: July 2021

| Posted in Under Construction, Real Estate

Welcome to the July 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

722 Congress St – the building that’s home to Yordprom Coffee and the soon to close Figgy’s is for sale for $650,000.

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

555 Congress St – the former Five Fifty-Five building is for sale for $2,400,000.

605 Congress St – a 1,180 sq ft space in the State Theater Building is available for $25-35/sq ft (MG).

Bayside

148 Anderson St – 3,000 sq ft in East Bayside located next to Tandem Coffee available for $17/sq ft (NNN).

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.

84 Cove St – The 8,969 sq ft former Milk & Honey in Bayside is available for $13/sq ft (NNN).

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).

178 Kennebec St – a new building under construction will have 1,800 – 5314 sq ft for lease at $30/sq ft (NNN).

23 Marginal Way – a 1,300 sq ft space in Century Plaza is available for $28/sq ft (NNN).

25 Portland St – 2 spaces in the Flat Iron Block (600 and 725 sq ft) ar available for $1,300 and $1,500/month respectively.

34 Portland St – the 4,256 sq ft building that was formerly occupied by Candy’s is available for $3,500/month.

24 Preble St – the 2,800 sq ft former home of Arcadia is available for $20/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).

383 Commercial St – 4 street level retail spaces will be available (1,631 – 1,971 sq ft) at $28/sq ft (NNN) in a new building under construction at the corner of Maple and Commercial Streets.

30 Danforth St – 3 units (1,800, 1,881, 2,900 sq ft) are for lease at for $2,47 – $3,950/month (MG).

88 Danforth St – a 1,231 sq ft free standing building on Danforth Street is for sale for $320,000.

18 Exchange St – 1,800 sq ft of retail space for lease at $6,950/month (MG).

425 Fore St – The 2,94 sq ft former Five Guys space is available for $40/sq ft (MG).

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 early 2021. The rate is $30/sq ft (NNN).

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.

28 Monument Square – the former Maine Squeeze juice bar in the Public Market House is for lease. Contact leasing@juicery.com for more information. Also, the second floor space formerly occupied by Sichuan Kitchen is available, call (207) 939-0980 for information.

66 Pearl St – the 5,796 space formerly occupied by Bull Moose is available for $15.75/sq ft (MG).

2 Portland Square – the turnkey former Walter’s is on the market. 3,219 sq ft for $28/sq ft (MG).

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).

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 – 2 retail spaces are available in a new building planned for Fore Street. 1,141 and 1,914 sq ft respectively, $27 – 30/sq ft (NNN).

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).

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

170 Brighton Ave – a 2,173 sq ft former mini market is available for $20/sq ft (MG).

570 Brighton Ave – a 700 sq ft retail space available for $1,000/month (MG).

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).

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.

Westgate Shopping Center – two spaces are for least at $17-37/sq ft (NNN).

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.

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.