Vegan/Vegetarian Roundup

| Posted in General News

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes a roundup of changes in the V/v restaurant landscape in Maine.

Last year’s most significant news was the opening of three vegetarian restaurants: Curbside Comforts in Gorham, S+P Social in Newcastle and Vickie’s Veggie Table in Biddeford. However, we lost Chase’s Daily in Belfast (which opened in 2000), Taste of Eden in Norway (which opened in 2002 at its original location in Bethel), and the state’s first international vegan franchise, Copper Branch, which opened in Portland in late 2019, just months before the pandemic lockdown. Its closure reflects a changed commercial landscape in the city.

George + Leon’s in Westbrook

| Posted in Under Construction

Logan Abbey the owner of the George’s North Shore food truck has leased space in Westbrook where he plans to open a restaurant called George + Leon’s Famous Roast Beef (instagram). The new restaurant will be located at 9 Cumberland Street in the building that’s currently home to the Brea Lu Cafe. Abbey hope to open the restaurant in mid-summer.

George + Leon’s will serve an expanded menu and will also have a full bar. In addition, Abbey plans to use the space to host pop-up events with other food trucks. George + Leon’s is named for Abbey’s dog (George) and 3-month old son (Leon).

Abbey expects to continue operating the The George’s North Shore food truck in addition to the new restaurant. Brea Lu Cafe itself is moving to a larger space on Larrabee Road that will open this spring.

Little Woodfords Closing

| Posted in Closings

Owners Andrew and TJ Zarro have announced that they’ll be closing Little Woodfords at the end of January.

To our beloved community, it is with a heavy but full heart we share that this will be the last month we are open. The time has come for us to move on to the next chapter of our lives, filled with 5 and a half years worth of memories, friendships, high highs and low lows.

Salvatore’s Hoagies

| Posted in Openings

A new delivery sandwich shop called Salvatore’s Hoagies (instagram) is launching with a pop-up service on Friday.

Salvatore’s is run by Kara Picone and chef Owen Price. The couple are tapping into their Sicilian and Philly/South Jersey (respectively) heritage to deliver their take on a classic hoagie sandwiches (see menu below). To dial in the experience Salvatore’s are baking their own bread for their menu.

Price has cooked in Sonoma, Vietnam, and in Philadelphia where he worked for chef Marc Vetri. Picone also has experience in the restaurant industry in front of house and general restaurant management.

Salvatore’s will initially be operating out of Fork Food Lab with the option to pick-up at Fork on Parris Street or with delivery in Portland and to the Greater Portland area—see details on this post for the Friday pop-up.

Ordering will be available by text, phone and social media to start with online ordering to come in the future.

Gold for Chocolate

| Posted in Reviews

Five chocolates produced by the West End chocolatier Chocolats Passion (website, facebook, instagram) have medaled at the Academy of Chocolate awards competition in London.

We are thrilled to announce that FIVE of our chocolates have won medals at the world’s most prestigious competition! We are one of only four US chocolatiers to win, and brought home half of the US medals. We are so proud of our chocolates that won silver, Miso Sesame and Pistachio Raspberry and bronze, Pineapple Black Pepper, Calamansi Almond, and the Coffee Toffee mendiant!

Ruby’s Moving

| Posted in Under Construction

Ruby’s West End (website, instagram) owners Matt and Corrinna Stum have announced plans to move their West End restaurant. They have not yet released the new location for Ruby’s.

Ruby’s is currently located in the former Aurora Provisions building at 64 Pine Street and that space was recently listed for lease. The Stum’s opened  Ruby’s in April 2021, and recently launched a new restaurant called Back River Bistro in Wiscasset.

$1M for Preble Street

| Posted in General News

The Press Herald reports that Preble Street has received $1M to fund their South Portland food security hub.

The money means Preble Street is about halfway toward its goal of raising to $12 million to renovate the facility on Darling Avenue – work it hopes to start this year.

“Sadly, food insecurity isn’t going to go away anytime soon,” said Mark Swann, executive director of Preble Street, a nonprofit social services provider that addresses homelessness, hunger, and poverty. “This facility will have such flexibility with space and capacity that when the population shifts or emergencies happen or agencies close … this place will be here and be able to pivot and grow.”

Bloomberg/Where to Go

| Posted in General News

Bloomberg has included Maine in their Where to Go in 2023 list.

For Americans, visiting the Pine Tree State is a little like taking a quick trip to a foreign country. There’s the distinctive geographical blend of craggy stone beaches, storm-blue lakes and fuzzy, fir-topped mountains. The local cuisine, of fresh seafood augmented by hardy farm-to-table veggies and berries, is likewise famous beyond its borders.

Mentioned in the article are: Twelve, The Danforth, Luna, and Aragosta.

Restaurant Real Estate: January 2023

| Posted in Real Estate

Welcome to the January 2023 edition of the Portland Food Map restaurant real estate listings sponsored by The Boulos Company—a commercial real estate brokerage that has helped Maine’s restauranteurs buy and lease restaurant spaces since 1975.

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. Finding the right spot is one of the crucial early challenges in launching a new business and hopefully this resource will make that step just a little bit easier.

West End

2 Pine St – the former Treasure Chest space in Longfellow Square is for lease. Call (207) 773-7100 for more details.

64 Pine St – The former Aurora Provisions space is for lease. The 4,629 sq ft is listed at $20.61/sq ft (NNN).

156 State St – 1,250 – 7,550 sq ft of space on the first floor of the Portland Club is available for $13.50 – 24/sq ft (NNN).

235 Vaughan St – the 700 sq ft space most recently occupied by Other Side Deli and which had been the longtime home of Vaughan Street Variety is for lease. Call (207) 650-0846 for more information.

Arts District

554 Congress St – 1,621 sq ft former Dunkin’ Donuts space with hood for $2,301/month (NNN).

642 Congress St – the former Ada’s space is available to sublet; 2,569 sq ft (MG).

649 Congress St – the 3,000 sq ft former Dos Naciones storefront is available for $22/sq ft (MG).

44 Oak St – 4,347 sq ft of space in a beautiful historic building at the corner of Oak and Free Streets is available for $20/sq ft (NNN).

Bayside

75 Chestnut St – a 2,100 sq ft ground floor retail space under construction in Bayside is for sale for $649,999.

31 Diamond St – this 2,800 sq ft industrial space in East Bayside is available for $2,500/month.

46 Elm St – this 2,400 sq ft corner space in the parking garage at the corner of Elm Street and Cumberland Ave. It’s available for $13/sq ft (MG).

52 Hanover St – a new building set to open in April 2023. On the first floor will be 1,500 – 4,500 sq ft retail space available for $30/sq ft (NNN).

82 Hanover St – the 3,067 sq ft former Yard space in Bayside is available for $30/sq ft (NNN); the sale includes all FF&E inventory.

178 Kennebec St – 2,644 sq ft of space are available in a newly constructed Bayside building for $30/sq ft (NNN).

34 Portland St – the 4,256 sq ft building that was formerly occupied by Candy’s is for sale for $649,000.

24 Preble St – the former Arcadia space is available; 2,835 sq ft for $20/sq ft (NNN).

Old Port

Canal Plaza – the former Copper Branch building in Canal Plaza is available for $60/sq ft (NNN).

1 Commercial St – the original location of Benkay at the corner of Commercial and India Streets is undergoing renovations and is expected to be available in 2023. The 900-2,950 sq ft is for lease at $35/sq ft (NNN).

383 Commercial St – 1,193 – 4,805 square feet of space in a newly constructed building on Commercial Street is available for $28/sq ft (NNN).

86 Exchange St – the 1,438 sq ft Swiss Time space on upper Exchange Street is for lease for $31/sq ft.

144 Fore St – the former VA building is near the Portland Foreside development and adjacent to several new office buildings off Thames Street. IT has 2,500 – 21,911 sq ft of space available for $24-29/sq ft (NNN).

40 Free St – the new building constructed by JB Brown has four storefronts ranging in size from 1,358 to 3,067 sq ft for $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).

100 Middle St – a 350 sq ft cafe space on first floor of an Old Port office building is available for $850/month (MG).

157 Middle St – 1,091 – 5,155 sq ft of retail space is available for $27 – 29.95/sq ft (MG).

1 Monument Square – 1,500 sq ft of first floor space for $3,125/month (MG).

28 Monument Square – a booth in the 2nd floor of the Public Market House. Call 207-317-9626 for details.

25 Pearl St – 1,689 sq ft former Subway space available for $30/sq ft (MG).

66 Pearl St – 5,796 sq ft of space—the former Bull Moose retail shop—is available for $15.75/sq ft (MG).

1 Pleasant St – an 1,800 sq ft restaurant space in the Cinnamon Building available for $25/sq ft (NNN).

15 Temple St – the 2,086 sq ft space formerly occupied by Bubble Maineia is available for $26/sq ft (MG).

110 Thames St – two spots (2,700 and 3,200 sq ft) are now available in the newly constructed building in the Portland Foreside development. Both are listed at $35/sq ft (NNN).

42 Wharf St – this 3,770 sq ft space in the Old Port includes a 2,000 sq ft patio, $45/sq ft (MG).

43 Wharf St – the former 1,350 sq ft Drink Exchange space is for lease for $43/sq ft (MG).

India/Washington Ave

100 Fore St – 1,914 sq ft of space that the listing says is “ideally suited for a restaurant use” is available for $30/sq ft.

47 India St – 1,000 sq ft of the former Lois’ Market building is for lease, $3,333/month (NNN).

Forest Ave

945 Forest Ave – the former Photo Market building is for sale for $899,000.

1871 Forest Ave – the former Tortilla Flat building is for sale for $3,800,000.

Other

936 Brighton Ave – 1,995 sq ft of space in an 11k sq ft building that’s the future home of Allspeed Cycle and Snow for $20/sq ft.

1091 Congress St – the former Denny’s building and parking lot are available to lease; 4,901 sq ft at $25.50/sq ft (NNN).

476 Stevens Ave – the Elsmere BBQ building in Deering Center is for sale for $1,550,000; the sale includes all FF&E inventory.

Northgate Shopping Center – 2,200 to 5,700 sq ft of space is available.

Westgate Shopping Center – four spaces are for lease at $18-40/sq ft (NNN).

Biscuits & Co, Biddeford – Biscuits & Co closed on October 16th and the business and equipment is for sale. Contact Biscuitsandcompany@gmail.com for more information.

Buxton – the former Buxton Commons restaurant is available for sale or lease. Lease terms are $4,500/month (NNN) for 3,600 sq ft of space.

18 Ocean St, South Portland – the 4,351 sq ft former Snow Squall is for lease for $15/sq ft (NNN).

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.