Restaurant Real Estate: July 2022

| Posted in Real Estate

Welcome to the July 2022 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

156 State St – 5,250 sq ft of space on the first floor of the Portland Club is available for $14/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).

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

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

643/647 Congress St – 1,107 – 5,016 sq ft of space near Longfellow Square is available for $20/sq ft (MG).

649 Congress St – this 3,000 sq ft space is available for $22/sq ft (MG).

142 High St – a 543 sq ft retail space in the State Theatre building that faces High Street is available for $25 – 35/sq ft (MG).

Bayside

31 Diamond St – this 2,800 sq ft industrial space in East Bayside is available for $16/sq ft (NNN).

178 Kennebec St – a 2,644 sq ft space on the first floor of a new building in West Bayside is available for $30/sq ft (NNN).

65 Portland Street – the beautiful restaurant space that was home to Back Bay Grill for 34 years is available; 2,750 sq ft for $25/sq ft (MG).

24 Preble St – the former Arcadia space is available; 2,835 sq ft 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 – 2,223 square feet of retail space on Commercial Street is available for $28/sq ft (NNN).

443 Congress St – 5,280 sq ft of space for lease for $16-20/sq ft (MG). It’s located across Elm Street from the Portland Public Library.

446 Fore St – 1,600 to 3,400 sq ft of space for lease for $30-40/sq ft (MG). It’s located in the building that was formerly occupied by the Pearl Tap House.

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).

75 Market St – the 5,474 sq ft space on the corner of Market and Middle Streets occupied by Rambler’s Way is for lease for $37/sq ft (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).

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).

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

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

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.

5 India St – 1,250 – 2,500 sq ft for $35/sq ft (NNN) in a new building under construction near the intersection with Commercial St.

83 Middle St – 1,480 sq ft of retail space is available in the new building being constructed across the street from Eventide; $30/sq ft (NNN)

Forest Ave

369 Forest Ave – 5,040 sq ft of space adjacent for Forest Gardens on Forest Ave is available for $15/sq ft.

500 Forest Ave – a 1,500 – 3,200 sq ft space is currently occupied by Starbird. It’s available for $16/sq ft (MG).

945 Forest Ave – the former Photo Market building is for sale for $995,000.

Other

1020 Congress St – a 3,375 service station that is going to be “redeveloped as part a planned mixed use development”. The finished space will be available for $18/sq ft (NNN).

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 – 2,400 sq ft in Union Station Plaza for $14/sq ft (NNN).

1341 Washington Ave – the former Parker’s restaurant is available for sale for $2,750,000.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

Review of The Knotted Apron

| Posted in Reviews

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes a 3 star review of The Knotted Apron.

This upscale, nominally French-Italian bistro on the border between the Rosemont and Deering Center neighborhoods has a lot going for it, not least of which is its inviting front patio, an ideal spot for a non-alcoholic Chasing Waterfalls cocktail and, if you’re a little peckish, a slice of sweet-savory French onion tart. Showing impressive dedication to his craft, chef/co-owner Ryan Hickman makes the pastry base himself, along with nearly everything else on the menu.

Restaurants and Rents

| Posted in General News

Vine Pair has published an article on the impact media attention on the Portland food scene has had on the affordability of the area for people who work in the hospitality industry.

With the media craze came a shocking influx of out-of-state wealth, and landlords have seized the opportunity to capitalize on the choked marketplace. Prices easily paid by out-of-state visitors are unimaginable to the average Mainer. Expiring leases aren’t being offered for re-signing, and rents are increasing at insulting rates. Supply is shrinking as apartments are converted into short-term rentals and luxury condos. South Portland, Biddeford, Westbrook, and Falmouth — all historically affordable places to live with reasonable commutes to the city — have not been spared in the rental market assault.

Keg and Kraken on Congress St

| Posted in Under Construction

A new restaurant called Keg and Kraken (instagram) is under construction in the former Kushiya Benkay spot at 653 Congress Street. Owners Jiraphon and Steve Richards along with Nisachuan Young plan to do some light renovations and hope to open in July.

Keg and Kraken will continue to serve sushi and the menu will be augmented to include Thai dishes and tiki-style cocktails.

The Richards own a laudromat in Biddeford. Nisachuan Young has experience in the hospitality business in Thailand where she was the assistant director of food and beverage at the Four Seasons Hotel in Samui as well as the manager of Luca Cafe in Maine.

Kushiya Benkay quietly shut down operations in late May.

Riverton Station on Forest Ave

| Posted in Under Construction

A new 40-seat restaurant called Riverton Station (facebook) is in the final stage of construction at 1569 Forest Ave. As part of the cover letter for their liquor license application owners James and Peter Hoglund shared

The restaurant will bring a great open, safe and convenient atmosphere for all ages to enjoy…The menu revolves around pizza and grill type offerings. There will be a mealoption for everyone in the family to enjoy at a price point that they can enjoy often. We hope this will bring some of the history and life back into Riverton and help it evolve into the focal point or center of the community for years to come.

Here’s a look at the draft menu for Riverton Station.

Upcoming Events: GMRI, Fake Restaurant #2

| Posted in General

Wednesday – Gulf of Maine Research Institute CEO Don Perkins will be sitting for a live interview with the Press Herald.

Friday – it’s the opening day of Fake Restaurant #2 at the Washington Baths. The month long pop-up will be “slinging traditional ((and not-so-traditional)) versions of Greek cuisine” on Fridays and Saturdays during the month of July.

July 5 – Terlingua is hosting Leroy and Lewis from Austin, Texas for a BBQ dinner.

July 14 – KitNA is holding a tasting event at their West Bayside location.

July 15-17 – the Yarmouth Clam Festival is taking place.

July 21 – Magnus on Water chef Ben Jackson will participating in the Outstanding in the Field series with a dinner at Glidden Point Oyster Farm in Edgecomb.

July 23 – Chaval chefs Ilma Lopez and Damian Sansonetti will be participating in the Outstanding in the Field series with a dinner at Dandelion Spring Farm in Bowdoinham. The Wavy Days Beer Fest is taking place.

July 25 – 30 – the Kneading Conference is taking place.

August 13 – the 91st Annual Saint Peter’s Bazaar.

August 19 – 21 – the 2022 edition of the Maine Apple Camp is taking place.

September 3 – Tender Table is holding their 2nd Annual Food & Art Fair in Congress Square Park.

September 19 – 25 – Maine Lobster Week is taking place in Skowhegan.

September 23 – 25 – the Common Ground Fair is taking place in Unity.

October 9 – the Maine Cheese Guild is holding Maine Open Creamery Day.

Best of 2022 Awards

| Posted in General News

Portland Old Port has kicked off their Best of 2022 readership awards program. The readership-driven voting program is a three-step process.

Step 1 – now through June 30th you can nominate your favorite businesses in the dozens of categories which range from Best Ambience and Best Bagel to categories like Best Wings and Friendliest Staff.

Step 2 – the first round of voting will take place on all nominations from July 1st to July 14th.

Step 3 – the top voted entries from step 2 will be on the ballot for a final election from July 15th to July 31st.

Beard Awards Impact

| Posted in General News

This week’s Portland Phoenix checked in with some of Maine’s nominees to ask what impact being a Beard Awards nominee has had on their business.

Now, as we move forward in a world where COVID-19 isn’t gone and chefs, cooks, servers, and bartenders have endured through it and most likely changed their models and practices, do awards matter? I spoke with three local finalists about what the nominations meant to them and their restaurants.

Parker’s and Buxton Common Closing

| Posted in Closings

The Buxton Common has announced plans to close as of this Friday,

This Friday we celebrate our 4th anniversary and it is with bittersweet emotions that we announce that this Friday will also be our last night of dinner service. Though, in the future, we will continue some limited catering, we have made the difficult decision to suspend our regular dinner and take away service.

We have much gratitude and appreciation for the people through the years who have helped to make The Buxton Common a special place for our workers and guests. And a deep thank you goes to all the people who run town hall, the transfer station and safety departments who have helped to welcome us to town.

Parker’s in North Deering has announced they are closing this Saturday after 33 years in business.

Please be advised that some menu items may not be available due to our closing on June 25.

We extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation for your patronage over these past 33 years.

It is difficult to call you customers and patrons when we truly consider you friends and, in many cases, family.

The decision to close was extremely difficult and bitter sweet. Again, thank you all so much for making us a part of your lives.

Two New Breweries: Newscapes and Idiomatic

| Posted in Under Construction, Openings, Beer

Maine beer fans will have two more breweries to choose from.

Newscapes Brewing (website, facebook, instagram) recently launched in Portland. The brewery was launched by Jeff Curran and is located at 163 Washington Ave. You can learn more about their line-up of beers on their website. They’re open Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 8 pm.

A new brewery called Idiomatic Brewing (website, instagram) is under development. The founders have a decade of combined industry experience in Maine and elsewhere. Their first three beers will be Ninety in the Shade (4.6%, lager), Missed the Boat (6.2%, American IPA), Sliced Bread (6.3%, dubbel-style ale). Launch timing and location details are still TBD.