Category: Closings

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.

The Bangor Daily News has taken a look at the factors impacting recent changes in the restaurant landscape in Portland.

Locals assert that the wave of sudden closures smacks of gentrification — which is fair, and also related to the workforce shortage. Rising rents have displaced the city’s typically younger ( and indebted) service-industry workers into suburbs like South Portland and Westbrook, making it hard for restaurants to retain staff, whose wages often depend on tips that can dry up in the winter months when tourism dwindles.

Owner Daniel Steele has announced plans to close Brian Boru Monday night at 1 am. They will be open the remainder of this weekend.

Founded in 1993, “The Pub,” as it is affectionately known by it’s regulars has been a landmark in Portland’s Old Port for more than a quarter century. Current owner, Daniel Steele, expresses his deep appreciation towards its loyal patrons, vendors, and the City of Portland, for their decades of support.

Longtime Washington Ave restaurant Silly’s is closing. Owner Colleen Kelley plans to close the restaurant at 4 pm on Sunday September 1st. She shared her decision and her rational via a lengthy post on facebook Wednesday afternoon. Here’s an excerpt,

My sister Shelley and I have sold the buildings— not Silly’s, just the buildings. There are a lot of factors in my decision starting with Silly’s requires my attention to thrive consistently and I am exhausted all the time trying to take care of my father and be a working owner. As much as Erin and Will the managers and the rest of the staff are taking care of me and the business, it is constantly challenging to do business with the city of Portland which also wears me out. Another huge factor in my decision is, it is that I am smart enough to know my business model won’t work in a city destined to be Seattle, which isn’t meant to be a slam it is just my opinion of where Portland is going. I don’t want anything but wonderful things for Portland, Maine I have enjoyed many years here. However, I am a fat woman who serves fat, over-portioned food and I won’t charge 24.00 dollars for 4 oz of dip and some pita bread served by a person that said to me take your time, I get paid by the hour. I want to make all my own food, not be a part of a restaurant group and serve whatever a portion I want to for a decent price with people who want to do the same. I can’t do that in my current situation…so before I loose the business, I am going to bow out gracefully of the new hipster artisan Washington avenue that I really don’t fit into anymore and spend my time taking care of my father. I didn’t get to do it with my mother who died in March, I went to work the day after it happened and I won’t make that mistake again. It isn’t healthy….

For additional reporting on Silly’s closure see articles from the Bangor Daily News, and the Press Herald.