Friday Food Insider Notebook: Openings, closings and Southern fast food

Photo / Alexis Wells Popeyes already operates three fast-food branches in Maine, including a location in South Portland at 291 Maine Mall Road, shown here.

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By Alexis Wells

Mainers will soon have a new place to eat, Dixie-style.

Popeyes, the Louisiana-inspired fast-food chain known for spicy fried chicken, biscuits and sides, will open a standalone restaurant in Lewiston at 841 Lisbon St.

The eatery will be ground-up construction, and permits for the project were pulled in July. The site was formerly a gas station, which has been demolished. The new building will be 2,400 square feet in size and the estimated project cost is $950,000.

For now, Maine has three Popeyes locations. Two are on the Maine Turnpike — at the West Gardiner Service Plaza and at the northbound Kennebunk Service Plaza. There's also a standalone restaurant in South Portland across from the Maine Mall.

The chain began 47 years ago in New Orleans. Today, Popeyes is headquartered in Miami and has over 2,700 restaurants in the U.S. and worldwide.

Toronto-based Restaurant Brands International acquired the company in 2017 for $1.8 billion. Restaurant Brands also owns Burger King, Tim Hortons and Firehouse Subs.

Other foodie news

Gritty McDuff's Brew Pub in Freeport will soon close after 30 years of business there. Gritty's last day in Freeport will be Nov. 30. The other pubs, in Portland and Auburn, will remain open.

La Tienda Latina Latin Market leased 2,000 square feet of retail space at Jetport Plaza, 405-443 Western Ave. in South Portland, from Jetport Plaza LLC. Liz Mark of the Real Estate Store represented the tenant, and Mark Malone of Malone Commercial Brokers represented the landlord.

Stacks Pancake Co. opened in 2021 in Portland on Riverside Drive, attached to the Ramada Inn, and opened a second location in Scarborough. The new pancake restaurant will open at 183 U.S. Route 1 in Scarborough, formerly home to Tequilera's Mexican Restaurant and the Egg & I. Stacks serves breakfast and lunch all day, along with Bloody Marys, mimosas and coffee from Arabica.

The Cheese Shop of Portland has rebranded as Sissle and Daughters, and has relocated to 634 Forest Ave. in the city. The shop and all-day cafe are now open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. In the mornings, it offers coffee and espresso drinks featuring Precipice Coffee and fresh baked goods. It transitions to a wine bar, food retail store, and grocery shop in the afternoons and evenings. It will offer wine, pantry goods, prepared foods, take-and-heat meals and sandwiches.

207 Beer Week has been hosting a week-long celebration full of beer activities and the fun will continue this weekend. Check out the Maine Brewers Guild website for events at the breweries near you.

Lone Pine Brewing, of Portland, is merging with a Woburn, Mass.-based brewer, Lord Hobo Brewing, the Boston Business Journal reported on Thursday. Lone Pine was founded by John Paul and Tom Madden, who were Mainebiz 40 Under 40 honorees in 2023. Lone Pine ranks No. 6 among Maine-based brewers, according to the 2024 Mainebiz Book of Lists. Last year, it produced 16,335 barrels and had 38 employees.

The Friday Food Insider is working on some fun stories for the coming months. What changes have you seen in the Maine restaurant world? The Mainebiz Food Insider wants to hear from you! Contact Alexis Wells at awells@mainebiz.biz.