Photo / Courtesy Carla Tracy PR
Pictured from left: Luke Holden, Mike Holden, Bryan Holden and Matt Ginn in front of Dry Dock.
January 27, 2025
Well-known Portland chef to lead the rebirth of Dry Dock restaurant
Photo / Alexis Wells
The former Dry Dock Restaurant & Tavern on Commercial Street in Portland
Dry Dock Portland, a seafood restaurant in Portland, is getting ready to relaunch with an award-winning chef at the helm.
The Luke’s Lobster team leased the mainstay restaurant last fall and is in the process of renovating the space.
The ownership team, which includes Luke Holden, Ben Conniff, and Bryan Holden, announced Thursday that Chef Matt Ginn will serve as general manager of the culinary and hospitality team.
“If you’ve eaten out in Portland in the last decade, you undoubtedly experienced the caliber of Matt’s talent,” said Luke Holden, founder and CEO of Luke’s Lobster. “He is a culinary genius with exceptional leadership skills that enable him to bring food and people together to create memorable guest experiences.”
Ginn, a Portland-area chef formerly with the Prentice Hospitality Group, announced in December that he planned to take a “career break to spend time with his family and chart his next professional chapter.”
Ginn was the corporate executive chef at Portland's Evo Kitchen + Bar, the Chebeague Island Inn and the Good Table in Cape Elizabeth.
“I’ve worked in kitchens my entire career and for the last decade, opened, ran and helped several restaurants in Portland and Greater Portland reach their award-winning potential,” said Ginn in a press release from last week. “The move to a more all-encompassing restaurant role for one establishment, and overseeing menu creation and kitchen staff hires for the re-opening of a restaurant that I grew up coming to, is the personal and professional change that I’ve been looking for.
“I’ve known the Holden family for a long time and have a deep respect for what they do not only as the best Maine seafood company and B Corp but as an employer and what they do to give back to our community,” he continued. “With Dry Dock, I’m excited to restore a legendary Portland restaurant and bring new life to it with this terrific team.”
About the new Dry Dock
The Dry Dock, at 84 Commercial St., opened in 1983 and closed in 2018. It is next door to the Irish pub RiRa and is on a thriving stretch in the Old Port.
The two-story restaurant space is being fully renovated. The renovation includes a kitchen buildout, two large bars, and an expanded deck. When finished this summer, the restaurant will seat up to 300 guests.
The team said more information about the opening date and hours of operation will be announced later this winter.
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