After four years of ups and downs, SoPo's Judy Gibson restaurant to close
Photo / Renee Cordes
Judy Gibson, a restaurant in South Portland's Knightville neighborhood, will close its doors for good after Nov. 19.
Judy Gibson, a small-plates restaurant in South Portland’s Knightville neighborhood that got off to a bumpy start during the pandemic, will shut its doors for good after Nov. 19.
“I cannot begin to express the sadness I feel as I write this,” chef-owner Chris Wilcox said in an Instagram post.
The eatery, at 171 Ocean St. between Cafe Louis and SoPo Seafood Market and Raw Bar, serves a limited menu of innovative dishes such as smoked Bangs Island mussels with toasted sourdough bread and spicy fried green tomatoes with tomato aioli.
During the summer, the restaurant has often been packed on a Saturday night with some diners opting to eat outdoors in front.
Judy Gibson opened on March 4, 2020, and was forced to close 10 days later because of the pandemic, losing 80% of its operating capital in the first four months.
“Once we were able to open again for outdoor dining we saw a strong surge in revenue and had a great summer to help keep us pushing through," Wilcox said on Instagram.
Without any large federal financial assistance, the business has been “riding the highs and lows of seasonality in Maine ever since," he said.
“We’ve fried chicken and made corn dogs to allow for Judy Gibson to continue as we always wanted to be," he added. "This past summer was good, but not good enough to sustain us through the slower months of winter."
He said he made the decision to close now so the business can guarantee that staff can get paid while they figure out next steps and so that all vendors are paid in full.
The restaurant said it will fully reimburse all gift cards with remaining balances.
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