Photo / Courtesy Samuel Minervino
The seller, Samuel Minervino, opened another restaurant, North Deering Tavern, at 1349 Washington Ave.
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Updated: May 12, 2025
Recent restaurant transitions are a ‘bright spot’ for Portland
Photo / Courtesy Joe Atwood
Matthew and Amanda Lebel recently opened Mandy and Matt's Café at 1160 Forest Ave. in the off-peninsula Portland neighborhood of Morrill’s Corner.
The buyers of a former bar and grill, in the off-peninsula Portland neighborhood of Morrill’s Corner, are honoring their family’s culinary traditions with the opening of their own restaurant.
Matthew and Amanda Lebel bought the building that formerly housed Samuel's Bar & Grill and an adjacent commercial building, at 1160 and 1170 Forest Ave., from Samuel Minervino for $1.3 million.
Stanley J. Rintz of Daigle Commercial Group represented the seller and Joe Atwood of the Dunham Group represented the buyer.
Rintz called the transition “a bright spot” on the restaurant scene, which has seen a number of closures.
“Now Amanda and her husband Matt are carrying on her mother’s legacy in their own way, under a new name, Mandy and Matt's Cafe, but with similar operations,” he said.
Rintz praised the willingness of the buyers and seller to work through challenges that included some environmental surveys and testing procedures before the closing of the transaction.
“I am grateful to have played a part in the collaborative effort for this landmark sale, that will have a positive impact in this Portland neighborhood community,” Rintz said.
Atwood said the search for the right spot in Greater Portland took a while.
“We spent lot of time looking,” Atwood said. “Finding a restaurant space is always pretty tough. They’re not always turnkey. There are sometimes hidden costs.”
The buyers looked at places to lease that weren’t restaurant spaces and would have involved a lot of renovation and build-out. Then they leaned toward purchasing.
“The Samuel’s opportunity fell into our lap,” Atwood said.
The seller
The seller, Samuel Minervino, is a long-time Portland restaurateur. In the 1980s, he owned Sam’s Harbor Lunch, a breakfast-and-lunch eatery on Commercial Street. In 1988, he relocated the restaurant to Morrill’s Corner, eventually changing the name to Samuel's Bar & Grill.
He decided to sell the Morrill’s Corner location when Rintz presented him and his brother Rob Minervino with the opportunity to purchase a former restaurant building at 1349 Washington Ave. The property was listed by Daigle Commercial Group and Rintz represented the seller in the transaction. The Minervino brothers and Rob’s stepson Marcus bought the building and built it out as the North Deering Tavern.
Renovations included replacing almost all of the equipment, painting, updating the sewer line and adding 20 televisions to create a sports bar vibe. The spot has over three times the seating of the Morrill’s Corner restaurant.
“We pretty much renovated the entire place,” Minervino said. “There’s good parking here, it’s a bigger facility and I wanted to make the move.”
The menu includes pizza and wings, which sold well at Samuel’s, and the plan is to add more salads and gluten-free options, he said.
Photo / Courtesy Samuel Minervino
Samuel Minervino recently opened Tomaso’s Pizza & Burger Bar in the Old Port at 51 Moore St.
Minervino’s partnerships include three other eateries, too. The Pizza Villa opened about seven years ago at 940 Congress St., Tomaso’s Canteen opened about 10 years ago near the Old Port at 18 Hampshire St. and Tomaso’s Pizza and Burger Bar recently opened in the Old Port at 51 Wharf St.
The buyers
As it turned out, the Lebels had also put in an offer to purchase 1349 Washington Ave. But after it went under agreement with Minervino and his partners, the Lebels were approached to see if they’d be interested in buying his Morrill’s Corner property, which wasn’t yet on the market.
Amanda has been in the restaurant business for over 30 years, including 23 years at her mother Kathy Geary’s breakfast-and-lunch restaurant at 949 Forest Ave. Originally called Kathy and Dave’s Café, Geary eventually renamed it Maelily and Ryleigh's, all together operating for 24 years until the restaurant closed in 2019.
“One of the biggest things was her homemade muffins that she made every day,” said Amanda. “She made nine different flavors from scratch. People loved those.”
Geary’s menu featured homestyle meals.
“People really enjoyed that,” Amanda said. “A lot of people came in every day.”
After the closure, Amanda started working at another restaurant.
“I got tired of working hard for other people and would rather just do it myself,” she said.
The Samuel’s property fell into their laps.
“It happened to come up in conversation with our broker, Joe Atwood,” said Matt. “Right place, right time.”
The Lebels obtained financing from Kennebec Savings Bank, working with Commercial Loan Portfolio Manager Nate Henry and Regional Vice President and Commercial Banking Officer David Eldridge.
They worked with Christine Cole with the Small Business Development Centers, a U.S. Small Business Administration program that provides assistance and counseling to start, run or grow businesses.
“They were a huge help providing business advice,” said Matt.
Additional assistance came from Evan Wood at Lotfey Dennett Insurance Brokers and Nancy Martin and Amy McNally with Portland Housing and Economic Development.
Photo / Courtesy Joe Atwood
From left, Kennebec Savings Bank’s David Eldredge and Nate Henry, Bangor Payroll’s Justin Phillips, Lotfey Dennett Insurance’s Evan Wood, City of Portland Housing and Economic Development Business Programs Manager Nancy Martin, the Dunham Group’s Joe Atwood, Daigle Commercial Group’s Stan Rintz and Maine SBDC’s Chris Cole at Mandy and Matt's Café opening.
Renovations include painting, cleaning, installing new floors and creating a “cozy homey vibe.”
Offering breakfast and lunch, Mandy & Matt's Café had a soft opening earlier this month. The menu features many of the homestyle items prepared by Amanda’s mother, including breakfast and smoothie bowls. Amanda is working the front of the house while Matt handles behind-the-scenes tasks. Amanda’s brother, Jarod Geary — who cooked at their mother’s restaurant for a long time — is the head cook.
“It’s a really big positive both for the industry and the property itself,” said Atwood.
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