Photo / Courtesy Heidi Kirn Photography
The owners of a Kennebunk restaurant called Chez Rosa were able to move operations in just over a month from a Kennebunkport lease to 171-173 Port Road in Kennebunk.
Updated: July 11, 2025
Restaurant owners find ‘everything we had in mind’ in move to Kennebunk
Photo / Courtesy Heidi Kirn Photography
Kyle Robinson and Yazmin Saraya Jean started Chez Rosa in Kennebunkport in 2020 and recently relocated to Kennebunk.
The owners of a French restaurant called Chez Rosa were able to move operations in just over a month from a Kennebunkport lease to a space they recently acquired in Kennebunk.
Kyle Robinson and Yazmin Saraya Jean bought 171-173 Port Road from Friday Morning LLC for an undisclosed price.
John Doyon of Malone Commercial Brokers and Greg Gosselin of Gosselin Realty Group brokered the transaction.
The 5,579-square-foot commercial property — consisting of a restaurant, bungalow and land — listed for $2.6 million.
Restaurant swap
The property listed in November 2024 and there were two interested parties within 30 days, said Doyon, who represented the seller. Both made offers.
The sellers were Rick Taranto and Jon Ellms, who owned and operated the restaurant Old Vines Kennebunk at the property.
“They sold because they are expanding their Old Vines concept in Florida where they already have two locations,” said Doyon.
He continued, “It was a standard transaction which went well due to high caliber and thoughtful people on both sides of the transaction. My side felt that Chez Rosa was a perfect fit with their French bistro concept, and we are thrilled to have them expand in our community.”
Kennebunk and Kennebunkport have an abundance of restaurants, and even with an expanded tourist season promoted by a talented Chamber of Commerce, it can spread the customer base thin at times, Doyon noted.
Expansion option
Dating back to 1850, the primary building includes a 2,800-square-foot restaurant, along with its full-service lower-level kitchen. The first floor leads from a patio to a bar and seating. The second floor has a vaulted ceiling, additional seating and a small bar,
There’s an adjoining residential property and a contiguous 0.4-acre development site or large parking area.
The building is next to a retail center that offers tourist parking and encourages foot traffic past the property, according to the listing. It’s a short walk to other restaurants and boutiques, with the historic Dock Square area of Kennebunkport five minutes away on foot.
The 0.4-acre parcel was approved for a 4,000-square-foot building allowing for potential expansion or could accommodate approximately 35 vehicles.
Kennebunkport start
Robinson and Jean opened Chez Rosa in a leased space at Dock Square in Kennebunkport in 2020 and kept their eyes open for property they could purchase.
“They didn’t want to transition out of the area, especially having the history in Kennebunkport and being so successful there,” noted Gosselin, who represented the buyers.
The couple considered other properties in the area, but “when we saw this property come up it was exactly what we were looking for,” said Robinson.
The Port Road property is across the Kennebunk River, a third of a mile west of their previous Dock Square location. Advantages, said Robinson, included having a little more space plus parking, outdoor seating and an area for events on the second floor.
Photo / Courtesy Malone Commercial Brokers
A property at 171-173 Port Road in Kennebunk, formerly housing a restaurant called Old Vines Kennebunk, listed for $2.6 million.
“It basically had everything we had in mind,” he said.
Hospitality pros
Robinson is a Kennebunk native but lived out west for a number of years. He’s been in the restaurant industry for about 28 years, since he was 15.
Jean, hailing from Mexico City, has also been in the industry a long time.
“We’re lifelong hospitality industry folks,” said Robinson.
The couple met while working in Aspen, Colo., at a hotel.
“One of our big goals was to be able to own our own business together,” said Robinson.
Property in Aspen was too expensive for that dream. So they returned to Maine and worked at a Portland restaurant for almost six years, Robinson as chef de cuisine and Jean as pastry chef for a few years, then worked the front of the house.
Vibe and decor
Getting into the Port Road digs meant instilling the Chez Rosa vibe.
“A lot of the bones of the building were incredible,” said Robinson. “It was set up as a restaurant beforehand. But the vibe and decor and ambience were much different from what we had.”
The project included painting, electrical work and new wallpaper. The target was to finish up in a month, in time for a soft opening on June 10.
“We closed on the property on May 7. Our painter got in there on May 8,” said Robinson.
They closed the former location for two weeks and moved the entire restaurant during that time with the help of the staff.
“We had long days, cleaning and moving and carrying stuff,” added Jean.
The biggest motivator for opening in a short amount of time was to keep their staff, which they paid throughout the two weeks the restaurant was closed.
“It was a fine balance of not losing our senior and experienced staff through that transition, because we knew we’d need them more than ever,” said Jean.
So far, the new location has been “a humongous roller coaster” with the number of customers bigger than they imagined, said Jean.
“It’s been a lot of logistics and systems to figure out,” she added.
The year-round restaurant has about 30 employees, about two-thirds of whom are year-round, full-time, and the rest seasonal.
The classical French bistro uses locally available products as much as possible.
“Our staff was phenomenal. Everyone was so supportive,” noted Robinson.
Mainebiz web partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments