Papa John’s Pizza Returns to Portland, Maine, After Closing in the Late 2010s

Papa John's Pizza on Forest Avenue in Portland closed in the late 2010s, and now, like a phoenix rising from the flames, it has returned to Forest Avenue in a new location less than a mile down the street.

The former Papa John's location was at 1054 Forest Avenue and had two stores in the building. Papa John's was on the right, and Asian restaurant Ginza town was on the left. When Papa John's closed, Falafel Time took its place.

But now, it's back down the street at 815 Forest Avenue, the former home of Ernie's Pool Hall.

You wouldn't even know it was a former pool hall with the renovations that were done to the building.  A new, updated Papa John's logo went up on the brick facade over the front door.

There's not a lot of parking here, and that's probably a reason why they are delivery only. That's fine with me. One of the best things ever after moving out of a small town in Western Maine and going to college was getting a pizza delivered right to my door. Nothing was delivered back then in the small town of South Paris, and I'm never going back to pickup.

The original plan was to open sometime in June, but as we all know, when starting a new business, nothing is ever set in stone.

The store opened up a few weeks ago, and they are hiring if you're looking for work. Or maybe you've got a teenager who has a license and is looking for a part-time job.