New smoothie and oat-yogurt bowl cafe opening in Portland’s Old Port
Oat Mode to Open on Pearl Street this November, Promises Custom‑Made Breakfasts for Downtown Workers
A former Subway location on Portland’s Pearl Street is about to become a new health‑focused quick‑service spot. Kevin MacDonald and his wife, Brie O’Malley, announced plans to launch “Oat Mode,” a cafe that will let customers build their own yogurt and oatmeal bowls, as well as order smoothies on a first‑come, first‑served basis. The shop is slated to open in November at 25 Pearl Street, a space that can seat roughly thirty people.
MacDonald, who spent years in consulting and professional‑services firms in the city, says the idea came from listening to coworkers who complained that the downtown breakfast options were limited. “We’re not being shy about how big we want to build this,” he said. “We have big, audacious goals.” The couple is targeting a fast‑moving franchise model, with an eye on 500 locations nationwide within the next decade.
“Oat Mode is going to be a rapidly expanding franchise operation based in Maine,” MacDonald explained. “We’re already scouting locations for the second shop we hope to launch in the next year or two.” The plan is to open a second outlet as quickly as the market allows, then expand further across the state and beyond.
The menu will center on customizable bowls. Customers can mix yogurt or oatmeal with a choice of toppings and stir‑ins—nut butters, fresh and dried fruit, and various sweeteners—creating a personalized breakfast that is both nutritious and convenient. Smoothies will be offered as well, made from locally sourced ingredients. Coffee will be supplied by Coffee by Design, oats sourced from Maine Grains, and granola from Grandy Organics. The use of local suppliers underscores MacDonald’s commitment to the regional economy.
Operating hours are designed to cater to the city’s working population. From Monday to Friday, Oat Mode will be open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., and on Saturdays and Sundays it will operate from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The modest size of the former Subway location, with space for about thirty customers, suggests a focus on quick turnover and a friendly, intimate atmosphere rather than a sprawling dining room.
“We aim for the cafe to provide healthy breakfast for working professionals downtown,” MacDonald said. “People have told us they’d love something like Oat Mode.” By combining speed, health, and local ingredients, the couple hopes to fill a niche that has yet to be addressed in Portland’s food scene.
While the grand vision of hundreds of Oat Mode locations is far off, the immediate goal is a successful launch in November. If the first shop meets expectations, MacDonald and O’Malley are ready to expand, drawing on the same core concept of customizable, health‑oriented bowls and smoothies. Whether the venture will replicate the success of other franchise models remains to be seen, but the couple’s enthusiasm and local focus set a promising tone for the opening on Pearl Street.
