TJ Chen, Owner of Rosei’s Restaurant and Pub, 303 Fore Street, Portland on Thanksgiving Day 2025.
‘You have to love the restaurant business to go into it. If you don’t love the business, you won’t succeed in it. I always wanted to go into the business,” said TJ Chen, owner of Rosie’s Restaruant and Pub in the Old Port of Portland on Thanksgiving Day. Business at this 38 year old Pub, a/k/a Cheers! to some, is down from previous years. “Many businesses in the Old Port are suffering. Consumers are pulling back for a number of reasons,” TJ said.
From the rice fields of Battambong, Cambodia to Rosie’s in Portland is a trip that this Left Wing Lunatic was privileged to hear about. At the age of six years TJ was put to work in the rice fields of this rural area in the northwest part of Cambodia. He was separated from his parents and his sibblings at an early age as was the practice by the Khamer Rouge during the four year reign of terror of the Pal Pot in 1975 – 1979, During that time, 2/3 of the population died. Finally, in 1978 TJ and his family were reunited. They fled to Thailand where they spent six moths in a refugee camp. Then a church in South Portland sponsored them and the family came to the States. Initially, TJ worked at Oakhurst Dairy as a machine operator. But when Mr. Bennett died, TJ decided to leave the company. “If people only knew what we went through, they’d wonder how we survived,” said TJ. “I graduated from Portland High School,” he said proudly.
Fast forward, to June of 2024. That’s when TJ puchased Rosei’s from his aunt who had owned the popular Old Port “Cheers” like pub for about 22 years. Recentlly, business has been tough going. Not only are some of his patrons pulling back, but there are many issues behind the scenes that his patrons don’t see TJ said. Costs are up because of inflation and yet if he increases a price by $1.00 his “regulars” get upset.
Furthermore, the cost of renting this prime spot in the heart of the Old Port is getting prohibitive. Others in the restaurant business have said the same to LWL; that the reason for most of the vacancies in the Monument Square area of Portland is because of the cost of renting those spaces. Some would like to blame the homeless. Small businessses and restaurants are moving out of Portland to places where the rent is much cheaper; like Westbrook. According to a report last month from Moody’s twenty-two states are “approaching a recession” or are already in one. Maine was one of those states listed in the report.
Asked if he loves the restaurant business enough to stick with it as long as his aunt did, he says laughing: “I don’t know yet. But I’ll let you know next Thanksgiving. I’ll figure it all out.” With family living in New York state and making travel unrealistic, this friendly atmosphere and really good food has become LWL’s go to spot for Holiday Meals – . “”Rosei’s ‘s is Cheers!”
Rosei’s is open every day of the week.