WESTBROOK – The French Press Eatery, a popular restaurant on Main Street in Westbrook that just closed a week ago, re-opened on Tuesday, Aug. 24.

The restaurant at 855 Main St. was shut down last Saturday, Aug. 14, and put up for sale for financial reasons. However, owner James Tranchemontagne said on Friday, Aug. 20 that financial advisors said it would be easier to sell if the eatery were open.

Also, he said, although the restaurant was not bringing in enough revenue to pay off bills associated with its recent renovation, bringing in some revenue would be better than none.

Also, said Tranchemontagne, who with his wife Heidi and brother Andre Tranchemontagne owns the French Press and also the Frog & Turtle, a bistro pub around the corner on Bridge Street, the family still hopes an investor will join them so they will be able to continue to operate the French Press themselves.

“The investor part of it would be more ideal,” Tranchemontagne said.

He said the eatery will re-open at 8 a.m. Tuesday, and serve just breakfast and lunch.

That’s what it used to serve after it first opened last fall. However, the restaurant on July 21 expanded its hours and menu to be open in the evenings, and added a full-service bar. There was a big party at the eatery on Aug. 11 to celebrate its reincarnation.

Tranchemontagne has said the cost of the renovations was more than budgeted, so the restaurant had to close.

He agreed Friday to talk about the reopening after word got out about it. Tranchemontagne said he had hoped to keep the reopening quiet so that the closing wouldn’t “look like a publicity stunt or that we don’t know what we’re doing.”