Grant’s Philly Cheesesteaks Reopened in Their Old Sandy Blvd Location

The subject line is straight and to the point: Grant’s Philly Cheesesteaks is back open! This was an unexpected development. They opened their doors last week on Tuesday, July 21, 2026. I chatted with Travis Bloom, one of the owners, and son of the previous owner who passed away. Here is what I learned.

Some Background

As you may remember, all signs pointed to Grant’s Philly Cheesesteaks having shut down last year. We reported on this last December. Research indicated a closure, including the fact that phone number at the NE Sandy was no longer in service, and emails were left unanswered. A reader wrote, “I’ve called, emailed and drive by there daily, but nothing.”

The NW 23rd Avenue spot had also closed down and at the time, Baka Umai was working on moving into that space for their second location (they opened up in there in February 2026).

Online listings indicated a permanent closure, including Google and Yelp, and messages on online review portals remained unanswered.

I took a look at ORSOS for GRANT’S PHILLY CHEESE STEAK LLC, which indicates an administrative dissolution in March 2026. I think anyone would have considered Grant’s to be over and out.

Grant’s Philly Cheesesteaks Reopened: Records and Annnouncements

On the topic of ORSOS, I see a business called GRANT’S PHILLY CHEESESTEAKS LLC was organized on June 8, 2026. Note the small changes between this and the previous LLC—I almost missed it at first: plural “cheesesteaks,” plus it’s all one word. Two people are mentioned in those records: Deena Michelle McCants and Travis Lee Bloom.

Travis is the son of one of the previous owners, Diane Kay Schuler, who passed away last year. He also told me that Grant Schuler, the titular Grant, is not longer involved.

The Reopening Announcement

On Facebook, Travis posted this explanation about why Grant’s had closed—they indicated that it was on hiatus starting August 2025.

“Longtime owner, Diane (mom) passed away last August due to her declining heath. Though it has been a very skeptical roller-coaster of emotions with her family, and business partner (youngest son) Travis, We’ve decided to continue on as a team (because that’s what she wanted us to do) and do what we’ve been doing great for the past 2.5 decades, and that’s making the best CheeseSteaks west of the Mississippi!”

More From Travis

I was sorry to hear about the death of his mom and expressed my condolences. “With the sudden passing, we weren’t quite sure what we had to deal with,” said Travis. It is overwhelming emotionally when a beloved parent dies, and handling their remaining business also takes time and can offer a steep learning curve toward completion. I say this from experience.

He continued, “Obviously there was everything to handle with her estate, and then the business kind of came second. It wasn’t necessarily left in a manner to where I could continue on with it.”

He added, “You know, I can take people’s money. I’m glad to serve them, but I’ve got to be able to pay the bills.” Paying the bills is one of those things the estate is responsible for. And it can take time tracking them all down, depending on how organized the deceased was before they died.

Aside from that, they didn’t want to burn any bridges with anyone during this process, so it seemed prudent for them to shut things down for a while at Grant’s Philly Cheesesteaks.

“That’s What She Wants Me To Do”

Not only was it hard to lose his mom, but it was also a challenge to lose his business partner. Travis had been part of the Grant’s family for over a decade and had worked with Diane that whole time. “I have been a face of the business now for a little over 13 years and have been a big piece of how this place operates,” he explained.

“We just put things on hold for a while,” Travis explained, “And I was going back and forth in my mind: ‘Do I want to continue on? Am I going to keep doing this?’ But then around the first part of March, I thought, ‘You know what? I’m going to keep going. Because that’s what she wants me to do.'”

Working With the Entities

It was a lot of work to restart the business from a paperwork standpoint. They had to establish the new LLC, and dissolve the old one. “It’s a lot of work, for sure,” he said. “You’re basically at the mercy of our local government and it’s a lot. And then the business is just a whole other layer, as well.”

They waited a for a while to indicate their upcoming opening online. Eventually they shared the news on their social media pages, and spread the word through a number of Facebook groups. The website never went away, so they had that on their side.

“So the last three months, I’ve been working on [the business] pretty hard,” said Travis. That includes reconnecting with all their old vendors, with which he works firsthand. Travis also handles media inquiries and engages with community in person and on social media. He sees their customers on a daily basis.

Grant’s Philly Cheesesteaks Reopened: What To Expect Now

I asked if people can pretty much expect the same thing that they were used to finding at the restaurant. “Absolutely!” exclaimed Travis. You can see their menu here.

They plan to continue the business at the NE Sandy Blvd location, and a second location is not really something they are thinking about. They did operate that location on NW 23rd Avenue for a little over 10 years. It closed December 29, 2024.

They used to be closed on Saturdays, as Grant is a Seventh Day Adventist and the sabbath in that religion is on Saturdays. The Adventist influence appears to be gone, which means they’ll be open on Saturdays.

They will, however, be closed on Sundays, and open Monday to Saturday. And they’ll be paying attention to customer traffic, and if it seems prudent to be closed a different day, they’ll consider it. But for now, Monday to Saturday are their open days. As Travis said, “We’ve just got to see how the demand goes.”

Aside from feeling the pride of being back open, and feeling all the feels operating without his mom at his side, (“My eyes get a little damp because I’m so used to my mom being here.”), it has been a joy for them to see so many familiar faces after reopening.

Grant’s Philly Cheesesteaks originally opened their doors on February 3, 2003, and aside from this brief hiatus, that means they’ve been operating over the past 23 years. That’s pretty impressive in the era of “barmageddon” and all the closures that have happened. If you’re craving a cheesesteak, head to Grant’s in East Portland.

I’m glad I had a chance to chat with Travis and learn more about why they closed—temporarily, as we now know. I hope this news makes Philly cheesesteak fans in Portland very happy.

Grant’s Philly Cheesesteaks [reopened July 21, 2026]
15350 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland
Grant’s Philly Cheesesteaks website | Facebook