Our friend Amy Ruppel just sent an e-mail letting us know that tonight is the last night to go in and get CAVA's amazing mushroom bruschetta, to sit in the warm glow of the dining room with so many other eastsiders and enjoy a place that exuded that certain Portland charm, with none of the pretense, the trying-too-hard-to-be-hip attitude found at so many other places.
In her message, Amy outlines the reasons for the closure:
"Blame it on the 'economic crisis,' or the location, or what have you.... the business is just not pulling in what it needs/used to, and the costs heavily outweigh the intake. We've stayed open as long as we could, digging deep into our own pockets to try to keep it all running, but to no avail."It's sad, for last night we actually had a good amount of folks come in. And they loved it. And we know people love it, and they (and us) will be very upset about this closure. It makes me ill to think about all the work and love we put into that place, only to have it fade away and become another statistic.
"I wish I had a million dollars, or an investor in these crazy times, to keep it all afloat and keep everyone happily fed, and the staff employed. But in the end, we need to save CAVA from delving deeper into debt."We'll miss you and the staff that made it such a special place, Amy.
Details: Cava Tavern, 5339 SE Foster at 53rd. Phone 503-206-8615
So so sad. We actually ate there last night not knowing they were closing. It's our go to neighborhood spot and we will really miss it. We bought a house in Lents in 2005, and for us, CAVA was a symbol that our neighborhood was making it.
ReplyDeleteWe have several friends who live in the neighborhood and felt the same way about it. It will be greatly missed.
ReplyDeleteargh! this is dismal! we drove all the way from NE PDX to frequent Cava..... so sorry to see them go.
ReplyDeleteIt was so great when they established a beachhead in an under-appreciated part of town. I'm sure it'll turn out they were ahead of their time!
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame, we were looking forward to taking friends there for great food, drink, and conversation. I hope Cava can be reborn someday!
ReplyDeleteKeep me posted if you find anything like it, either now or in the future! I'll try to do the same...
ReplyDelete