In a low-slung building brightly painted in peacock blue, neighborhood restaurant Tacovore struts its stuff even further with a smart car-sized graphic of a human skull above its entrance at the corner of NE 37th and Fremont.
Hard to miss, and with a vast menu that serves mostly locally-sourced ingredients, Tacovore caters to meat-lovers, vegetarians, vegans, and the gluten-free. More notably, perhaps, is that Tacovore has done what a former restaurant in the space did not do: draw crowds.
For Tacovore’s owner, Jonathan Grumbles, that’s good news, especially with the revenue shortfall ushered in by the pandemic. For nearby neighbors, however, loud laughter, music, and conversation emanating from expanded outdoor seating and the odors from a meat and veggie smoker have caused some angst. The addition of many more parked cars in the area, too, has tested the patience of residents, especially when cars are not carefully parked.
Neighbors Come Forth
When affected B-W residents brought their complaints to the Beaumont-Wilshire Neighborhood Association, board member Laurel Marshall and then-board member Andrew Rinke stepped forward to bring those concerns to Grumbles, seeking a remedy if possible.
For Grumbles, a veteran chef who has logged 16 years in Portland during which he raised his Grant-educated kids, the complaints were a little frustrating.
“I’ve wanted a neighborhood restaurant here for so long,” he said. “I wanted to build something where people could come for a refuge; a place to eat good food, relax, and have fun—I had no thought that Tacovore’s success would cause problems for anyone in the neighborhood.”
I wanted to build something where people could come for a refuge; a place to eat good food, relax, and have fun.
COVID Disrupted Operations
That success was hard-won by Tacovore. After being open only a year, COVID-19 shut down indoor dining, and the safety of his staff and customers became a priority.
“We had to pivot,” said Grumbles. “To keep everyone healthy and employed we moved operations outdoors.” He noted, however, that everything Tacovore did to operate over the last few years has been within the legal limits of his permits and city codes. A challenge was, however, discovered in the restaurant’s ventilation system.
“The system was in place when we leased the building, but it wasn’t working properly and released odors to a level not allowed,” Grumbles said. “We spent a great deal of money to upgrade it, but it took a year to get it fixed.”
Regardless of the reality that Grumbles wasn’t breaking any rules and has no control over poorly parked cars, he was immediately amenable to signing a Good Neighbor Agreement. In it he committed to outdoor music timeframes, bringing the smoker grills indoors when permits allow, providing a designated smoking area for staff and requesting they not smoke in front of residences, and removing the uncovered seating in his parking lot to allow for a one-way entrance and exit route, effectively reducing the number of people dining outdoors.
“I want to be part of this neighborhood and a good partner,” Grumbles said.
Grumbles Supports Community
The Tacovore owner seems to walk that talk: he hosts fundraisers for Beaumont, Alameda, and Rigler schools—with another slated for January 18—and supports local Little League teams and other schools, including McDaniel High School.
A parting thought Grumbles had for readers is that he appreciates the amount of support he’s received throughout the pandemic. “The vast majority of this community has been wonderful, supportive, and gracious—I have so much gratitude for that!”
Susan Trabucco is editor of this newsletter. She and her husband have called B-W home for 10 years. She’s passionate about tropical-ish gardening (a nut, really), cooking, and getting people together. Contact her by emailing susan@trabucco.biz or Editor@BWNApdx.org.