I’ve been holding off on this until they publicly annouced it (rememember the crap I got when I annouced their first location?), but now Willamette Week has gone with the news: Kenny and Zuke’s has a month to sign a lease on a location across the street from St. Honore at NW 24th and Thurman. In our interview last week Ken Gordon said they were looking for a second location, but this is coming fast!
K&Z to Open Second Location
October 6, 2008 By 9 Comments
Food Dude
"I have a wide-range of food experience - working in the restaurant industry on both sides of the house, later in the wine industry, and finally traveling/tasting my way around the world. Whether you agree or disagree, you can always count on my unbiased opinion. I don't take free meals, and the restaurants don't know when, or if, I am coming."
Half of me says: Yay! Expansion is good!
Other half says: Boooooo! West side bias!
No Comment. But the information is only partly right. As usual.
Um, that was a comment ;)
Damn, you’re good! ;)
Actually, though, this was the quote from the interview:
“We’re also looking to do a spin-off business that’s complementary to what we do here – so we’re looking at some locations now.”
Not quite the same thing as:
“In our interview last week Ken Gordon said they were looking for a second location.”
Semantics, semantics ;)
Actually, I heard they were planning on opening a sandwich shop, but not necessarily like K&Z’s current location.
We are cutting back drastically on dining out (from 2-3 times a week to perhaps once a month) and I’ve noticed that quite a few “hot” spots are walkinable now.
Somehow expansion in the midst of a recession does not seem prudent. Owners of some new spots have voiced hopes that the economy will recover in a year or so. That seems unlikely.
I beg to differ. I waited 20 minutes for a lunchtime table last week at Kenny and Zukes. While certain hot spots have suffered, many are still very busy. Go to Toro Bravo on a Sunday night, and you’ll wait two hours. Pok Pok? At least 30 minutes every night.
Kenny and Zukes will weather the storm because it’s above all affordable. Sure, the giant pastrami sandwiches are like 12 bucks, but they’re enough for two.
People will always eat out, though the types of places at which they chose to dine will change in a down economy. I’d hate to be Lucier right now, but people will always spend money on brunch, sandwiches, and those wonderful bagels regardless of how their 401(k) is doing. My personal thought is that Portlanders will give up driving before they give up eating. Let’s face it. Our food amenities are the only aspects of Portland life that are world class.
So, would this be the spot in the Thurman Building next to the corner nail salon and across from Dragonfly? That was the only vacant spot I could see.