It's not because of the foie gras. In fact, I think that's, ahem, a red herring. The fabulous and thriving bistro, Carafe, was at the forefront of the we're-serving-foie-gras-and-if-you-don't-like-it-don't-eat-it-resistance-movement. Hasn't hurt them. In fact, I'd like some right now...

MMMmmmmmm......Meaty Butter! I am all of a sudden craving a foie-gras brulee from the Wickaninnish Inn.

A red herring?

Maybe the protests were good for business?

Yeah, animal rights protesters! Just what I want to do when I go out to eat a nice dinner, run a gauntlet of whackos to get inside the restaurant.

Keep Portland Weird (and in denial)!

High prices?
A name with unfortunate undertones?
Heck, even the fur merchants did themselves in.

I doubt the idiots were the only reason for the closure. Seattle's certainly a bigger, better market. The other thing we'll never know is how many people who were thinking about starting a business here will just say "to hell with it."

Give the wackos some time, they will get to the other restaurants eventually. Its what they do, and the city wont do anything to stop them.

John Fairplay The other thing we'll never know is how many people who were thinking about starting a business here will just say "to hell with it."
JK: Or how many Fortune-five hundred companies this stuff cost us. It is natural to loose some of these companies, as the planners keep reminding us. What they forget to mention is that it is also natural to gain some. We haven’t gained one since Addis, which reportedly, would NOT HAVE COME TO PORTLAND if they knew what crap they would get from the planners.

Thanks
JK

I thought this was about the animal rights protests and the foie gras. Hard to see the planners' involvement.

Allan L: A name with unfortunate undertones?

I think the name was quite appropriate.

Having known a couple of former servers at the place (they left over two years ago) I can assure you it wasn't the protesters. Hurley is out of his mind if that's what he thinks put him out of business. How about crap service, overpriced food and a we know better than you attitude to what we think is good food. Bottom line, there are to many other really good restaurants in this city to go to where customers are appreciated. Hurley is a whiner.

A $28 burger? Good riddance.

Posted by Jack Bog | January 16, 2008 11:46 PM
"I thought this was about the animal rights protests and the foie gras. Hard to see the planners' involvement.

Jack, Same ailment, different symptom

The five-year-old Northwest Portland restaurant served its last meal on New Year's Eve, then quietly shut the doors.

Bottom line to this story is that Hurley's just wasn't getting it done anymore. For proof, consider this: they served their last meal on Dec. 31st, yet word of their closure didn't pop up on either portlandfood.org or portlandfoodanddrink.com--the two main local food blogs--until the 11th. If anyone still cared about Hurley's, word would have gotten out immediately.

Why am I so forcefully reminded of the flap about how Schumacher Furs was allegedly run out of business by the Fur Friday protests? And the way that a few months later, the Schumacher family's feuds and poor business decisions eventually would up in the public view?

Besides, with that steak and foie-gras combo with mayonnaise described in the linked article, the restaurant's customers would have been dead of atherosclerosis before long :-)