Future Drinking: Fong Chong to Become a Strip Club

And more new places to eat and drink in Portland

By RUTH BROWN

News via this week's OLCC liquor license applications...

It looks like Portland dim sum institution Fong Chong is either closing or moving. Michael Sun and Gary Yang—both of whom are stakeholders in Candy LLC and Vegastars LLC, which own Old Town clubs Dirty and Splash Bar— have applied for a liquor license to open a strip club called Chrome in the location. According to the paperwork, Chrome will be open until 2:30 am seven days a week, with nude entertainers and video lottery. No one in the WW office remembers when Fong Chong opened, but all the native Portlanders agree it has been here since at least the '70s. 
UPDATE: State filings show the company dates back to 1954. End of an era indeed:


Gojo Ethiopian Restaurant is opening at 915 NE Alberta St., in the former First Harvest location. 

Gator's Bar & Grill at 6605 SE Powell will become The Lodge Bar & Grill.

The Avalon Hotel & Spa appears to have been sold to CH Oregon Hotel Management (registered to Irwin Sandman of Sandman Savrann hospitality industry counselors and Yogi Hutsen of the Coastal Hotel Group, which also runs downtown's Hotel 50 and Mt. Hood's the Resort at the Mountain) and will become River's Edge Hotel & Spa. The in-house hotel, Aquariva, will, on paper at least, be called River's Edge Hotel & Spa - Restaurant & Bar.

Amigos Del Sol Mexican Family Restaurant has applied for a license at 8202 SE Flavel St. 

WWeek 2015

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.